Mendoza (continued) . . .
Mendoza (Day 2) . . . Vineyard Hopping . . .
Well on day two in Mendoza we got up and headed to the vineyards outside of town. For some reason we decided to do it on our own utilizing the public bus system instead of taking a tour. So, we got on the bus and drove about 45 minutes before the bus driver told us we should get off. The highlight of the bus trip was the two cute (in an inocent, adorable way) morman boys who kept flirting with us in the cutest way. When we got off, we were left in the middle of a dirt road surrounded by a couple run down looking buildings. No vineyards in site. However, there just happened to be a visitor center right in the middle of the road on a type of boulevard. So, we went in and they showed us on a map where some vineyards were. However, we had arrived just in time for the two hour period when all the vnieyards close. So, the tourist kiosk suggested that we have lunch at a nearby restaurant. The restaurant was cute but the food and wine were a bit overrated and overpriced. Still, you can´t complain too much about having a meal with two great girlfriends alfresco on a beautiful day in wine country.
Now let me just start by saying that vineyards in Mendoza were different than the vineyards that I visited in South Africa. The stunning scenery was just not there. It was nice and there were olive bushes of course, but around that was desert. There was none of the rolling hills and greenery like in Stellenbach. It was just very different. Also, the tastings were much different. Instead of the 5 or more wines that every vineyard in Stellenbach allowed you, we got 1, 2, and 3 at the respective vineyards we went to in Mendoza.
After lunch, we headed out to the nearest vineyard by foot. It was a good km from the restaurant. It was a nice vineyard. They took us on a tour of the grounds, in Spanish of course. I didn´t really understand anything, but it was still fun to walk around. It was funny because in several places we walked through puddles of water. It wasn´t a big deal, but I kept thinking how in the U.S. letting groups of tourists walk through massive puddles of water inside a factory would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Things are just much more relaxed in Argentina. At the end of that tour, we got to taste a glass of red and a glass of white. Niether were great. While we were finishing our red, the three of us sat on a little stage in the tasting room. When we got up, we descovered we´d sat on black, wet varnish. Haha. It was pretty funny. We all had black and white stuff stuck to our butts. We got the white parts off in the bathroom, but I fear the black varnish is never coming out.
After the first vineyard, we took another km walk to a chocolate and liquor factory. It was really neat. They gave a little discussion about the factory and then took you into the tasting room where you could choose a liquor and chocolate to sample. I ended up buying a bottle of chocolate and banana liquor and orange juice type liquor. I´m going to try to save them to bring home.
Finally we decided to call a cab for the next vineyard. It was getting late and there weren´t any more in walking distance. Our ¨cab¨ended up being a nice little man in a beat up red car. He took us to a really nice, french vineyard. They gave us a shorter tour, in Spanish, and then we got to sample three wines. They had really nice wines and I wrote down the names so that I could buy them in Buenos Aires instead of lugging them. They had a promotion that you could pay 5 pesos and try 4 more wines, so we did that too.
Then, we decided to op out of the bus and let our nice driver man take us back to town. We only had a few hours before our bus to Chile left and we were full and tired, so we decided to try to see a movie. Unfortunately, none of the times worked out. So, we did a little shopping and had a light dinner before returning to the hostel to get our bags.
Then we were off to Chile . . . And, I´ll write about that later . . .
Now let me just start by saying that vineyards in Mendoza were different than the vineyards that I visited in South Africa. The stunning scenery was just not there. It was nice and there were olive bushes of course, but around that was desert. There was none of the rolling hills and greenery like in Stellenbach. It was just very different. Also, the tastings were much different. Instead of the 5 or more wines that every vineyard in Stellenbach allowed you, we got 1, 2, and 3 at the respective vineyards we went to in Mendoza.
After lunch, we headed out to the nearest vineyard by foot. It was a good km from the restaurant. It was a nice vineyard. They took us on a tour of the grounds, in Spanish of course. I didn´t really understand anything, but it was still fun to walk around. It was funny because in several places we walked through puddles of water. It wasn´t a big deal, but I kept thinking how in the U.S. letting groups of tourists walk through massive puddles of water inside a factory would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Things are just much more relaxed in Argentina. At the end of that tour, we got to taste a glass of red and a glass of white. Niether were great. While we were finishing our red, the three of us sat on a little stage in the tasting room. When we got up, we descovered we´d sat on black, wet varnish. Haha. It was pretty funny. We all had black and white stuff stuck to our butts. We got the white parts off in the bathroom, but I fear the black varnish is never coming out.
After the first vineyard, we took another km walk to a chocolate and liquor factory. It was really neat. They gave a little discussion about the factory and then took you into the tasting room where you could choose a liquor and chocolate to sample. I ended up buying a bottle of chocolate and banana liquor and orange juice type liquor. I´m going to try to save them to bring home.
Finally we decided to call a cab for the next vineyard. It was getting late and there weren´t any more in walking distance. Our ¨cab¨ended up being a nice little man in a beat up red car. He took us to a really nice, french vineyard. They gave us a shorter tour, in Spanish, and then we got to sample three wines. They had really nice wines and I wrote down the names so that I could buy them in Buenos Aires instead of lugging them. They had a promotion that you could pay 5 pesos and try 4 more wines, so we did that too.
Then, we decided to op out of the bus and let our nice driver man take us back to town. We only had a few hours before our bus to Chile left and we were full and tired, so we decided to try to see a movie. Unfortunately, none of the times worked out. So, we did a little shopping and had a light dinner before returning to the hostel to get our bags.
Then we were off to Chile . . . And, I´ll write about that later . . .
posted by Amber @ 11:59 AM
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