Notes From The Travel Journal - Mendoza

Our final stop was the land of wine!!! Malbec has been my recent red of choice and Mendoza is the Malbec capital of the world. Simon learned that Mendoza is divided into three wine producing regions - Lujan de Cujo, Maipu, and the Uco Valley, so we opted for a two-night stay in Lujan then a quick drive into the Uco Valley for our final two days in Argentina. After flying from Patagonia back to Buenos Aires and then on to Mendoza, we loaded into another (crappy) rental car and puttered off to our first stop, Entre Cielos, a hotel just outside of downtown Mendoza.

Sophisticated, modern, and posh, Entre Cielos was a shock after the natural beauty of Patagonia but we suffered through it. HA! We met up with the charming Miguel the next morning for a day of wine touring in the Lujan region. During the morning, we visited Pulenta Estates, Archeval Ferrar, and Luigi Bosco. It's a bit different than wine tasting in the US. At each vineyard, you need an appointment, limiting the number of visitors and sometimes resulting in private tours. The other thing to remember is that "tastings" tended to lean more toward full glasses. So yeah, by the time Miguel pulled into Lagarde for our lunch stop, we were both a little tipsy.

We had no idea what we were in for. A six course wine paired lunch in an outdoor courtyard overlooking rows and rows of grape vines.  By far the best meal of our trip with deliciousness of both the food and wine varieties. Goat cheese crostini caramelized with black pepper and brown sugar, asparagus with fresh peas and egg yolk with crispy bacon and parmesan, a perfect steak with sweet potato puree and roasted veggies, and a chocolate souffle with dulce de leche ice cream and chocolate ganache. With wine. And wine and wine and wine.

Needless to say, we were both even more tipsy upon leaving, so opted to spend the rest of the sunny day poolside back at the hotel. We also learned that "stopping for lunch" when wine tasting almost always equals a six-course culinary and wine tasting experience. This happened twice more during our time in Mendoza. Holy moly!

Before leaving Entre Cielos the next morning, we stopped at their renowned spa to try the "Hammam Circuit." Another example of having no idea what to expect. Hammam is a Turkish method of cleansing and relaxing that involves a distinct six-step path through steam rooms, exfoliation rooms, a warm pool, and a heavenly hot stone. We emerged in a blissful state wishing we could repeat the experience weekly. Another unexpected trip highlight.

From there we drove an hour into the Uco Valley, a slightly more premier wine-making destination within the Mendoza area. Casa de Uco was a great find, impressive upon pulling through the gate, winding our way through the rows of vines, and checking into the ultra-modern hotel at the foot of the Andes. We spent another day in a guided wine tasting extravaganza, beginning with Clos de Siete's Monteviejo winery. The architecture in the Uco Valley seemed almost as important as the wine itself and this building didn't disappoint. We had a one-on-one tour with Luis who sat down with us in the otherwise vacant restaurant/bar to guide us through the tasting. A really amazing start to this day of touring. We lunched at Zuccardi then completed the day at O'Fournier, both super unique buildings and delicious wines.

The next day, we packed up our newly acquired 13 bottles of wine and set off for Casa de Uco's newly opened tasting room where we had booked a wine blending session. What a spectacular send off! We tasted different varietals then experimenting with making blends, each producing our own signature combo. We bottled my blend, corked it, and headed off to the airport to begin the long journey home.

I've gone on and on and on about this trip, but it was truly a once in a lifetime bucket list kind of experience. I had built up Argentina and Patagonia in my head and even those completely unrealistic expectations were well exceeded. Unlike most of our adventures, we returned so in awe that we were revitalized and energized, not depressed and sad at it being over. As usual, I want better words to describe what it was like, how it felt to see these things and experience these places. That's the thing with travel though. You've got photos and memories and maybe a journal, but there is no way to truly capture it for others to understand. It really can only be yours. Thank you, Argentina.