Amazing wine, food, beautiful landscape, and dogs. Possibly rabid dogs. What would a trip be without some mis-adventure? Here goes the final installment of Argentina 2017.
After stopping through Buenos Aires for a day thanks to our flight delay, we flew to Mendoza. Upon landing, we saw the breathtaking view of the Andes Mountains. SO beautiful! After a quick cab ride to the city of Mendoza, we stopped for a quick breakfast at BRÖD. They have the cutest little terrace and solid food and drink choices.
Fueled and ready to start our wine country fun, we walked over to the rental car office. I was slightly nervous that they would be out of automatics, despite our request. Steve did assure me he could learn how to drive stick while on the trip, since it wasn’t our car to ruin. He must’ve forgotten about the safety of everyone else on the roads, not to mention some of the literal cliff hangers we were about to drive on. I think we both breathed a deep sigh of relief when the car came out of the garage and was a nice little automatic. Ok, food, coffee, and car accomplished. On to the hotel! We stayed at Club Tapiz, about 10 minutes outside of the city. The rooms are located on the grounds of a winery, along with a farm, greenhouse, and a plethora of animals. The hotel had all the essentials: free (really good) breakfast, a lovely pool, and happy hour. I was most excited about the dogs! How fun! Just like home, I can be greeted by a furry face that wants belly rubs! You can see where this is going.
After settling into the hotel, it was almost time to being our wine-soaked adventures! There are so.many.wineries to choose from. I highly suggest you do your research before you arrive, since most places require reservations to do a tasting. We decided to start at Bodega Lagarde, a winery closer to the city of Mendoza. We opted for a tour followed by a lunch paired with wine, which was set outside next to the vines. The food was out of this world. The wine was bottomless. The only down side? Realizing we would be wearing a bathing suit after feasting. UGH. After we rolled ourselves home following the 4 hour excursion, we found out that our friend is friends with the family that owns the winery! Small world.
All the food was amazing, and they kept topping off our glasses. Whoa! The tour was very informative, too.
After our first winery in Mendoza, we realized we needed to get a better game plan, and perhaps more elasticized waistbands. We skipped dinner after our epic lunch, which was a very smart choice. The following day we hiked Aconcagua, which made me feel a little better about the wine and food extravaganza. We finished the hike day off with dinner at the hotel, which also had fantastic food and wine. I was set on finding their wine back home, and come to find out, it is only sold at Costco. Does that take away from the excitement of finding a good wine? Or should I be pleased about getting a good deal on a 1.75 liter bottle?
Now that we conquered a mountain, we could justify another indulgent day. It started with the hamam spa at Entre Cielos. Since we never went to a hamam spa in Istanbul, this was something I really wanted to do. You go between rooms of differing temperatures and humidity levels, with hot stones and a pool. I think we sweat out all the wine in the process, and left refreshed and ready to tackle another winery.
At some point on this beautiful morning, I decided to get a pic of the beautiful Andes mountain range at our hotel. I took a stroll down the dirt road next to the hotel’s pool, just like Steve and I did the night before, so I could get the best view. Around the time I framed the mountains, a pack of angry dogs stormed me. I turned away from them, but didn’t want to startle them by bolting. The littlest dog had, quite literally, the biggest bite. He nipped my leg in the frenzy. Then they all calmed down and strolled off. Well, dogs in Argentina aren’t the pampered pooches you find back home. It was unclear whose dogs they were, and if they were vaccinated. Never google ‘rabies vaccine window of time’ when in a foreign country. NEVER! Spoiler: I survived. After a stressful few days, I was able to start the post exposure protocol after landing back in the U.S. I also learned insurance is pretty much the worst system ever.
Ok, back to the trip. We had lunch plans at Casa Enemigo. This place was jam packed, even with 2 dining rooms and patio space. There was a resident cat and dog to greet us, too! The service was impeccable. It was a little dangerous, since they never let your wine glass get below halfway! Steve finished a full fish and they asked if he wanted a second… We tried wines produced by Casa Enemigo, plus some made by smaller producers. The winner in our book was Finca Escuela and Manos Negras. We searched high and low trying to locate all the wines we had in Mendoza with little luck. In my search online, I stumbled on Grand Cata, a South American wine store in D.C. They were amazing and found the importers for almost all of the wines and ordered them. I cannot wait to have these bottles again and transport myself back to Mendoza and away from this winter weather!
The dessert was a very weird texture, but tasted delightful. After a translation fail, we finally figured out we were eating spaghetti squash. Who knew you could make it into a sweet?
After indulgent lunch #2, we headed back to the hotel for pool time. We had reservations at Bodega Gimenez Riili, a small restaurant/winery in the Uco Valley that evening. We were both pretty full still, but I really wanted to see that region (about 1 hour South) and sample their wine. The drive took us through a number of small towns and then into the country.
The winery itself is on the edge of The Vines Resort, but seems to be a separate entity. The view itself was worth the drive. The landscape was out of this world beautiful! Sadly, the service did not compare. 80% of the restaurant guests left before the 3rd course was served, but what we did eat was delicious, and the wine was really good. I feel really bad for the only server working, who admitted it was her first week on the job.
WHERE TO EAT:
BRÖD: Perfect for brunch on the patio.
Maria Antonieta: Parisian bistro serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, with an outdoor patio.
NOOK: Healthy coffee/smoothie shop with a VW van half inside and half outside the cafe
El Mercadito Friendly and Fresh: I think the name says it all.
Josefina: We had dinner plans here, but were too stuffed from the first winery lunch to make it.
Anna Bistro: The floral canopy over the patio looks so inviting!
Siete Fuegos: Located a The Vines Resort in Uco Valley, they have received rave reviews.
WHERE TO STAY:
Club Tapiz was a great mid-range option. However, if you are looking to splurge, definitely check out Cavas Wine Lodge , voted South America’s #1 hotel by Travel+Leisure, or Entre Cielos, a newer boutique luxury hotel. If you are okay with staying further out (and spending an arm and a leg), look into Casa de Uco or The Vines Resort
THINGS TO DO:
Now, the main reason you go to Mendoza is for the wine. Neither of us claim to be winos, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a wine I don’t like (except for a potentially rancid white, but even then I still drank some before my mom noticed it was bad?), BUT, sipping a delicious glass under the South American summer sun cannot be beat in December.
The highlights:
Wineries that we didn’t make it to, but were on my list include:
If you’re all wined out, there are plenty of outdoorsy things to do, too. You can read all about our day trip from Mendoza to Aconcagua here, which I would highly recommend (along with more SPF)…. Another option is white water rafting from Uspallata to Potrerillos Dam. If more low key is your thing, check out Cachueta Spa, natural hot springs just outside Mendoza.
In the city, check out Cerro de la Gloria, which offers a beautiful view of the city and a monument commemorating General San Martin’s army, who rode horseback across the Andres to free Chile from Peru.
Plaza Independencia is the center of town, surrounded by 4 smaller squares.
TIPS:
I’ve tried getting local SIM cards, a limited international data plan for $25, and an unlimited plan for $10 a day, but I thought there must be a better option. Enter the lovely retired gentleman I met on our flight from DC to Newark. We spent the entire flight talking travel hacks, from the best lounges, doggy daycare while traveling, when to upgrade your seats, and phone plans. He clued me in to T-Mobile’s plan, which allows you to keep your same phone number, has unlimited data, and FREE usage internationally! All for less than Verizon and AT&T. Hooray! Problem solved. We switched providers as soon as we got back, and collectively pay less than Steve was paying for just his phone line with AT&T. So far, so good with service in the DMV. New Year, new phone, new provider, new fridge, new inoculation….This fresh start is starting to get expensive!
You must make reservations for wine tastings, which seemed odd to me. I am used to wineries that you can simply walk in to, and play your day by ear. Not the case, but maybe for the best. There is absolutely no way we could have done a full day of tastings. The food was so filling, and wine pours extremely generous.
In the city of Mendoza, you must pay for street parking. There are meter maids patrolling the streets that leave paper tickets on your windshield to keep track of how long you were parked there. I was certain we were getting issued a parking ticket, but thankfully it was just their antiquated method of metered parking. Bring cash to pay them!
On a practical note, gas stations have pump attendants who will dispense gas for you.
HOW TO GET THERE:
There are 2 airports in Buenos Aires; the international and the national airport. We flew out of the national airport to get to Mendoza, but landed back in the international airport in Buenos Aires for some reason. Flying is the way to go! Driving would have wasted too much time on a short trip.
TRANSPORTATION:
Renting a car was the best decision we made. The vineyards are spread all over the region, and to maximize how much ground we could cover, a car was critical. We also would have had a harder time getting to Aconcagua and Uco Valley if we didn’t have a car. An automatic was a little costly, but if you can drive stick, prices is very reasonable. It was really nice to come and go as we pleased, but if you don’t want to spring for a car, there are options. There are public buses, bicycle rentals, car services, and taxis to get around.
Here is a handy, interactive map of all the places we saw, or were recommended to do:
And that’s a wrap on Argentina 2017!