...Just when we thought Argentina was a one-trick pony (or more accurately, a one-trick cow) in terms of its cuisine, Mendoza has surprised us at every turn…confirming our theory that food culture and wine culture always go hand-in-hand. Look, we’ve had some amazing food experiences thus far, with the lobsters at Ada’s and the steak at La Cabrera probably taking the cake. But the food in Mendoza is the most refined and delicious of any we’ve had. Roasted potatoes, truffles, poached eggs, wine-braised goat shank, smoked javali (wild boar), cheese and nuts and apples. It’s like being in Sicily again but without the Mafia.
And let’s not forget about the wines. Last night Allison and I ambled over to The Vines of Mendoza, a delightful wine bar in Mendoza city that puts together some brilliant flights of wine. So for over two hours we enjoyed a one-on-one tasting/lesson in the private tasting room with a woman named Fernanda. 6 glasses of wine later (each), we stumbled back to our guesthouse and crashed out, me trying to fend off a sinus cold (that finally caught up with me today) and Allison laughing hard at her own jokes.
Wine Tasting at The Vines of Mendoza
On weekends, most wineries are closed (go figure), but today Allison managed to snag us reservations at Salentein and O. Fournier wineries, both in the Valle de Uco. These are bigger wineries that are winning all sorts of international awards and big points from magazines like Wine Snob, Vine Efete, Pompous Dick, etc. Anyway, the experience at Salentein was pretty amazing. We got a personal tour of the wine-making facility and barrel room and then tasted their reserve sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and merlot. Our guide Fernando (no relation to the aforementioned Fernanda) took very good care of us and even showed us the private tasting room where Robert Parker’s minions come every so often to make everyone at the winery sweat bullets. While O. Fournier winery was stunning in its architecture, we got lost three times trying to find it and when we finally arrived after 5:00 they rushed us through the tour and handed us a glass of their cheapest torrontes at the end and awkwardly hovered over us and watched us drink it before ushering us out the door...
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