Mendoza (Argentina)
20 April - 22 April 2015
20 April - 22 April 2015
I should know better than to suggest de-facto forms of exercise to Inga at anytime but especially when getting off a 22hr bus ride from central Patagonia. Perhaps my mind was foggy at the moment of arrival but I why I made the suggestion that we walk from the bus terminal to our hostel, hostel Empedrado I'll never quite understand. I just assumed that the walk 'wouldn't be far', and in actual fact it wasn't such a distance, I Googled Mapped it just a moment ago and I was advised that the route we took on that morning was 3.1kms. So the distance wasn't the issue but rather the hassle to me, and to Inga also, was that I was dragging my 'wheelie bin' of a bag along and she was carrying a back pack. Hulking additional kilos down suburban streets for a few k's? Challenge accepted!
Now there's two reasons why a tourist would come to Mendoza. Either they're an outdoors enthusiast, particularly a mountaineer and hence they utilise this city as a base by which they can launch their bid to summit Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of Asia, and therefore, the highest in both the Southern & Western hemispheres, standing at a height of 6960 mtrs. I would also love to add a line here saying that's the reason I was here. Perhaps on my next excursion to Mendoza I'll get myself onto a team with the aim of making it to the summit as apparently the climb doesn't require any sort of real mountaineering expertise, its just a particularly tough walk!? However the fact that I wasn't aiming to stand atop of Mount Aconcagua could only mean that I was here for the second reason and that's the wine. Actually, lets say it more pointedly, I was here solely for the Malbec. Make no mistake, I think Malbec is the King of the reds and I praise the Argentinians for recognising this to be true.
Some 70% of Argentina's yearly wine production comes from the Mendoza region, particularly the areas of Lujan de Cuyo, the Uco Valley and Maipu. The 'golden boy' is the great grape Malbec and I think the style of wine that they make here are phenomenal. I mean when you sit back and think about it, you realise that Argentinians on the whole aren't too crazy a bunch, and just hear me out on this one, they love their beef and have the highest per capita consumption in the world, and they love their red wine, so much so that their national drink IS red wine! You see, not crazy at all. I understand them perfectly!
Speaking of crazy though, you know what Inga and I decided to do after we settled in at the hostel? We decided to go for another walk of course. I again just Google mapped the damn route and found that the walk we undertook from the hostel to Plaza Independencia and then out to Parque General San Martin is a distance of 6.5kms, double it for the return and the counter clocks over 13kms! You see, crazy! Add into the mix a stray dog that we picked up along the way that accompanied us for nearly 10kms of that walk and the afternoon became beautifully odd.
Corina (Karena) - our guide in Mendoza - Argentina
Don't tell BC that I cheated in Mendoza
Like many places in Argentina, dogs seem to be everywhere and perhaps it's inevitable that if you're walking the streets for a long enough time that on occasion you'll form an attachment with one of them, especially if you have a thing for dogs in the first place. Now whether these attachments last more than a belly rub or a throw of a ball is in the mind of the dog but on this day, for some reason, Karena (or was it Corina...that's difference between Latvian & Australian pronunciation / and yes, we named the dog), followed us all the way from Plaza Independencia to the lookout at Parque General San-Martin. In fact Karena led the way, so looking back on it we were the ones following rather than the other way around. She walked out in front of us, 5-10mtrs advanced and constantly turned around to make sure we were still there and following her trail. We were 'inseparable' for the whole afternoon, experiencing the best viewpoint in Mendoza together and sharing some laughs of strange monkey chases, weird men undoing their pants and all other things Mendozan. Like all good things however our time together ended at the entrance to Parque General San Martin when Karena turned off and disappeared into the streets of her town, but she remained with us, in memory of course and with every new street corner that we reached, we recalled our 'dog for hire' and hence always seemed to be searching for Karena.
El Decimo Resto Wine Bar - Mendoza - Argentina
Words to the wind - El Decimo Resto Wine Bar - Mendoza - Argentina
Inga's Van Halen tribute - 'you might as well jump' - Mendoza - Argentina
As evening started to fall over this provincial capital we were able to finally locate a place that accepted MasterCard as a valid form of payment, (geez, I mean Visa is REALLY is KING in this country). Inga and I then made our way to a great bar named El Decimo Resto Wine Bar. Located on the 10th floor of a building in the middle of town, the bar had some impressive views over the surrounding areas and also had these particularly large glass windows that could readily be opened for those wanting to grasp a little fresh air. Now let me ask you, where in Australia could you do that? Where in the world could you go to a bar in Australia, happily stand by an open window 10 floors above the city and feel happy in the fact that nobody will pull you up for just enjoying the view and getting some fresh air? If I may get onto my soapbox for a moment, that's the freakin' problem with Australia, its turned into such a nanny state that politicians and lawmakers can't trust the average person to be sensible and not do themselves harm. Everything is sanitised, everything is dumbed down so that others can save our precious craniums through the miles of ridiculous legislation that takes the enjoyment out of most things. Australia, stop holding the hand of your citizens as they cross the road, I'm sure they can do it for themselves!!
If our first day in Mendoza was all about walking then our second day was going to be all about cruising through the vineyards. This was the reason why WE were here, the wine, the ride and the Andes, a triumvirate of eternal success.
A ride through the vineyards - Maipu - Argentina
Have bikes, will drink - Maipu - Argentina
We commenced our ride out of Mendoza on a local bus heading for Maipu, a journey of some 50-60 mins or so. Now I had it in my mind that Maipu itself was the gateway to the many acres of vineyards in the area. I was basing this on my previous journey here (which I actually took by taxi and which dropped us off at an exact location). So when we were alerted by several people on the bus as to our arrival in Maipu, I exited onto Avenida Manuel Belgrano ever so confused. We had arrived in the township of Maipu surely enough but right here in midtown there wasn't a grape or grapevine to be seen. After locating a tourist office we were advised that we weren't so far away from our destination but that we needed to hop on another bus that was heading to Coquimbito, which we did. Not a problem in itself and it would have been reasonable ride but for the school kids and soccer mums that were getting on the bus at every stop, and every stop wasn't more than 50mtrs from the last! A ride that could have taken 15 mins turned into a brutal 45 minute ride through the Maipu countryside!!
Wine tasting at Mevi boutique winery - Maipu - Argentina
Wine tasting at Mevi boutique winery - Maipu - Argentina
Someone liked the Torrontes!
Wine makes you CRAZY - Familia di Tomaso - Maipu - Argentina
Our early afternoon arrival however was actually pretty decent timing all things considered as it allowed us to cover a bit of ground and still make it to three fantastic wineries. Visiting Bodega Trapiche (which unfortunately had their tastings booked for a few hours), then Bodega Tempus Alba, Mevi S.A. Boutique winery & Familia di Tomaso, in our tastings we covered quite a few of the established grape varieties that were being grown in the area and even encountered the odd surprise, such as the fantastic white Torrontes wine that we had at the Mevi winery. For me, the Familia di Tomaso and Tempus Alba Malbecs were the stars but I have to admit that Inga's favourite, the Torrontes, was a more than pleasant white wine option. With that said, this is Argentina and this is Malbec country, so if you're going to play with the big boys then you had better know your place in the grand scheme of things little Torrontes. That's just a quite word between you and me, OK.
Be aware Torrontes - Malbec has its own World Day!!
