We got up Wednesday morning bright and early to start the day of wine tasting with Trout and Wine, a wine tour company recommended from a friend, in the Luján de Cuyo valley of Mendoza. There were seven people in our group including the guide. Our first stop was Renacer, a fairly large winery, here we got to play winemaker and taste three virgin forms of Malbec, and then decided what percentages we wanted to mix to make the best tasting Malbec for our taste buds. After this we tried the Punto Final Clásico and Punto Final Reserva Malbec and Enamore; a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Bonard; which is a joint venture wine between Renacer and Alleguini. I recommend the Punto Final Reserva with food.
Next we were off to Terrazas (part of the Chandon group), for a vineyard and winery tour followed by a private tasting of reserve Torrontes, Afincado Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cheval des Andes, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The Torrontes was beautiful and the Cheval des Andes as well. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this winery even though it was part of a giant corporation.
The third stop was a wine and food pairing lunch at Bodega Ruca Malén. The first step was a Yauquén Chardonnay 2009 paired with critic mousse on a red apple chip with a fresh granny smith apple wedge; the food helped the wine on this one. Second step was Yauquné Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 with a sweet and sour pork empanada with roosted onions and raisins, again the cab needed the food. Third step, Ruca Malén Syrah 2007 paired with caramelized carrots, species crust and dried ham on a smoked goat cheese sauce, the starter was good, but the syrah could stand alone. Fourth step, Ruca Malén Malbec 2007 and a Kinién Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 paired with grilled beef tenderloin medallion served with baked potatoes and zucchini on a cheese and almond pesto. The Malbec was great but the Cab lacked strength. Pre-dessert, yes I said pre-dessert was a chardonnay, lemon and rosemary granitee and the fifth step, or dessert was dulce de leche panna cotta and fresh fruits followed by coffee. You could have rolled us out of there, it was delicious and since we had an out spoken Texan woman, two Canadians, our Argentine guide and a guy (with a Mexican dad and British mother) who grew up in Mexico, Dallas, Buenos Aires, Chicago and now Canada, the conversation was quite entertaining.
Last stop was Alta Vista for a quick winery tour and a tasting of their Premium Malbec (recommended), Premium Torrontes and Malbec Terroir Selection before heading home on our overnight bus. Exhausting day for our taste buds, but so much fun and a great reminder that Gallo didn’t ruin my passion for wine like I thought they might have, in fact I love everything about it from the soil, to the process of making it, packaging it and selling and promoting it, I just never want to have to be on the selling side where I have to physically sell the wine to make a living.
Im going to Argentina next month, but I looked for furnished apartments in Buenos Aires only! :(. I wanna go to mendoza! Do you know hoy can I get there from BA without spending a lot???
ReplyDeleteI took a break from writing....the cheapest way to get to Mendoza from BsAs are the overnight buses....a ticket on AndesMar First class was very affordable, but there are many operators and various class levels and prices.
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