December 26th
We had arranged in advance for a full day Wine Tour for Dec 26th. The tour company we used was called Trout and Wine. They run wine and fly fishing tours. The tour itself cost $140/person which personally I find quite expensive however we were told we would be going to some of the top wineries and having lunch as Ruca Malen a winery which is supposedly very difficult to get reservations.
The tour company picked us up at the hotel at 9:30 am in an air conditioned van and provided us with a complimentary bottle of wine and some bottled water. There was already another couple in the van –the woman was from Ireland and the man from England. Right away we enjoyed their company. They were both lawyers and were quite interesting.
Along the way, the tour guide, Muriel, who was extremely knowledgeable explained the area and the history of wine making in the three main areas. The area which we were visiting is called Lujan de Cuyo. The other two areas are Valle de Uco and Maipu.
We arrived at our first Bodega (Bodega means winery) – Renacer. Two additional people met up with us here, two young women from LA.
Renacer Bodega in Mendoza
Our tour began in the vineyards where we learned a little about the eco watering practices of the vineyard as well as how to identify the differences in grape varieties by the leaf shape (though I think I’ve already forgotten the latter).
From the vineyard we visited the cellar and then on to the most important part, the tasting room. The room was set up specifically for our group and the representative sat with us. There was a plate of cheese, nuts and crackers on the table for nibbling.
We started with wine from the barrel of single grape varieties to taste the difference in the varietals. Then we were invited to try to create our own special blend of wine using the three main varietals. This was a unique and interesting experience which I have not had at any other winery. Lastly we tried several of the wines. One of the wines that we tried was an Enamore which was made using the same process as Amarone (an Italian wine made by drying the grapes slightly before making the wine, giving it a fuller, bolder flavour). Amarone is one of Joe’s and my favourite wines, we just love it. We were therefore excited to try another wine made using this process. While we did like the wine, it was really nothing like Amarone. Not nearly as full or bold. I presume the main reason for this is that it was not made with the same grape variety (and of course different growing conditions).
Our experience at this Bodega was wonderful and we would recommend a visit. Of course at 10 in the morning after several tastings we were feeling really good already!
The next winery was Sottano. The experience here was less personal as there was also another wine tour going on at the same time. None the less the wines were also very good and the environment was interesting. Sottano has a modern design.
Next stop was Ruca Malen for lunch paired with wines. Lunch was enjoyable however it was not so exceptional that I would fight for a table as we had heard it was worth doing so.
Joe and I enjoying the wine at Bodega Rucla
Last stop was Tapiz. By this point we were really done with visiting the vineyards and cellars (we’ve done that more than a few times, and no need to do it four times in one day). Here we tasted unfinished wines from the tanks. Please someone tell me why? I have no need to taste wine that looks like lemonade because it is so cloudy!
This winery also offers a horse and carriage ride through the vineyard if you are into that kind of thing.
Carriage Ride Through Bodega Tapis Vinyards
Mexican Dinner
We walked into the village for a light Mexican dinner. Dinner was mediocre.
Transportation Tips
One of our other disappointments of staying at an inn that wasn’t in a well serviced area is that we felt a bit trapped. This was likely as a result of two factors, first we were staying there over the holidays and many things were closed and secondly we did not have our own transportation and therefore we were not able to move around independently.
If you decide to go to Mendoza and stay outside of the city (Mendoza City), I’d suggest that you rent a car, even if your inn tells you it won’t be necessary (as ours did). The challenge here is that if you are doing wine tours you don’t want to be drinking and driving. You may wish therefore to still take a wine tour but to have the car for other transportation, going to dinner etc.
Read Other Posts In This Series:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
Part IX
Part X
Part XI
Part XII
Part XIII
Part XIV
Part XV
Part XVII
Tags: argentinean wine tour, mendoza, South America Itinerary, South America travel, trout and wine, wine tour
