Mendoza, Argentina 32.8895°S, 68.8458°W
Nearly every dinner we’ve had in Buenos Aires has been accompanied by delicious Argentinian wine. And nearly all of this wine has come from one place, Mendoza.
Mendoza is located in Argentina’s west not far from the Chilean border. There are more than 1,500 wineries in the region, most of them specializing in Malbec wines. The Malbec grape originates from France but in the last several decades these wines have become the most popular export from Mendoza.
Sarah and I booked three days in the city of Mendoza, a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires. First up on the agenda was (you guessed it) tours and tastings at some of the local vineyards. We organized a tour and were picked up at our hotel the morning after we arrived. On the day’s agenda were visits to three different wineries, or bodegas.
Vistandes winery
Vistandes vineyards
Like many wineries in Argentina, Florio was founded by Italian immigrants. We loved their port and “dulce” wines
These are grapes.
I’m so excited about the bottle of port we got from Florio I’m cradling it like a baby.
One of the reasons why Florio was my favorite vineyard …
Tasting room of Bodega Domiciano
Views outside of the tasting room at Domiciano
Wandering through the vineyard…
Also included on the tour was a visit to an olive oil and vinegar production facility. This was definitely not the stop I was looking forward to the most, but it ended up being really interesting. The property where the farm was located was beautiful and we even got a snack of bread, cheese, and olives at the end of the tour.
Outside of the Laur Olive Oil factory
Learning about how olive oil is made
Post-tour olive oil sampling
More views of the olive oil facility
The buildings on the property seemed like something you would see on a Spanish or Italian estate
Beyond the Grapes and Olives
In addition to its wine fame, Mendoza is known for its picturesque landscape perfect for outdoor adventures. The region sits in the shadow of the Andes Mountains and the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Aconcagua. We had some good views of the Andes while traveling around Mendoza, but enjoyed the vistas from afar since we didn’t have the warm clothes necessary for venturing up into the mountains.
We couldn’t, however, pass up the opportunity to get outside the city to experience some of the many outdoor activities. We decided on a group whitewater rafting tour down the Mendoza River with a company called Argentina Rafting. They picked us up at our hotel and drove a group of us about an hour outside of the city to a small town called Potrerillos. Just next to the Mendoza River the company has a camp set up where all of their excursions begin.
Argentina Rafting’s camp outside of Mendoza
Getting ready to drive to the river
The handsome Argentinian family sharing our raft, along with our guide Gustavo (also handsome).
Heading down the Mendoza River
It was a hot day but the water from the river comes from the Andes and is pretty cold
After our rafting session, we headed back the camp for lunch and to prepare for our second activity of the day – zip lining. The zip line tour lasted about an hour, and we zipped down six different lines, including two that crossed over the river. Our guides Ramon and Oscar were lots of fun, and made sure that we enjoyed the amazing views!
Sarah
Gerry
Sarah and Gerry
Sarah again, demonstrating great ziplining form
Me, exploring the river bed in between activities
The camp for Argentina Rafting reminded us of summer camp….for adults
After our day of adventure, we headed back to the city of Mendoza and ventured out for dinner to the Paseo Peatonal Sarmiento, a street of restaurants and shops closed to car traffic. Mendoza is a relatively small city, with a population around 100,000. It’s very easy to navigate. We walked nearly everywhere and loved how you could sit outside at every restaurant along Paseo Peatonal Sarmiento. It was great people watching, with lots of live entertainment, and the perfect place to sit and enjoy a Quilmes Beer.
Somehow this is the only picture we took from the restaurants along Mendoza’s pedestrian street. I am about to say, “I’ll think I’ll go with the steak and wine.”
Mendoza’s Plaza Indepencia
Mendoza’s markets
Mendoza’s markets had some really nice handmade pottery
We left Mendoza on an Aerolineas Argentinas flight back to Buenos Aires, happy that we were able to get the five bottles of wine we had acquired in Mendoza onto our flight, but wondering if we’d have the same luck getting them back into the United States. With two weeks left before our trip home, I have my doubt those bottles will last!
Outside Florio’s wine tasting room
Domiciano’s tasting room
Outside Domiciano
Inside Vistandes tasting room
A sleepy dog inside Laur’s olive oil tasting room
Vistandes vineyards
Domiciano’s barrels of wine
We randomly ended up having lunch at this winery, Atamisque
As evidenced by this piece of trout, it was a good decision!
My favorite picture from Mendoza, only because I have no idea why my tongue was out like that. Sarah suggested I caption this one “what an asshole I am”
