Mendoza: Day 2

Tuesday marked our first day of wine tasting which started with 9:00am wake up call. By 10:00am we were out the door and on our way to Lujan De Cuyo, a region located about 30 minutes outside of downtown Mendoza. Achaval-Ferrer was our first stop which involved a wine tour and tasting that began at 11:00am. This small Argentine winery is passionately committed to producing quality over quantity which is very evident in their wine making techniques. This is a place where each label is hand placed on the bottle. The tour was very informative and after learning my first bit about the wine making process we proceeded to the tasting that took place on their charming outside patio. Here we had a magnificent view of both the vines and the snow capped Andes mountains and tasted our first wines: the 2007 Malbec, the 2007 Quimera, the 2006 Finca Mirador, and their dessert wine Dolce (which can only be found at the winery). I would have to say that the Quimera, a typical Bordeaux Blend of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvingon and Cab Franc was my favorite. After purchasing their rather irresistable olive oil and a bottle of the Quimera we hopped in our large and in charge silver van that we had rented for the day, and our driver headed off to winery #2.

Pulling up to Carlos Pulenta, I found it hard to not immediately take out my camera and start snapping photos. This beautiful "criollo" style winery fits in perfectly with its breathtaking surrounding of the Cordon de Plata mountain range. Walking through the large arch at the entrance and into the wineries middle courtyard, the atmosphere is so tranquil it makes you want to rent one of the 12 rooms that they have to offer. Before moving straight into the wine tasting, we started out by having lunch at the well known 'La Bourgogne', located right in the middle of the winery. Here, renowned French chef Jean-Paul Bondoux presents a rustic and natural style of food that rightly presents his regional dishes. Upon our arrival we were first presented with a rather interesting bowl of meat and after inquiring about what the contents of the bowl was, we quickly learned this was not an appetizer we would be finishing: cow tongue. Although Jessica and I were both brave enough to try it, Greta and Ashley chose to keep their forks on the table. As our real starter we chose a plate of fresh cheeses and cold cuts that fit in perfectly with our winery experience. For our main dish Greta and I chose the chicken while Ashley and Jessica chose the Salmon. Both meals were absolutely extraordinary and went perfectly well with the bottle of Torrontes that we paired it with. To finish off the meal we indulged in a white chocolate soup that was served with red fruits- also a wonderful choice.

After our wonderful meal we took our tour of the winery where we were accompanied by two fellow Americans from New Jersey. Here we tried the 2008 Tomero-Malbec Rose, the 2006 Vistalba-Cortec, and the 2008 Tomero Malbec. As though we didn't have enough, our new friends bought a bottle of champagne that we all enjoyed after the tasting. Our time at Carlos Pulenta was rather relaxing and after spending a nearly 5 hours here, we headed to our final destination.

Hacienda del Plata is a small country ranch that embodies its ancient gaucho and family history. The ranch was built back in the 18th century, and has housed a number of the Gonzalez-Pinto family generations. A family that has a history of cow herding began their wine business only in the 90's. It's legacy is a "way of being" and it is still very evident that this winery embraces its family traditions. Each wine is named after a typical gaucho word and is expressed in the different flavors. The woman who is now working at the winery does something a little different from the rest of the wineries we visited and pairs the wine tasting with chocolate, as she is also a chocolatier. We were also presented with a different opportunity of getting to taste the wine in three different stages: in the tank, out of the barrel, and the final product. The wine that we tried was the "Zagal" (the little helper) which has a strong and bold taste, with a jovial character. The homemade chocolate she presented us with were soft chocolate truffles flavored with malbec wine. Absolutely delectable.

After our long day in Lujan De Cuyo, we all headed back to the hotel for a very long nap. By the time dinner rolled around we found ourselves a bit too exhausted to venture very far, so we enjoyed a quiet dinner at our hotel. Heading to bed around 1:00am we prepared ourselves for yet another early morning wake up call...