Red red wine...

After exploring the town, which is lovely and has a fabulous European vibe to it, we headed back to the house, where we found Duncan and Co. preparing an extensive asado. Argentines are famous for their bbq skills, as well as their meats, and we were about to experience first-hand how much time and skill it takes to make the perfect parilla. I could barely keep Oli´s tongue in his mouth as the short ribs were placed over the wood coals, soon followed by pork sausages, a prok slab, and finally a nice piece of rolled lomo. Preparing the grill alone can take upwards of an hour or more, and then through stratigic spacing of the red coals, each meat is prepared at a different temperature. Dinner was delicious, with different tastings of wine, nice salads, and of course the meaty main event. We finished dinner well after midnight, which is normal practice for mendocinos, then collapsed into bed.

Early Tuesday morning, we showered and dressed and prepared ourselves for a wine extravagenza. We were fortunate enough that there was room on the wine tour that Rosie and her associate Sam were giving, and they invited us to come along! Three vinyards, ranging from small boutiques to large commercial operations, as well as a typical pork lunch. We were excited!

We hopped in the van, picked up the clients, 6 young Americans (joy!) and headed off. The first vineyard we visited was Finca Decero, which was a new winery with state of the art machines, relatively new vines, and yummy wine. We were taught how to taste and see the colors present in each glass, and attempted to compare the wines using our newly aquired vernacular. We tried a Malbec, a Merlot, and a Petite Verdot, of which most tasters preferred the Malbec. The Petite Verdot was a bit too complex.. I was the sole fan of the Merlot(What can I say? I come from a family where Merlot lips are the fashion). We had a great tour of how the wine is made, where is it kept, where the cellars were, etc etc. Fabulous introduction!

We then drove 90 minutes to Posada del Jamon, a place with typical fare. Being a bit ¨meatted out¨from the dinner before, I opted for the ¨Pastry with plums, blue cheese and sweet peppers¨, while Oli went for Jamon con salsa de Naranja. We tried two different vino tintos, and when lunch arrived, I was suprised to see my food was not a pastry at all, instead a rolled up piece of pork stuffed with said ingredients, and covered in a plum sauce. Ah well, when in Mendoza! Lunch was lovely and relaxed, and after digesting a bit over a café cortado, we headed off to our second winery of the day.

Salentein was a much for commercial vineyard, with mass production and huge export numbers. We had an introduction film in the theatre, followed by a large, slightly impersonal tour of the production. The building was a bit cult-like, dark and ominous, and it brought a new feeling to the blood of Christ... We tried two wines, a Chardonnay and a Malbec. They were both alright, but nothing like the wine we had tried earlier in the day. In the sweltering heat, we headed back to the van and on to the third and final stop of the day.

Arriving at Finca Abril, we were pleased to see it was a small and quaint little winery, and found out that it was merely a hobby for the owners and not a means of income, so the wine was a bit more cared for. We got to try the delicious Onces Acres (Single Vinyard in the US) Malbec from the metal Cask, then the barrels in the cellar, and finally the bottle. I urge you to stop reading immediately if you find yourself in the tri-state area, and head out to buy this wine. It is FABULOUS. For more info, we have photos of the labels :) We also tried their lower end Rhapsodia, which is half the price in retail, but still amazing. If you are lucky enough to find either of these wines, the stars are shining down on you and you should stock up.



After a nice long day of wine and great company, we headed back to Mendoza. Nine different tastings, not too shabby for a Tuesday! We attempted to grab a bite to eat later in the evening, but found ourselves with very poor service. Still, the empanadas were amazing! Great day, we were so so lucky.

Today we are going to picnic here in Mendoza, and then we have a 36 hour bus journey to Iguazu. We have 3 minutes left on the net, and I just saw someone attempting to slide Oli´s bag out from underneath the table.. so we must run. Adios amigos!