Top shelf and top nosh in Luján de Cuyo

9am is the new wine o’clock.

My personal rule for drinking is that you shouldn’t have an alcoholic beverage before 12pm. Unless, of course, you have been out all night, in which case drinking in the morning is perfectly acceptable. But if you have had a good night’s sleep and woken up feeling fresh, starting to drink before 12 o’clock – beer o’clock – is stretching into alcoholics territory.

Well, on this day I broke the rules. But with good reason.

A trip to Mendoza will inevitably involve a wine tour of some description. Most people tend to go with the cheap and cheerful bike tours of neighbouring Maipú available on almost every corner in the town centre. My sister did one of these tours and she really enjoyed it, as did lots of the people I met along the way, but I had been told that you don’t really get to try that much wine on those tours and certainly not the good stuff. Lonely Planet recommends two companies that offer deluxe wine tours,

“They’re not cheap, but the benefits are obvious – small group sizes … a knowledgeable English-speaking guide … and access to some of the more exclusive (i.e. better quality) vineyards. Winemakers are much more likely to be getting the good stuff down off the top shelf for you on these tours too.”

My Mum had given me £100 for my birthday before I left which I was to save for something special so I decided to splash out on a tour of Luján de Cuyo with Trout and Wine. The tour cost US$165 (£106) which I thought incredibly reasonable given that included a tour and tasting of three top-end wineries as well a 4 course lunch and matching wines with unlimited top ups at a fourth bodega.

Click to read more ...

Fine wines and fab entrees in Mendoza

I have to admit to having been a little dishonest.

In the last week or so I have received several emails from friends and family sharing their experiences of Iguazú falls  and asking me how I am enjoying Córdoba (very much, I would have thought that was obvious).

The internet connection is so slow here that each post I have written has taken at least 4 hours, at least 3 of those merely waiting for the photos to upload. As you might imagine this takes a significant chunk out of a day in a new place and as such I am rather behind; twelve towns and one border in fact.

Fortunately, several of these towns are forgettable which narrows down the catch up a little and I am now in Bolivia, where both the food and the internet connection are inferior to Argentina so I should have less to say while I am here. However, there are still several important meals in Argentina to tell you about and I shall do my best to do so rápidamente, as they say here.

Mendoza was perhaps the Argentine highlight. I say “perhaps” because the best restaurant I visited was in Salta (more on that down the track), but Mendoza had the best food overall. If you ever visit Mendoza I highly recommend getting hold of a free copy of Wine Republic magazine or having a look at their website which has great recommendations for places to eat and drink. Indeed every restaurant I ate in was listed in the edition I picked up and there were many more I would have liked to try given the time.

My first day in Mendoza was all blue skies and winter sun, warm enough to sit outside in a light sweater. Enticed by the promise of a leafy courtyard I went in search of Anna Bistro.

Click to read more ...