We arrived in Mendoza at 8am after the long 13 hour ride on the Andesmar first class overnight bus. And boy were we surprised, it was so cold we could see our breath, if we had brought snow clothes I think we would have pulled a “Cool Running’s”, by running back into the warm bus to change into everything we owned. Good thing the cold was only temporary and that morning. We immediately hopped into a cab to our beautiful boutique hotel Villagio to warm up and take showers. Of course we were in wine country and I insisted we start the trip and the day tasting wine in the area of Maipú by bicycle. Now biking to wineries in Maipú is very common, there are about 5 bike companies situated on the main road for this purpose, but the road conditions in this area aren’t the best, the pollution from the cars is still bad and well, it’s pretty dangerous with all the cars and large trucks screaming past. Nothing like biking through Marlborough in New Zealand (well then again the roads were only a bit larger and the trucks were bigger but there was a lot less traffic in NZed). Although the biking conditions weren’t the best the wineries were surprisingly modern, beautiful and serene. It was a beautiful day. We started at Trapiche, the largest winery in Mendoza and Argentina for that matter. I was a bit leery on going here since most of the Argentine wines found in American grocery stores is Trapiche and I am not really a fan, but the winery was beautiful (they restored the old brick building from the original winery). The tour was informative to the beginner wine drinker, but what most impressed me was the tasting room. It was elegant but had a homey feel, and we were completely alone except for the other 3 people on our winery tour and the guide. Plus the reserve wines were delicious (we tried Iscay Merlot-Malbec blend, Broquel Bonarda, and Profuso Malbec) and at bargain prices compared to California reserve wines.
The next stop was about 3k down the road to the smallest winery on the route Carinae, its owned by a French couple who moved to Mendoza to retire and start a winery, the original winery they bought was a bit out of shape but the vines were well established and taken care of. They were also building a new tasting room and facility. It was great to see the contrast between the largest winery and a smaller labor of love(here we had a Malbec Rosado, a 2007 and 2006 Malbec and the reserve Malbec).
The third winery was our favorite in terms of wine quality. Familia de Tommaso, one of the oldest wineries, with original brick tanks, now used for storage, and some of the best wines we had tasted. We ended up purchasing a bottle of homemade hard apple cider which we enjoyed the next day and a bottle of 2004(a very good year) special reserve Malbec; only 4,000 bottles were produced and the winemaker signed each bottle instead of putting a front label. Now you might ask, did that cost an arm and leg? oh no, only $95AR or about $25USD. Yeah, good wine is that cheap down here(we tried 2007 and 2006 Malbec, a 2006 Cabernet, and a Torrontes dessert wine aged for 1 year in oak). Next on the stop was Viña el Cerno for a delicious Asado(bbq) lunch. It was beautiful just sitting out amongst the olive trees and vines, drinking a delicious glass of Malbec and eating fresh carne and salad.
After lunch we headed over to Tempus Alba, my second favorite spot on the ride. It’s a gorgeous modern winery with an outdoor second floor terrace to sit at and enjoy a flight of wine while overlooking the vineyards and beautiful landscape of Mendoza (we tried the Cabernet, Malbec, Syrah, Merlot and a Malbec-Tempranillo blend Pleno Reserva del Enologo). Of course the Malbec’s were delicious, especially the reserve Malbec and the grilled provolone was to die for. I highly recommend if you go to Mendoza order the grilled provolone at the restaurants, you won’t be disappointed, who could be with a hunk of warm provolone sprinkled with herbs and spread on homemade hot bread….mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking of it, but my thighs are telling me I can only have it once.
That evening we had a delicious meal at El Fuego with my Norwegian friends, Maggie and Maria. They left BsAs 2 weeks ago to continue their travels in America, and we were lucky enough to catch them in Mendoza for dinner, such a small world.
Day two was pretty quiet, we had a late breakfast at a café and wandered through the city, even checked out the Modern Art Museum, which was a bit of a letdown since the museum is under the main fountain in town and the fountain was leaking through the roof of the museum, I guess they don’t care too much about modern art, I don’t blame them, most of it I don’t understand either. That afternoon we went to the only wine bar in the area The Vines. Nick ordered the Malbec flight and I ordered the Muestras flight, which included a Torrontes, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We ended up tasting our own flights, then switching to try the others, this being a great economical way to taste. I can say that the Renacer Punto Final Clássico Malbec was a great young wine that could be anyone’s everyday dinner wine, while the Sangre de Los Andes was a great full bodied, big and bold Malbec (other wines: Doña Silvina, Malbec de Angeles, Flecha de Los Andes Gran Malbec). For the Muestras flight the Mounier Torrontes was nice and light and the Las Perdices Reserva Pinot Noir was phenomenal for down here (other wines: Mairena Malbec, Catalpa Merlot, Caelum Cabernet Sauvignon). That night we had dinner at Anna Bistro with a bottle of Alta Vista Premium Malbec. It paired perfectly with my curry like chicken dish and Nick’s rib eye.
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