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Published: February 4th 2010
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When we planned to tour the wineries outside of Mendoza, I pictured peddling down Miapu's lonesome romantic lanes with a picnic filled wicker basket attached to the front of my bike. Instead I found myself on a rusted tandem that was nearly impossible to ride due to the offset position of our two sets of peddles. The romantic lanes did exist but in between was a desolate stretch of highway used by manic drivers in unsteady pickups. Each time I was passed by one I cringed and held as close to the shoulder as possible. Honking is the preferred greeting and my nerves were fried after receiving so many startling hellos from the passing traffic. Mike and I were forced to trade in the tandem for two single bikes and the switch made the rutted roads maneuverable. Our first stop was La Rural Museo del Vino where we wondered at the simple method of wine production that has now turned into a massive scientific undertaking. My favorite stop was the chocolate shop we went to next. It was so much more than a chocolate shop and for $10 pesos we sampled the various jams, spreads, chocolates and liquors offered. For the
finale I tasted a rose liquor the owner made for his wife. Mike tried a flaming shot of absinthe while the other tasters looked on in abject horror. After several tastings we discovered the Familia di Tomasso winery which dates back to 1869. The historic tour was awesome and the tasting was held in an old wine holding tank, the walls were coated in sparkles left by the oxidation process. We bought a special edition Malbec that will be perfectly aged on our 5th anniversary...now if we can just get it home. Sun burnt and satiated we made our way back to the city.
Mendoza is an impressive city, a desert oasis created by channeling the tributaries from the surrounding mountains. The irrigation channels run through the city streets and you have to be careful at night as some of them are fairly wide and deep. We arrived late at night and the timing would usually not be ideal. However, during the summer this place doesn't really come alive till after 10 pm. In the main square, Plaza Independencia, there is a nightly artisans market and we witnessed an impressive magic show; I cannot get used to seeing kids
awake so late in the wee hours.
Another late night activity we enjoyed twice was mini bowling. The blinking lights pointed to a set of dark stairs descending to the basement. Mike was reluctant but I insisted we at least take a look. The pool tables and bowling lanes were filled with locals and we soon became eager to try our hand at an obvious favorite. I didn't have socks with me but it wasn't an issue as shoes were not offered, a few ladies bowling were wearing heels or shoeless. Usually when we bowl Mike obliterates me because he is able to smash the pins with such force that accuracy ceases to matter. As the Moore's can attest, he has a powerful swing that results in a deafening crash. Far from the standard pin crushers in the states, these balls were less than half the size, made of lightweight wood and were difficult to throw. I gloated with every roll and watched his futile attempts to violently knock the pins down. We remained neck and neck and I would have won had it not been for the distracting manner of the "pin man." He stood behind the pins and split his work between two lanes. His job was to watch the players and reset the pins. I felt pressured as he watched me through a small grate above the lane and could not ignore his limbs that moved in my periphery. He perched between our lane and the next and was careful to avoid the speeding ball that was likely to bounce at the last moment. Both times the pressure proved too much for me and Mike won once and the next bout we tied. Oh well, there is always the Moore tournament next year. Now that we have tried the wine we are off to Malarqúe to check out the desert and massive population of volcanoes.
Photos:
Wine Barrels http://buenosaires54.com/blogen/2009/01/argentina-wine-mendoza-winery-grapes-ande/
Plaza Independencia files.myopera.com/.../420380/IMGOGRFD6XXSX.jpg
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Greg
non-member comment
Bowling and flaming absinthe?
I didn't know that those "two" went together? Well, what do I know about some "people" taking part in a South American Rumble? What a premium pair of bowlers, too. Greg