Tag: Mendoza

Mendoza is the main wine region in Argentina, which is the fifth wine producing country in the world. Mendoza is located in the Cuyo region. It is located to the west of the country and borders Chile and the Andes mountain range. In fact, the Aconcagua –measuring 6,960 metres– is the highest peak in the continent and is located in Mendoza. What is more, most of the Mendocenean territory lays more than one thousand metres above sea level. This peculiarity has turned Mendoza into an excellent terroir for vineyards since the end of the 16th century. The most planted variety in the province is the Malbec –the star grape variety in Argentina–, followed by the Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tempranillo and the Chardonnay. Local varieties Criolla grande and Cereza are still relevant today. By means of Argento’s blog, The Real Argentina, discover the secrets that Mendoza is keeping; secrets that have turned this area into one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the country. The province offers trekking routes, high mountain sports in the Andes –skiing in winter– and, of course, the magic of discovering the complex wine production process during guided visits in some of the popular Mendocenean wineries. Wine tradition is so important that since 1936, the province has celebrated the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (Grape Harvest Festival), which is considered one of the five most important festivities in the world and the second most important harvest festivity in the world by National Geographic. It is celebrated between the last Sunday in February and the first Saturday in March. The festivities include tastings, parades as the Vía Blanca or the Carrusel, the election of the Queen of the Grape Harvest and musical shows where, of course, tango is danced. The main activities take place in the capital, the city of Mendoza, a city renowned by its cleanness and its charming streets and people. The current city was rebuilt in 1863 after an earthquake had destroyed the original city two years before. Thanks to the research work of our collaborators, you can discover other local festivities in the province. You will also know which are the best places to stay in Mendoza, which wineries offer the most interesting visits, which restaurants have the most delicious menus and which bars are the most welcoming ones to enjoy a Mendocenean glass of wine. Moreover, you will see which are the most adequate places to enjoy both Mendocenean and national gastronomy, including traditional dishes, as the renowned empanadas, the Argentine roast or the patitas aliñadas (seasoned small legs).

Vendimia Harvest Festival in Mendoza

Vendimia or “grape harvest” holds huge importance in all 18 corners of the province, bringing together mendocinos from Malargüe in the south to Rivadavia in the east and Luján de Cuyo in the west. Named one of the top 10 harvest celebrations in the world by National Geographic, the main aim is to give thanks to the patron saint of grape harvests, the Virgen de la Carrodilla.

March 12th, 2014

Top 10 Curious Facts About Argentina Wine

Few people beyond South American shores realise that Argentina is the fifth biggest wine producer in the world, making myriad varieties from vineyards that stretch from lofty Salta in the North West to the windswept river valleys of Patagonia in the south. From aromatic, spicy Torrontés to supple Pinot Noirs, by way of Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernets Franc and Sauvingon, plus up-and-coming grapes such as Bonarda and Tempranillo, Argentina’s rich heritage of vines delivers a surprising wealth of styles.

November 6th, 2013

Photo Tour of Mendoza Vineyards During Harvest 2013

In Mendoza, the grape harvest can start any time from the end of January and continue until mid-May, depending upon the varietal and wine a bodega intends to make. Many wineries used to be located in the city of Mendoza, but over the years they have dispersed in a bid to find new terroir, a move that has seen many wind their way south. I’ve travelled to the province three times since February and have compiled this collage of 2013’s harvest across some of the different vineyard areas of Mendoza.

June 12th, 2013

The Top 10 Restaurants in Mendoza

Visitors to Mendoza — city and province — tend to have their eye on one pressing matter, and one pressing matter only: fermented grape juice. The reputation of Argentina’s greatest wine-producing province precedes it, however: it’s not just Malbec and its sibling varietals that are hogging the spotlight. A host of restaurants in Mendoza are making waves with their gastronomical and enological offerings, from steak flame-grilled seven ways to closed-door establishments and Asian fusion cuisine…

May 9th, 2013

450 Years of Wine in Argentina – A Potted History

A church in a vineyard in Cafayate, Salta, Argentina

The term “New World” is a pretty intriguing concept when it comes to Argentine winemaking given that its history stretches back some four and a half centuries. As with much of the Americas, it’s a story that involves Spanish conquistadors, Catholic missionaries, European migrants and, more latterly, the coming of the railway. To put this into perspective, the English Tudor monarch King Henry VIII had only just died when the first vitis vinifera cuttings (the wine grape vine) were planted in what was to become Argentine soil.

February 26th, 2013

Argento’s Twelve Wines of Christmas

This December, we are counting down our Twelve Wines of Christmas with a new wine every weekday from December 6th to 21st. Feel free to sing along! “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…”

December 21st, 2012

Blue Sky Drinking: Argentina’s High-Altitude Vineyards

It was at a 3,457 metre-high pass, somewhere way to the west of Salta city, after four hours on switchback, rubble-strewn dirt ‘roads’, that the extraordinary immensity of the Andean Alto-Plano really sank in. Admittedly the cocoa leaves that my native driver kept feeding me (for medicinal purposes) probably added to the sense of dizzying awe…

October 30th, 2012

FORE! Golf in Argentina

At times, the pace of life in Argentina can be a little hectic. Buenos Aires especially moves at just one speed – fast forward – and while that is part of its charm, there are occasions when one needs to step away from the urban rat race and, say, spend a few hours walking around in the great outdoors pursuing a little white ball. A round of golf is the perfect antidote to inner-city blues…

October 17th, 2012

Helado Mania: The Best Ice Cream Shops in Argentina

Argentina: a country where you can get ice cream delivered to your door after midnight, where the number of variations on dulce de leche flavour can run into double figures, where homeware stores sell serving dishes that are just the right size for a one-kilo tub. Ice cream isn’t just an occasional treat here, it’s an essential food group.

October 9th, 2012

Bully for Bonarda

Parral Vineyard

Juicy, brimming with fruit and generally packing a satisfying punch for your peso, Bonarda is emerging from the sideline as an easy-going alternative to Argentina’s flagship red Malbec. It’s perhaps no surprise. After all, the country is awash with the variety, this being the second most widely planted grape in the country.

October 2nd, 2012