Mendoza wine tour & lunch

Our hotel staff are very knowledgeable and helped us plan our day. We chose to drive ourselves with me literally tasting and not really drinking. As many of my friends know I really can’t drink much anyway before falling over! We were supposed to visit three, recommended max in a day, with the last stop also including a gourmet lunch. We were a bit slow this morning so only made the 11am wine tasting at Casarena Bodega in Lujan de Cuyo, 15 mins drive from our hotel, followed by a really lovely lunch and more tasting at Dominio del Plata, a further 10 minute drive away. The 9.30 tasting we felt was just a tad too keen. Seemingly you must book your visits, your hotel can do this for you or try direct on line with individual wineries.

Driving here is undaunting, however as two policemen tried to point out on our trip to the Andes yesterday, I got it on the second time of being stopped. All vehicles must have their headlights (not side lights as I had, after the first advisory) on at all times, day and night. Have yet to attempt night driving, probably won’t!

A wine tour can be booked with a single guide or with a group that will include lunch, but count on it costing a lot more, often more than 3 times as it would doing it yourself, which was our preference.

The first winery, now owned by an American family bought in 1995 from an Italian family who had initially established it in 1937. Seemingly many wineries are owned by foreigners and few by Argentines . The cost of the wine tour and generous tasting of 4 wines was $600 pesos per person or at this time US$10.

Pictures taken below include the way Wines are stored in order to ferment and mature. In the old days in large concrete tanks, now used as storage areas. Today mostly in stainless steel tanks, although they have created large concrete tanks similar to those used in the past, however, unlike the past, now with an epoxy lining. Wine is later transferred to American and French oak barrels. Many of the live vines had a protective taught mesh over them. I thought perhaps because of the many birds but no, it was to protect the vines from hailstones which at times can be as large as tennis balls. In every other aspect the climate is perfect for wine growing with much additional and essential irrigation. We watched a number of hawks circling and diving for their prey in and around the vineyards.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Lunch Was taken at the next winery with views over lush vineyards. We enjoyed a fabulous 5 course gourmet meal with accompanying wines which was of a very high standard. David drank most of my wine! We finished with a coffee. This was the most expensive meal thus far, $6700 pesos or US$114 for two. Utterly amazing value, due mostly in part to the tough economic situation, rapid inflation and currency devaluation they are experiencing.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

After lunch we headed back to our welcoming hotel for a rest by the pool for the remaining part of the afternoon. The amount of birds and different species means you get to see and hear plenty of species without venturing far – the pool area being a perfect spot.

A quick word on laundry, certainly every hotel thus far offers a daily service and whilst you do prepare a list, the cost is charged by the bag. Just washed dried and folded at a cost of $500 pesos a bag – about US$8.5. Great value! Irons are available if you are so inclined.