Wine Undiscovered Wine Country – Mendoza, Argentina
Written by Katie Hammel
When most people think wine, they think of
My husband, Dan, and I visited Mendoza for three days in August, the end of winter south of the Equator. We took advantage of off-season deals to plan a luxury trip on a small budget. We stayed at family-run Plaza Italia Bed and Breakfast, where the charming Mercedes and Tito welcome guests for as low as $70 a night. They offer guests plenty of recommendations for things to see and do in town and will organize activities, including winery tours run by their son, Javier.
The journey from Chicago had taken us nearly 24 hours – there are no direct flights from the US to Mendoza - so by the time we arrived we were exhausted. We took Mercedes’ recommendation and headed to El Palenque, a bar and restaurant on busy Villanueva street. We shared a platter of doughy empanadas stuffed with pork and chorizo and a plate of provoleta, a grilled local cheese, with bread. We enjoyed a pint of locally brewed Andes beer along with our meal (with cost only $15 US) and then turned in for the night.
The next day we woke early for our wine tour with Javier. While the rolling hills set against the backdrop of the Andes mountains rival California’s Napa Valley in beauty, arranging tours here isn’t quite as easy as it is in the states. Walk-ins are generally not accepted and many of the vineyard staff don’t speak English, so having a guide is highly recommended. Javier arranged our tours, chauffeured us around, and acted as a translator when necessary. We visited four wineries; at each one we toured the property, learned how the winery produced their varietals, and of course, tasted several of the wines. 
At Achaval Ferrer, we sampled three varieties of Malbec wine, each one grown at a different altitude. It was amazing to taste the difference in the three wines and see how much climate and altitude could affect the taste, smell and color of the wine. The last winery we toured was also our favorite. The winery of Carmelo Patti was unlike any we had ever toured.
There was no large tasting room, no rolling vineyards – just Carmelo Patti himself who buys grapes from respected farmers and crafts wine in his one-man operation. Carmelo didn’t speak any English so we were thankful for the translation services of Javier. Carmelo led us to one of the storage barrels in the winery and used a long glass tube to siphon out a taste of a young cabernet. While the wine wouldn’t be ready for consumption for at least three years, Carmelo wanted us to compare the taste from the wine in the barrel to that of the fully-aged award-winning bottled wines so that we could experience the progression. While we’ve tasted wine in many regions, drinking directly from an oak barrel was a new experience, and one we’ll never forget.
For our last day, we headed into the foothills of the Andes for some horseback-riding. As with our visits to the wineries, traveling in the off-season meant that there were very few other people on the tour. Of course, it also meant that the weather wasn’t as warm as it would have been in summer. But Mendoza enjoys 300 days of sunshine per year, so it was still a mild and sunny 55 degrees. Our group of six enjoyed a leisurely ride over the rolling hills, stopping halfway along the route to pass around a gourd of yerba mate tea, a traditional drink popular with the locals and meant to be shared. We traded stories with our guide and munched on fresh-baked tortillas and then completed our leisurely ride through the beautiful countryside.
For our final dinner in Mendoza, we headed to the upscale wine bar and restaurant Azafran. We shared a bottle of fruity Luigi Bosca Pinot Noir and a platter of empanadas to start. On a recommendation from our charming waitress, we shared a light goat cheese salad and then indulged in an Argentine beef filet topped with gorgonzola cheese, wrapped in puff pastry, and served atop a Malbec reduction sauce. We splurged on a chocolate mousse dessert and were delighted to find that all that delicious food was a mere $70 US!
The trip to Mendoza isn’t a short one and flights will cost about the same as the journey to Europe, but once in Argentina the fantastic exchange rate makes this a bargain destination full of culinary delights, great wine, beautiful scenery, and friendly, welcoming locals. And a trip to Mendoza can easily be combined with a visit to Buenos Aires, or Santiago, Chile to experience even more of South American’s charms.
Links
Plaza
Italia B&B – http://plazaitalia.net/
Achaval
Ferrer - http://www.achaval-ferrer.com/en/
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