We spend 2 nights and 3 days in Mendoza, enough to sample some of the wines the region has to offer, and we get our first taste of the high Andes.
For us, Mendoza was best known for being the centre of the Argentinian wine production. So when we entered the city, we figured it would be full of wine shops and tour operators offering vineyard visits. As it turns out, the wine industry is not Mendoza’s biggest industry. In fact, both petroleum and fruit & vegetables production are bigger economic activities, so there is more going on than just wine.
It is also remarkable that, despite a rich history, Mendoza doesn’t have rows of colonial buildings in bright colours like many of the older cities in South America. This is due to a strong earthquake in 1861, which razed most of the city and decimated its population. The city was rebuilt with this in mind, which is why it has such broad streets, with little high-rise, and you’re never more than a few blocks away from a large park – where nothing can fall on your head.
Another trait is the ditches (acequias) that line every street. They’re part of the enormous irrigation network of the city, bringing water to the thousands of trees that provide much needed shade during the hot summers. This irrigation network serves more than just watering the trees, it is of critical importance to the city. Mendoza has a hot, arid climate with little rainfall, so without this network tapping into nearby rivers, there would be little agriculture to speak of.
Fortunately, the irrigation system still works well, but it is under pressure. There is a dam on the Mendoza river, which has created a huge reservoir, but this reservoir is currently only at half capacity. In the last 5 years, the dam hasn’t been able to allow even a trickle through. Downstream of the dam, the riverbed lies dry. Water usage is under strict rules, and digging new wells is forbidden. You can only open a new one if an old one closes, and the waiting list for that is currently 15 years.
Despite all that, the vineyards are thriving, and we wanted to visit a few. Some of these, specifically those in the Maipú area, are within Mendoza’s urban boundaries, and can be reached by bicycle from the centre. We however opted to go for a tour of the Uco Valley, organised by Trout and Wine. It is not the cheapest, but you do get a guaranteed small group (8 people in our case) and a knowledgeable, English-speaking guide (a certified winemaker in our case). We visited 3 wineries, starting with Passionate Wine. This was started by an Italian winemaker (Matias Michelini) who wanted to do something a bit different, and that shows even in the building. No modern, slick new architecture, but a once derelict building with graffiti on the walls. The visit and (blind) tastings are conducted in a very informal manner when compared to most visits we’d done before.
Malbec may be what this region is famous for, but most of the 8 wines we tried here didn’t have any of it.
Instead, we started with 3 very different wines, but all 100% torrontés grape, an Argentinian variety. We also learned about bonarda, which has a bad reputation in Argentina for being associated with bland table wines, but in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing, it can result in a very tasty red.
A very interesting tour and tasting, and if we hadn’t been backpacking, we’d have definitely bought some bottles here.
The next stop was Bodega Sophenia, which made for an interesting contrast as it is a much bigger and more classic winery. The tour started off with a glass of white, which we then carried with us as we strolled through the vineyards, checking and tasting the different varieties straight from the vine. Inside at the bar, we got to sample more of the finished product, for a total of 6 different wines, but this time mostly including malbec, either pure or in a blend. One of the blends here stands out, in that it is blended “in the field”. It is the result of an accident when repurposing vines to grow malbec instead of cabenet souvignon. This is done by grafting a branch of the new variety on an existing vine, and cutting the branches of the old variety away and preventing them from growing back. That last bit hadn’t been done properly, which resulted in a section of the vineyard having 2 varieties on one vine. Apparently the expert that was hired to do this isn’t returning their calls. Because both varieties ripen slightly differently, the difficulty in making this blend is deciding when to harvest, but I think they’re doing a splendid job of figuring that out.
Our last stop wasn’t just for tasting wine, it offered a 7 course lunch each with a matching wine. The courses were fairly small (for Argentinian standards), but the glasses weren’t and we were getting to the stage where it was probably best that this was the last place for today. My recollection of which wines we had and which courses is therefore a bit lacking. Heather made me take pictures of each course though, so we can at least look at what they were.
The next day, after some much needed sleep, we were off for something completely different. We had booked ourselves on the high Andean tour, which, like many things in Argentina, meant sitting on a bus for quite a while. It took us west from Mendoza, into the Andes. The first stop worth mentioning on this tour is Punto del Inca – the Inca Bridge. It is a natural bridge over a river, and also a warm water spring. The water is full of minerals, which gives the formations it is slowly making its distinctive colours. There used to be a hotel here, which made it possible to bathe in the springs, but it was destroyed by an avalanche, leaving only part of the staircase standing, and some rubble of the ground floor. You’re not allowed to walk on or around the bridge, so unless you’re into tacky souvenir shops, there’s nothing more to do here.
From there, we made our way to a place from where you can see Aconcagua, at 6625 metres the highest mountain outside the Himalayas.
You can’t keep staring at a mountain in the distance, so back in the bus we went, to the final stop – Cristo Redentor de los Andes. It is a statue of Christ, placed on a high mountain pass, on the border with Chile, to commemorate the peace made between both countries. At over 3800 metres altitude, it was a bit blowy. Despite not being as high as the Aconcagua we saw earlier, the views of the surrounding peaks were more impressive from closer up. Especially the glaciers were clearly visible from here, something I hadn’t seen before. The way back down the slightly precarious dirt road was fortunately uneventful, as was the rest of the journey back to Mendoza.
Back in the city, we had already decided against having a heavy meal with wine because of yesterday’s activity – but somehow ended up in a asado restaurant where we ordered 2 massive slabs of meat and a bottle of red. Honestly, it’s difficult to eat anything else in this place!
