Argentina 2 – La Ruta del Vino
5 Amazing Facts about Mendoza (and Argentina’s) Wine Production
- Argentina is South America’s biggest wine producer…and the fifth largest producer in the world (after France, Italy, Spain and the U.S.).
- 90% of Argentinian production remains in Argentina at an estimated 45 liters per year per person.
- The region surrounding Mendoza produces 70% of the wine produced in Argentina and there are an estimated 1,200 wineries in the Mendoza region.
- The best known grape in Mendoza are the Malbecs which were, incidentally, a throw-away grape from France that has done very well in the Mendoza climate.
- Speaking of climate, due to the high altitude and low humidity of the main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, moulds and other diseases that affect grapes in other countries. This permits cultivating with little or no pesticides, allowing even organic wines to be easily produced.
Weinert Winery…a medium-sized facility
These dusty bottles are the oldest in the winery…they sell for 500 pesos (US$166) and are from 1977. A very fine year indeed.
At this point in the trip, I feel like I’ve done pretty much everything that I wanted to…tourist-wise at least. Mountain-biking, rafting, ziplining, etc. and so didn’t feel much guilt when I decided that Mendoza was going to be a completely lazy and relaxing stop on the tour. Lots of people far more ambitious than I, come to Mendoza to climb the famed Mt. Aconcagua…the highest mountain in the western hemispher at nearly 7,000 meters (22, 840 ft.). This is an ambitious undertaking in physicality as well as time committment as it takes the better part of 3 weeks to do as you must go slowly to try and avoid altitude sickness. I know a few crazy people who’ve done this…including Jonathan from Peru 12 who I went to the Colca Canyon with.
Some merlot aging in oak
The tasting place
By now you might’ve guessed that Mendoza is famous for its wine…and since Argentina is also one of the world’s biggest and best beef producers…its food as well. Those who know me know that I’m a total foodie and wine-lover so Mendoza is pretty much my heaven-on-earth. Even better for the traveler…since the 2002 collapse of the Argentinian economy and peso crisis…Argentina has gotten very cheap for the foreigner. So not only is the food and wine amazing…it is also shockingly inexpensive. For example, one of our best meals (I was joined by fellow foodie Rob whom I met in Chile a week earlier) that included a shrimp tart for starter, filet mignon for my meal, a glass of amazing Malbec and desert for under $30. And that was the most expensive meal…others we had were equally as good and significantly cheaper.
Viniterra Winery (and industrial facility that produces 1 million liters of winer per year) with our intrepid tour guide
Putting labels on sparking wine by hand
So, back to Mendoza. Mendoza itself is a charming small city surrounded by lots of vineyards and wineries. As with other parts of South America…Mendoza was devastated by a major earthquake in 1861 that killed an estimated 5,000 people. Since then, the city has been rebuilt with low buildings and wide, sweeping streets with large plazas to help prevent major damage in th case of another earthquake.
Oh my god was this food good…
As previously mentioned, most of the activities I took part in in Mendoza involved wine including a full day wine tour that took us to 3 different wineries and an amazing lunch which I shown a picture of above. Another great wine tasting experience is in the Vines of Mendoza…an upscale tasting room run by a couple of Americans who fell in love with Mendoza a few years ago. They specialize in boutique wines (small production with no means of export) and run the only wine club that ships to the U.S. and Europe in all of Argentina. It is a nice place to try some new wines as well as enjoy a glass in their lovely courtyard.
The Vines of Mendoza tasting room
Mendoza is also a great place to wander around as it has a major pedestrian street (Paseo Sarmiento) with lots of outdoor cafes as well as the main plaza of Plaza Indepenencia as well as for smaller ones surrounding it. On the edge of the main part of the city is also the huge St. Martin Park which houses the city zoo, a University, soccer stadiums and lots of green space.
Rob and Stacey on the wine tour
Winery with vineyards in the background
St. Martin Park
I probably could’ve spent a whole other week in Mendoza but all too soon it was time for the final major journey to my last major destination…Buenos Aires. The ride was a trip (no pun intended) as I traveled first class which means the seats fully recline, we play bingo for the prize of a bottle of wine, hot meals (wine included) and host service. This definitely makes the 13 hour bus ride much more manageable. More to come from the amazing city of Buenos Aires…type to you soon!
Mt. Aconcagua
Tags: 11 - Argentina, Aconcagua, Argentina, malbec, Mendoza, wineries
Stacey
February 26th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Wine and coffee, it does sound like heaven. Enjoy your last few weeks.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Awesome, awesome, awesome!!
February 28th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Daughter, you do sound like you are in heaven. Love Mom
February 28th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Amen, skip the hike, this is the way to do it!