Adventures in Mendoza (Day 2)

Day 2 didn't get off to a good start: We woke up early, got dressed, and waited for the wine tour to pick us up. Only it didn't. And after over an hour and a half of waiting, we could wait no longer, so we marched over to the tour company's office, fuming. After a similar experience at San Pedro de Atacama, we had little patience for these kinds of things.

Thankfully, the guy that booked our tour was very patient (and immune to my silent sass! LOL). He called the wine tour and sorted everything out. There was apparently a mishap at some end or other, and the van passed by our building two hours late. By then, we had already left for Alvarez, so it started to make its way to Maipú valley with the rest of our group in tow.

It turned around, picked us up in front of the office, and went back on the road as our guide made his introductions to the group, which at that point consisted of two Brazilians, two Argentinians, and the two of us Canadians.

Maipú valley 

With the morning's fiasco behind us, we could finally relax and enjoy the tour. Our first stop was at Bodegas Lopez (Ozamis, M5511APG), one of the oldest wineries in the valley. They had these huge, antique wine barrels that they still use to this day to age their wines. We tried a few varieties, including a Malbec, but our favourite was a white wine called dulces naturales. It was made with Gewürztraminer grapes and tasted a lot like milder ice wine.

We breaked for lunch at the very quaint La Melesca (Urquiza 6010), which boasted an interesting antique collection and a little garden with beautiful willow trees. We had a delicious three-course meal of empanadas, pasta, cookies, and coffee. Oh, and more wine. I was definitely feeling it, and it wasn't even 1:30PM yet.

The tour continued with a stop at Bodegas Baudron (San Martín 673) and an even bigger group–picked up from Mendoza while we were at lunch. Like Lopez, Baudron also had those antique wine barrels; unlike Lopez though, Brian and I didn't think they actually used them judging from the layer of dust that covered many of them and the cleanliness of the floor. Either way, it didn't matter. The wine was good!

Our tour of Badron was followed by a stop at an olive oil boutique called Pasrai (Ozamis Sur 2731), a nice change-of-pace and a great complement to any wine day. After the standard tour of the facilities, they served us a great spread of all their olive oils and spreads. They were awesome, so awesome that Brian and I bought a bottle of their olive oil, their dehydrated red pepper spread, as well as their olive spread.

We then went to Cavas de Don Arturo (Franklin Villanueva 2233) the smallest winery of the lot. But it had a lot of history, and to this day, it is still family-owned. We were lucky enough to have met one of the descendants, who was generous enough to give us a taste of one of their reserves. Of the lot, I think I preferred our tasting at Don Arturo's the most. They had the group standing 'round a table and trying each variety, observing the lagrimas of each one as we downed each glass.

Our last stop of the day was at an artisinal food shop. The proprietor herself received us and gave us a taste of all the goods that she makes from scratch: The list includes liquors, chocolates, jams, and spreads. It was pretty cool.

Back in Mendoza

We dropped off some of our goodies at the apartment and headed out for a quick stop at a wine store to pick up some dulces naturales. Unfortunately, they didn't have any from Bodegas Lopez, so we opted for a bottle from Séptima Obra. Then we went to dinner at Sabores Criollos (Gutiérrez 553), a recommendation from our host.

For a cheaper, no-frills option, their empanadas and their steaks were delicious. It's no Jacob's or even Cordillera, but it was more than decent for the price. I gobbled mine up!

We ended our evening with tango at Vararte (Chile 1230). And by tango, I mean we watched tango; we didn't actually do any dancing. Hahaha! It was cool seeing Argentine tango in none other than Argentina. Brian took it a step further with his fernet, a harsh Italian liquor that's apparently popular in Argentina. I'm not a fan and stuck to my Caipiroska instead. 😉

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We really enjoyed our time in Mendoza. We loved everything about it: the wide streets and the touching trees overhead, the numerous wineries, the delicious food, the warm culture, everything. Although a future visit is unlikely given my short vacations and Mendoza's distance from Chile, we have so many good memories from this picturesque little city close to the border. We will be drinking many a glass of Malbec, reminiscing about all the good times.