Mendoza and the Wine Country

After leaving El Bariloche, we took an overnight bus to what we thought would be our final destination. We had planned on finding permanent stay in Mendoza, but after a few days of exploring, we found that we weren't as enamored by the city as we had originally hoped, and decided to head back to Buenos Aires.

Maybe it was just that we were on the busier, dirtier side of town. Maybe it was that we had a hard time finding jobs and affordable permanent residence. Maybe it was the fact that we found out that our temporary apartment was usually rented in three hour increments. Yes, there were a number of factors that persuaded us to come back to Buenos Aires, but that didn't stop us from extensively exploring the city, and journeying out to the Maipu wine valley for a bike tour of the local wineries.

We got some pretty decent advice about choosing the proper company for the bike tour - make sure the bikes are in tip-top shape. Unfortunately, we were in a hurry to get on the road, and we settled for some sub-par two-wheelers. After we went to the wine museum, my pedal fell off my bike completely, and we had to go back and trade out.

We had been biking around the tree lined, one lane roads in the heat of summer. Just as we were beginning to slow down a bit, we saw an ominous sign - a solitary beer mug drawn cartoon-style and nailed to a post at a crossroads. We followed the arrow to a narrow gravel driveway surrounded by orchards and pastures. For a second, we thought we were being lured in to a secluded spot only to be mugged. But we continued on and took a curve in the road, deciding to drop our bikes when we unexpectedly saw paradise in front of us - billowing curtains surrounding comfy furniture and a bar where an Argentine girl stood waiting to take our order. This was definitely the highlight of our "wine" country experience.

This place had the finest brew and the warmest hospitality of our four-day stay in the area. We stayed for about an hour and chatted with the owner about her fantastic little oasis while we sampled the rubia and the stout. After having a few fresh olives, homemade potato chips and salted peanuts to complement our beers, we were back on the road to sample some more wine.

Although this looks like a wonderful dream, I am not asleep here

MMmmmm

;-) Malbec samples

Believe it or not, this is a vast, fertile, wine-producing valley

They don't bring you a spit bucket. You're supposed to drink the wines during these tastings...

Mendoza was a very interesting city, and definitely a worthwhile place to stop and explore. The center of the city is well designed, and we got to know the layout quite well. Had things gone a little differently, we might have been writing about this city as if it were home. However, we felt that we'd enjoy big city life in Buenos Aires, so we said goodbye to central Argentina and took an overnight bus to Tango city.

Posted by: Jeff