South America In Style: Mendoza, Argentina

After 20 hours, four flights (Melbourne to Sydney, Sydney to Auckland, Auckland to Santiago and Santiago to Mendoza) and three stopovers (Sydney, Auckland and Santiago), we reached Mendoza. It was indeed worth the wait.

It must first be noted, that I had a fabulous introduction to South America sitting next to the very easy on the eye, Rolfondo, on the plane. Rolfondo is a Brazilian national who was returning to Brazil after living in Sydney, studying English and working as a pizza delivery driver. He gave me the heads up that South America is renowned for its meat and that I must try one of his favourite dishes “favela” (pork and beans) while I’m here.

So, back to why Mendoza was worth the wait. After approximately an hour’s stopover in Santiago, we boarded the LAN flight for the 40 minute trip to Mendoza. The view of haze laden Santiago from the plane only made the first appearance of the majestic snow-capped Andes even more spectacular. As we crossed the first peaks, we could see ahead a series of jagged black and white ridges marching into the distance like the ranks of an advancing army. There was no gradual move from timbered lower slopes into bare upper ridges. Rather, there was just bare black rock covered in snow. The mountains rose up to meet us and felt as though if we were to put our hands out from the plane, we could touch them. Seeing such majesty and brutality at close range, was an awe inspiring sight.

Speaking of awe inspiring sights, we were greeted at Mendoza Airport by our Personal Guide Francisco who accompanied us to the lovely Huentala Hotel Boutique. It was like a scene from “The Motorcycle Diaries” with Francisco’s Argentinian good looks and charm. There has also been plenty of eye candy for Nige with him quoting “if Mendoza is any indicator, I can’t wait to see the girls in Rio”!

On Sunday, Francisco arranged for us to visit two of the approximate 1,000 wineries in Mendoza: Carinae and Trapiche. It was clear from the drive to Carinae, that Mendoza is a town of contrasts. Suburbs comprising small and narrow houses crowded together in and amongst industrial backdrops contradict gated communities of large mansion style houses and an array of beautiful wineries (bodegas) and olive groves.

Carinae is a boutique winery producing only 100,000 litres of wine per year of which 60% is exported. Carinae is owned by a French couple with a keen interest in astronomy and as such each grape field is named after, and the wine labels feature, constellations. The wine labels themselves are characteristic of a boutique operation with a lady employed especially to manually label the wine bottles using a handmade instrument. In a rustic setting, we indulged in a tasting of five signature wines: Torrentes Rosado (a light and dry rose derived from the exclusively Argentinian white grape, Torrentes, producing tropical fruit aromas); Cuvee Brigitte; Octans (a dry blend of Malbec and Syrah grapes that matches well with spicy food); Malbec Reserva (a typical full bodied, tannic, oaked and dry Argentinian style that complements barbequed meats); and Prestige (an incredibly complex and elegant blend of Malbec, Cabernet and Syrah grapes that presents with a hit of initial sweetness). We left for Trapiche with a bottle of the Prestige.

Built in 1912 with one Tuscan inspired building devoted to red wine production and another devoted to white wine production, Trapiche is the largest winery in Argentina and the tenth largest winery in the world. What is particularly impressive about Trapiche is that despite being a large and commercial winery, it still makes wine the way it did in 1912 and has a strong focus on quality. Our very charismatic and passionate Guide at Trapiche believes that Cabernet Franc is an up and coming varietal in Argentina. The tasting room here is spectacular with a glass floor revealing the cellar beneath it. We had the privilege of trying three signature Trapiche wines: Gran Medalla Chardonnay 2009 (this just blew me away and is to date the best Chardonnay I have tasted – buttered white fruits on the palate and presenting with tropical fruit and honey aromas, having spent 24 months in French oak); Iscay 2007 (Iscay meaning “two” is a blend of Merlot and Malbec grapes that results in a very elegant wine with balanced tannins); and Trapiche Medalla 2006 (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot grapes with a dryness and chalkiness that makes it a perfect match for meats). Needless to say, we couldn’t leave Mendoza without a bottle of the Gran Medalla Chardonnay!

While Carinae and Trapiche are each unique, my common observations from our visits to these beautiful outfits are how passionate Argentinian wineries are about producing quality wines, the unbelievable architecture and design of the wineries and tasting rooms, the uninterrupted backdrop of the Andes in the Mendoza wine region, the high quality of varietals including, but not limited to, Torrentes and Malbec and how untapped these fabulous South American wines (and olive products) are in Australia.

The perfect end to the perfect day was a stroll through the city centre of Mendoza, a late lunch at Florencia’s on the renowned Sarmiento café strip, gelati in the Park General San Martin which is the place to be in Mendoza on Sundays and a 750 gram steak for an even later dinner (dinner service in Mendoza only starts at about 8.30pm given the siesta system) at the popular Don Mario restaurant. The steak was cooked to medium perfection for only AUD$15.00, went very well with a bottle of Cavia Reserve Malbec 2008 and was good enough to convert a vegetarian!

With two wineries in Mendoza down and about 998 to go, we set out on a glorious Spring Monday morning on an Ampora tour to visit a further four wineries: Alta Vista; Kaiken; Caelem; and Melipal. The tour group was a perfect size with nine people in total consisting of two other Australians, two English ladies, an American couple and the bubbly and beautiful guide, Selina.

The first winery off the rank was Alta Vista, a traditional colonial Spanish inspired establishment, which shares ownership with the Taittinger champagne house in France. We learnt here that it is illegal in Argentina for wineries to store sugar in the same premises that their wine is produced so as to prevent the addition of sugar to their wines. Inspections are carried out by the peak wine industry body at least once a month without notice to ensure that this is upheld. Wineries which carry sparkling lines must produce these lines at sites outside the wineries where sugar can be stored. We also had the opportunity to sample some wines here in one of the best tasting rooms I have seen. Accommodating about 12 people, the tasting room created an almost clinical setting with a long glass table, matching glass seats and sinks with a sophisticated glass rinsing system and easily accessible glasses in overhead glass cabinets. The five wines we tried were: Torrentes Premium (dry and floral on the palate with jasmine and peach aromas); Bonarda Premium (dry and oaked Italian varietal presenting with blackcurrant aromas); Atemporal Blend (heavily oaked, tannic and dry blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot grapes with stewed fruit aromas and matches well with meats and oily cuisine); Malbec Single Vineyard Lujon (an oaked and tannic wine with plum aromas and the only line not exported); and Atemporal Sparkling (a yeasty blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes produced using the French champenoise method). All wines were of high quality and we happily added a bottle of the Torrentes Premium to our collection.

After a good first impression of the tour from Alta Vista, we made our way to the second winery Kaiken, an Italian inspired winery that commissions an artist especially to paint their artwork in wine. Before the official tasting here, we had the privilege of experiencing a ‘tank tasting’ where we all stood on top of a tank and tried a Cabernet Sauvignon that is about two years away process wise from being released to the market. Following the ‘tank tasting’, we were invited to the tasting room which has a stunning view of the Andes, to try four wines: Kaiken Rose 2010 (a light and refreshing Malbec based Rose with the right amount of sweetness and strawberry aromas); Kaiken Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (chocolate and vanilla aromas with a smoothness and chalkiness on the palate that complements pasta dishes); Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2008 (tannic, oaked and spicy with velvety tannins, a long finish and sweet aftertaste that matches well with Argentinian barbeque); and Kaiken Ultra Cabernet 2007 (a meaty, tannic and chewy wine with a long finish made from 50 year old vines and fares well with nuts and cheeses). Nige and I don’t even enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon ordinarily, but we bought a bottle of Kaiken’s as it’s phenomenal.

One of the most impressive wineries of the day was the third Caelum, a boutique winery with Italian roots that has only been in operation for a few years. Named after a constellation representing the tool chisel, Caelum yields pistachio nuts and produces three distinct lines of wine: Classic (unoaked); Reserve; and an incomplete line which is yet to be launched. We were led to their humble tasting room with the most uninterrupted view of the Andes to try four wines: Rose (light, crisp and dry Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon blend presenting with a unique orange colour and is exported to Australia); Chardonnay 2009 (easy to drink wine with peach aromas); Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (tannic, dry and buttery with dark fruit aromas); and fortified Malbec (sweeter style with macerated cherry aromas that matches well with desserts and mild cheeses). We absolutely had to acquire a bottle of the incredible fortified Malbec that was clearly made with love by the resident Italian Winemaker Giuseppe, using the unique method of dried grapes. We also invested in a bottle of the Rose. Even though it’s exported to Australia, it’s so fabulous that we did not want to risk it.

The fourth and final winery Melipal was one of best saved until last. In a setting that can be likened to that from “A Sound of Music”, we indulged in an olive oil tasting and a Michelin Star worthy five course and wine matched degustation, and debriefed on the amazing day that was. We all agreed that this was the best winery tour any of us had experienced. On our return to the central township of Mendoza, Nige and I spent the remainder of the evening having a well-deserved siesta and arranging to transport our growing case of wine!

There are so many things I love about Mendoza, including:

The friendly people, drive for hospitality and tourism and ‘Mediterranean’ culture;
The amazing wineries, wine and passion for wine;
The equally amazing olive groves and olive products (especially olive oil);
The fabulous food (namely steak), the obligatory baskets of bread and breadsticks served with each meal and the high level to which the food is seasoned (with salt);
The coffee (made with hot milk);
Siestas and the way in which the evenings are subsequently buzzing;
The very attractive men (and of course women Nige!);
The elm tree-lined streets;
The spectacular view of the Andes; and
That we could get by with the Lonely Planet Latin Spanish Phrasebook given that many ‘Mendozians’ are English speaking