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Published: April 3rd 2011
Wine. That's probably the first thing that comes to mind when most people think about this city in west-central Argentina. And rightly so; the booming wine-economy pulls visitors from all over the globe including Sarah and I! After Patagonia Sarah had sworn me to satiate her Tinto thirst, so we spent four days in the wine capital stimulating our taste buds with the local grape juice and learning about how it’s all done.
There were a few different wine tours that we could choose from, but we opted to do the ‘Bikes & Wines’ tour which was brilliant fun! We started off at 11am, arriving at B&W headquarters about 20 minutes outside Mendoza in the Maipu valley. Maipu has been firmly printed on the global map thanks to a little help from a wee grape called Malbec. So with wine for breakfast, we were ready to go biking just before noon. Over the course of the day we hit up about six different vineyards, sampling their creations every step of the way. On the cycle back to base, we stopped off at the ‘Bier Garten’ – nothing like a few pints of beer after a day of wine tasting, right?!
By the time we finished our brews it was about seven o’clock, and time to get the bikes back. As we peddled our way back up the road, I thought it would be really funny to randomly tap a road sign but as soon as I did a police car pulled up right behind me. D’oh - just what I needed. But to my pleasant surprise the police officers did not want to reprimand me, and instead they provided an escort back to B&W. Love that hospitality!
Footy
Godoy Cruz are the local football team in Mendoza, playing in the top division. I had not been able to catch a game in Buenos Aires because the season had not started, but I wasn’t going to miss out on my chance here. Sarah, myself and our new Dutch Amiga got a cab to the stadium just outside of town. We managed to get space in the home supporters’ end which was a crazy, fun place to be. While the game ended 3-2 in favor of the visiting team (Santa Fe) we had a riot chanting and cheering with the fans. I even managed to get myself invited to the ‘flag
section’ where I frantically wiggled the massive Godoy Cruz banner with the other fans. The energy was incredible and I can only imagine what it must be like at a bigger game, say River v Boca (sniff, sniff, sad clown face). One day….
As with most cities, Mendoza also has a fun nightlife. Sarah and I somehow managed to keep the candle lit and we made it around to a few different bars in town, meeting up with a friend of ours whom we met in Bariloche along the way.
Dogs
This may seem to be a random topic, but I had to write about it sooner or later. In Argentina (and now chile), there are an abundance of street dogs. While some are a bit on the mangy side, most are beautiful clean dogs that you could expect to pay top dollar for in the US. Sarah and I must have temporarily adopted a half dozen or so while in Mendoza. They are everywhere, and the slightest pat or rub mean that you have a loyal companion for a few hours at least. One dog in particular followed us for miles!
Wine fest
Our trip to
Mendoza also coincided with the 2011 International Wine Festival. We were both expecting streets full of wine sampling stations, but the festival is more like a beauty pageant that culminates in the crowning of a wine queen who represents the different vineyards / regions. So we checked this out with our own wine in hand!
Apart from the fantastic wine tours, Mendoza is a pretty city with nice parks, historic buildings and architecture. We hope you enjoy the pics!
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Who likes wine?
