Mmmmmendoza

If you have ever done a wine tour in Napa, or always wanted to but couldn´t afford it, I´ve got the place for you. Medoza, Argentina, is not only gorgeous, set below the highest peak in the Andes, and reminiscent of a quaint European township, it also happens to be where the best (and most) wine in Argentina comes from. Its specialty? the Malbec. Its price? Unbelievable.

Traveling sola hasn´t yet been a lonely experience, but to go wine tasting alone sempt a little less than thrilling to me. I jumped on the bus at 10am anyway. The ride out to Maipu was 30 minutes and the day was clear and getting warm. I passed several bike rental shops : Bike and Wine, Wines and Bikes, Señor Bike, Doña Wine...and I got off the bus at the highly recommended, family owned Mr. Hugo´s.

There I was presented with a map and a cute green bike with a basket, as well as a cold bottle of water which I was sure to need later. As I paid, three guys walked up joking with one another about their previous night´s antics. I asked where they were from.

"London," the tall ginger answered. I told them I was from San Francisco, and suddenly one of them perked up.
"Me too!" he said excitedly. We compared notes, and turns out he is dating the sister of a guy I grew up with. Small world, as usual.

We took off in our renegade of four bikes to the first bodega, a wine museum actually. As we got our first tastes of Mendoza wine, an American couple joined us for a chat. They are from Minneapolis and teaching English in Valpaiso, Chile. Our bike crew grew to six and we rode down the tranquil, spacious countryside in the midday sunshine.

Our second bodega had a barbeque that smelled irresistible. This place gave us bean bag chairs and we ended up with a bottle of chardonnay on the grass. One bottle turned to two, the second being an aged Malbec, the best wine I would taste all day. (and for $40 Arg pesos, or roughly $12US, I wanted to send home a crate!)

We skipped the barbeque and kept on to a family winery, where we received a tour and tasting of their Malbecs, which you couldn´t buy anywhere else. They were delicious. The day continued with a tour of an olive oil factory and a chocolate manufacturer, then ended at Mr. Hugo´s with a final glass of wine and a couple empanadas.

When I thought I may be wine tasting alone, I am more than gracious for the fantastic group of people I ended up with. There´s truly nothing better than sharing a bottle of wine and a good laugh with great people in the sunshine.