Everyone knows that Tango is the most famous dance of Argentina. As a proud Argentine man myself, I was always a bit embarrassed that I didn’t possess the dancing skills of so many of my fellow countrymen. So this year, I decided to tackle the dancing challenge and enrol in some proper Tango lessons. I still have a lot to learn, but here is a video showing the result of my journey into Tango so far…
If tango is the soundtrack of Buenos Aires, then it is traditional folklórico that scores the rest of Argentina. And where the countryside collides with the city is at wine-sloshing musical shindigs called peñas. Peñas in Buenos Aires attract everyone from home-sick northerners from Salta and Jujuy, to city folk who don’t want to get their feet dirty, to students looking for a bit of culture mixed with a lot of fun. Each peña has a slightly different musical angle. The term folklórico is a catch-all term for a lot of traditional music…
Back in the Middle-Ages, Malbec was planted all over southern France. But it wasn’t known as Malbec. It had over a thousand synonyms, and besides Medieval wine drinkers knew precious little about grape varieties. But there was no doubt Malbec was highly thought of, especially up-river of Bordeaux, where it was blended with the even darker Tannat grape to make the famous ‘Black Wine of Cahors’…
First the heat – it really hits you. 40°C (104°F) plus. Hot, humid, and so sweaty you just don’t care. Lugging a back-pack makes the going even hotter and more difficult, and rather slow. Everything around you is wet, gorgeously lush, and very green – not the Argentina most people know…
Many people talk about fly fishing and Argentina in the same breath, often conjuring up images of big sea trout fishing in Tierra del Fuego or Dorado in the North. But here in Mendoza, there is fantastic fishing right on the doorstep. When I decided to visit Argentina, I knew I wanted to fly fish, but I couldn’t quite fit Patagonia into my itinerary. I need not have worried – I had an awesome day fishing near a village called El Manzano Histórico, about 1.5 hours outside Mendoza. I am relatively new to the joys of fly fishing, and this day out has me totally hooked on the pastime!…
The sky turns white with torn newspaper. The clattering of drums heightens. Machines blast out blue and yellow smoke. “Ole, ole, ole, ole” 40,000 of the world’s nosiest fans scream. They bounce – the shaking stadium is felt more than two miles away. Many have their shirts off in the heat and are swinging them around their heads. The horn section can be heard through the melee. And the fans continue singing: “Soy de Boca/cada dia te quiero mas”, I’m Boca/everyday I love you more. Boca Juniors have just appeared from the tunnel…
February marks the beginning of the harvest in South America, and nowhere is this more celebrated than Mendoza, one of the world’s great wine capitals. Tucked into the foothills of the Andes, Mendoza and its people have a long history viticulture and wine making and have been producing wine since the 1550s. Vendimia — Mendoza’s wine harvest festival, takes place on the first weekend of March each year. This event has been aptly described as a ‘Eurovision Song Contest rolled up with a North American beauty pageant, served up with a South American street carnival and washed down with lots of wine.’…