Yesterday was our first day of wine touring in Mendoza. I gave Jim a break on this trip - we took a tour instead of making him drink and drive. This also kept us to a slower (and probably better) pace of 4 bodega (winery) visits instead of the usual 6 to 8. We also had a great lunch at one of the bodegas, Ruca Malen.
I was surprised at the grandeur of the bodegas we visited - they were as large and beautiful as any we've visited in California, and they were all using the latest technology. A winemaker from France apparently criticized the Argentine industry for being too technology-driven.
But in any case, they are making good, and sometimes great, wines. The malbec at Achaval-Ferrer was among the best wines I've ever tasted - and we were doing a barrel tasting of the 2008 vintage! This was the most expensive wine on the tour, but there were others that were also very good and less expensive.
Today we head off to the city of Mendoza to sightsee, taste more wines at a tasting room (where we're armed with a strong list from our favorite Buenos Aires sommelier) and maybe, finally, do some shopping. (We'll see - we always seem to hit the shops at siesta.)
If our friends are lucky, we won't finish all the wine we buy before we get home!
I was surprised at the grandeur of the bodegas we visited - they were as large and beautiful as any we've visited in California, and they were all using the latest technology. A winemaker from France apparently criticized the Argentine industry for being too technology-driven.
But in any case, they are making good, and sometimes great, wines. The malbec at Achaval-Ferrer was among the best wines I've ever tasted - and we were doing a barrel tasting of the 2008 vintage! This was the most expensive wine on the tour, but there were others that were also very good and less expensive.
Today we head off to the city of Mendoza to sightsee, taste more wines at a tasting room (where we're armed with a strong list from our favorite Buenos Aires sommelier) and maybe, finally, do some shopping. (We'll see - we always seem to hit the shops at siesta.)
If our friends are lucky, we won't finish all the wine we buy before we get home!
2 comments:
Pat & Jim
Wine country and wine both sound wonderful. I loved to read that you & Jim were relaxing.
This is wonderful to be able to keep abreast of your trip so we can enjoy it with you - us arm chair travelers.
Geri said she can read my comments to your blog - have you had any others besides Geri & I. I'm not seeing any from anyone else.
We are in a very cold snap so enjoy every bit of warmth you can.
Talk to you later.
Mom
You finally got to the good part - the wines.
From your post I see that you liked Malbec the best. We had Malbec every night with dinner and we loved it.
I'm truly enjoying your blogs and it sounds like you are having a fantastic time and I can't wait to see your pictures.
Geri
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