Wine Weekend ~ Mendoza

Since Chile is starting to become a bit boring (please note the sarcasm here), a couple of friends and I took advantage of our 4 day weekend to travel to Mendoza, Argentina. Known mostly for its wine, Mendoza is home to over 2/3 of Argentina's wine industry; the city and its surrounding communities are home to over 1,000 different vineyards. 

We left early Saturday morning, eager for the bus ride that would take us through the Andes. Though we spent a little over 3 hours in customs at the Argentina - Chile border, the views during the ride more than made up for it. On the Chile side of the border, we saw snow capped peaks (it was snowing at Chilean customs on the way back), while the Argentinian side featured a more arid landscape, filled with an unbelievable variety of colors and landscapes. These pictures are just a small sample of the views we were treated to during our bus trips:

By the time we arrived at our hostel in Mendoza, it was late afternoon. We spent some time exploring the heart of the city, which was really quite charming with several brick roads and many distinct plazas. My favorite was Plaza España thanks to its colorful fountains and tiles, however the city's main square, Plaza Independencia, is home to the Mendoza's artisan market and was also fun to visit.

Fountain in Plaza España

That evening, after enjoying free wine from our hostel (just a Mendoza thing - but many of the hostels within the city offer free wine happy hours), we went to a restaurant called "Fuerza y Fondas" and were treated to one of the best meals I have had during my time abroad. The restaurant gives off a farm-to-table vibe, and the weather was pleasant enough for us to sit outside on their patio. To start, we enjoyed some Argentinian empanadas - smaller than those in Chile but just as rich and delicious. For our main course, we shared this incredible fish plate called "Merluza", complete with roasted vegetables and potatoes. And of course, the meal would not be complete without sampling some of the region's white wine. 

We woke up bright and early Sunday morning for the highlight of our trip - a tour of some of the local wineries in the Mendoza region. For 600 Argentinian pesos (the equivalent of $40 USD), we were given transportation to 3 wineries as well as lunch, and we received tours and tastings at each vineyard.

The first winery we visited is called "Los Toneles", and had been recently remodeled with beautiful wood and stucco features. We tried 3 different wines here, 2 red (tinto) and one white (blanco). **Disclaimer** I'm not going to pretend like I'm all that cultured and sophisticated in my wine palate, however I will say which ones I liked more than others. My favorite at the first winery was their 100% Malbec line, called "22", however I also enjoyed their "Pispi" blend, which combined 5 different types of grapes. Fun fact, it's called Pispi because apparently this word is an "Argentinismo" (much like the Chilenismos - words only used here in Chile) that means a crazy combination of things. So it was fitting. 

Los Toneles

Me, Ariel, and Darcy

The different wines are stored in these pools!

The second winery we visited is called "Familia Cecchin" - it is owned by an Italian family that immigrated to Argentina in the early 1900's - and it was certainly my favorite. Another fun fact, there was an enormous amount of Italian immigration to Argentina at the end of the 19th century, although I couldn't tell you why. Regardless, this winery was unique because it is 100% organic. So, instead of using a fertilizer filled with chemicals in their vineyards, they just use the grass, olive tress, and other plants and animals that inhabit their land. We tried 3 wines here, and my favorite was their white wine called "Moscatel de Alejandría" because it had this sweet, honey-like taste. Yet another fun fact we learned here, pretty much all of the wineries use the wooden barrels that store wine for only 4 harvests because after this they lose their oak aroma and don't add as much quality to the wine.

Organic Vineyard

Picturesque wine tasting

We got to smell the wine in these barrels!

The last vineyard we visited is called "Carinae", and is what is considered a "Boutique Winery" because they produce very few bottles of wine each year. The name Carinae comes from a constellation that only appears during February - March when they harvest their grapes. We tried 4 different wines here, and while they were all good, they were all also pretty strong in taste.

After this tour, we were taken to a pleasant lunch and then back to our hostel where we relaxed for the afternoon before attending a service at Mendoza's Basilica, which is gorgeous. Aside from not understanding everything because the service was (obviously) in Spanish, it was really nice just to go and observe. 

Monday morning, before we had to catch our bus back to Santiago, we went to a massive park (Parque San Martín) right on the edge of Mendoza that contains several restaurants, 2 stadiums, and part of a university's college campus. We walked around the park for awhile, and up a cerro (large hill) to get some great views of the city.

Entrance to Parque San Martín

Views from our short hike

A beautiful park!

Overall, we had  a wonderful and relaxing weekend. It was nice to have a less activity-intensive trip and just take a quick breather, and the views and wine made it all the better! Side-note: Argentinian Spanish is much easier to understand than Chilean Spanish, so we were all a little reassured in our Spanish speaking abilities over the course of the weekend.