Two and a Half Mendoza

 I departed Chile by bus:  destination Mendoza, Argentina.  This was the neatest bus ride I've ever experienced.  I highly recommend crossing the Andes by bus or car -  it is a thrill to pick out the world's 2nd highest mountain peak - Aconcagua. It was easy to find as it was the only one with snow.  I was unable to take a photo of Aconcagua as we passed it too quickly.

Typical mountain in the Andes - not much greenery.

Avalanche tunnel we drove through.

 It was also a thrill to drive the section of the hiway was all switchbacks - 30 in total (consecutively!).  

Looking down at the switchbacks from turn #17.

Mendoza is a lovely city that is very well laid out.  There are irrigation canals (passed down from the Incas) that allow the planted trees to sustain growth in the middle of the desert.  There was a big earthquake that destroyed the town about 100 years ago.  Now they have really wide streets and 4 parks surrounding the main town plaza.  This gives the people a place to go in the event of another earthquake.  The streets and sidewalks are also really wide which provides plenty of room in the event of a disaster.  Very impressive urban planning and many other cities should take note.

Water Fountain in Mendoza's main square.

The city has unique mosaic tiles decorating the plazas, park benches and fountains.  Argentinians in Mendoza work 9am to 1pm and then go home to their families for lunch, which includes wine.  This is followed by a siesta.  The stores in Mendoza are all closed at 1pm - interesting for a foreigner to see empty streets after lunch.  They return to work around 4 or 5 and stay until 8 or 9.  

 

Beautifully decorated park benches and lamp post.

Even the sidewalks in Mendoza are beautifully tiled.

My tour group visited the Alta Vista vineyards with our own private Sommelier - Martin.  He taught us about the vines and how vineyards in Mendoza are different.  The vines are covered with nets to help prevent hail damage (many hail storms occur in the summer).  . 

Malbec...almost ready for harvest.

Martin the Sommelier.

Malbec wine is what Argentina is known for.  I was not disappointed!   Martin explained the details of the wines to us, and we were taught proper wine tasting technique.  Now I feel like an expert, but need more practice (how convenient!).  Alta Vista sells about 2 million bottles of wine a year.  Argentinians keep about 70% of their wines.  The Chileans export 95% of theirs.  Martin said that in Argentina you use a crisp, young white wine instead of mouthwash in the morning!

My Intrepid Tour group at the Alta Vista vineyard.

There was a cute red cocker spaniel that joined us for the wine tasting.  We sat on beautiful white leather couches outside in the garden, covered with patio umbrellas to shade us from the sun.  We were tipsy by 11:30 am!  The Alta Vista Premium Malbec 2008 was my favorite wine.

Our second stop was at Clos de Chacras, an amazing winery just outside Mendoza.  It is a "boutique" winery and only 150,000 bottles are made a year. 

In the Clos de Chacras wine cellar.

 We sat in a beautiful patio with a long table next to a tranquil pond filled with goldfish.  We tasted Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Our Sommelier then broke us into teams and we played a wine blending game.  My team chose to go with 68.5% Malbec, 28% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon.   We named our wine "Perro Salvaje" which means "Wild Dog" in English.  

My team leader, Federico, measuring out wine for the blending game.

Martin, the Sommelier, was blind folded and he tried the newly blended "Perro Salvaje" wine.   The amazing thing was that after a sniff and taste, Martin accurately guessed we had 70% Malbec, followed by Merlot with a slight taste of Cab Sav.  How did he know just from the smell and taste?  I have a new appreciation for those in the wine business and their amazing talent.

Martin enjoying his first sip of "Perro Salvaje".

The Clos de Chacras restaurant for the most amazing meal of my trip.  Our waitress was from Nelson, BC and she spoke perfect Spanish.  They served fresh bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Our bread  came with a sprig of wild lavender and a sprig of curry.  The smells were so unique and very fragrant.     I had an amazing lettuce salad with braised pears and brie cheese with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette.  I also tried some mushroom risotto which was very rich and creamy - one bite was such a treat.  We went through 3 bottles of wine (or more??) and for dessert I shared fresh fruit with chocolate and ginger sprinkled over ice cream.

As a result of  drinking wine all morning, we were required to return to the hotel at 2pm for our siesta.  I woke up in time for a party at 7pm in one of the hotel room party suites.  We drank our newly acquired wines with olives, camembert and Pringles of all things!  It was very fun and a lot of laughs.  Nine people crammed in a hotel room with 5 bottles of wine always makes for a good night.

The following day before leaving Mendoza for Patagonia, we walked to downtown Mendoza to Havanna - a very traditional chain of Argentinian coffee houses, and they also make the famous Havanna cookie/cakes (taste like wagon wheels). 

Beautiful Julie enjoying a coffee from Havanna.

It was a relaxing morning, and the street was packed with local Argentinians.  The women are beautiful, and were dressed in nice summer dresses with cute sandals.  I enjoyed watching the world walk by.

After two and half days in Mendoza, it was time to take my newly cultivated wine tasting skills to Patagonia for some practice.