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Published: October 31st 2006
Mucho vino
La Bodega la Rural, home of the biggest wine museum in South America (wow)Mendoza, right on the edge of the northern Andes in known for two things: wine and just being a darn pleasant place.
Arriving around midnight on Thursday, the first thing I noticed was just how many people were out at sidewalk tables, having a bite to eat and a few drinks with friends. All of these sidewalk restaurants and bars were constantly packed out. Even in the afternoon or morning you could find places with tables outside filled with Argentine youth.
The city itself doesn't offer many sights, but is just a great place to, well, hang out. Boasting a 430 hectacre park on its west side, the citizens have a fantastic (and enormous) place to past the afternoon with family sharing an asado or mate, visiting the zoo, or even watching a soccer match.
Outside of the city, due to perfect soil and irrigation conditions (which were pioneered by the Mapuche indians who originally lived there) the area has become Argentina's primier region for vineyards. For years most Argentine wine was only consumed domestically and wasn't highly regarded internationally, but within the last two decades or so, vinters have become much more creative and have begun producing
Bikesandwine
There's no better way to spend a perfect Mendozan day than cycling around the local bodegas. better products which now receive quite good acclaimed abroad. Argentina's most popular and unique type of wine is called Malbec and is quite tasty.
One great way to get to see the vineyards is by renting bicycles from a local shop and riding them around in one of the areas outside of the city where there are high concentrations of said vineyards. So, that's just what I did, along with my two Irish friends from back in Bariloche who met back up with me in Mendoza and their newly acquired Norwegian friend. There's really not much better than beautiful sunshine, a clear blue sky, and a bicycle to ride around from vineyard to vineyard.
. . . OK, so it wasn't quite as romantic as all that. Anita's chain broke before we were even halfway there, and Atle's tire got a flat, but it was still an enjoyable day. It was made all the better by the fact that the area where we toured was in a city called Maipú. Think about it. Maipú. It was the undying source of jokes for several days. "¿Te gustó Maipú?" "¡Me encantó Maipú! Creo que todas las uvas en Maipú producen
La cocina
Getting a private tour of the kitchen where this porteña-turned-mendocina cooks her special family recipes for chocolates, preserves, sauces, and liquers. unos de los vinos más finos del país." "Sí, estoy de acuerdo. Maipú es bárbaro. ¿Podés me pasar esa botella de vino hecho en Maipú por favor?" and so on. It really didn't stop for about three days straight.
So, it was quite a mix of refinement and just childish antics for the three wonderfully pleasant days that I spent there with some good friends, new and old alike.
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Mav
non-member comment
whospu?
i can definitely see that not getting old for days. classic.