Mendoza’s Wine Tourism – Why You Should Go Now! By Joel Chusid

Mendoza’s Wine Tourism – Why You Should Go Now!

By Joel Chusid

If you consider yourself well traveled and enjoy the finer things in life, you probably enjoy visiting places before they become too popular. If you’ve not been, now is the time to visit the delightful center of Argentina’s wine country, Mendoza, before it gets too well known abroad. The number of American visitors has increased steadily in the past few years, and many have even started their own wineries there; people like Francis Ford Coppola and Ward Lay of Frito-Lay are two of the better known who have done this.

The province of Mendoza has more than a thousand wineries, referred to as bodegas, 300 alone in the immediate area of the capital city of the same name. Many of these have gourmet restaurants, provide wine tours, and some even provide very comfortable boutique accommodations. But the destination is about to go big time. While the city has only one five star hotel, another five are set to open within a year. Yes, the Hiltons, Sheratons, Marriotts and more are under construction. But do not wait. In the last five years, Mendoza’s wine tourism has dramatically evolved, and this is the perfect time to visit. There is another reason not to delay; the prices are a fraction of what you’d pay in Europe or in the California wine country for similar accommodations, gourmet food and fine wines, and a romantic atmosphere. In Argentina, wines remain an incredible value, despite the country’s high, yet officially unacknowledged inflation rate.

While the Andean summer (December-March) is high season, the climate is mild enough to welcome visitors year round, and the range of accommodations is wide. Winter in Mendoza usually means sunny, crisp days, and nights in front of a cozy fire. English is widely spoken, due to the touristic nature of the area, and Americans represent the largest group of international tourists, followed by Brazilians and Chileans. (Mendoza is closer to Santiago than Buenos Aires.) Some of the larger wineries are generally prepared to provide drop-in visitors with tours and tastings, but the majority, including many of the boutique wineries, will only do this by appointment, and virtually all require reservations for their gastronomic dining experiences. Most tastings and tours, however, are free, and guides attempt to personalize their narrative depending on the visitors’ level of wine experience and interest. You won’t find buses in the parking lot.

Over a cool but sunny weekend in June, I experienced a taste of Mendoza in the Cuyo de Lujan and Maipú areas, staying in a beautifully appointed ten room country style hotel (Lares de Chacras Casona Rural), sampling a fraction of what the area has to offer by visiting two newer medium sized bodegas (Ruca Malen and Carlos Pulenta), a large one that really has learned to capitalize on wine tourism (Familia Zuccardi), and dining at both fine and simple restaurants. I also visited the excellent information center and tasting room of The Vines of Mendoza, strongly recommended to anyone interested in wine tourism.

Getting to Mendoza is not difficult. There are frequent flights from Buenos Aires’ downtown airport, Aeroparque, and in just under two hours you land at Mendoza’s airport, quite close to the city. LAN Argentina is highly recommended. (www.lan.com) The airline offers comfortable flights on new airplanes, can be booked on-line, and tends to be far more dependable than the strike-prone national airline. From Santiago the flight is even shorter, also on LAN.

My early morning flight landed just after sunrise and the view of the snow covered Andean foothills to the west was remarkable. There was frost on the cars in the parking lot, and I immediately noticed the vineyards on airport property. On my way from the airport, I noted the number of older cars, especially Ford Falcons, far more numerous than in Buenos Aires where they used to be ubiquitous. The sun shone brightly, and by midday it was quite comfortable. Mendoza naturally looks more Andean than European Buenos Aires, but the city is mainly flat with abundant desert palm and eucalyptus trees. An exception to this is the green Parque San Martin just outside of town, entered through ancient city gates, with the zoo, an amphitheatre, and at the top, Cerro de la Gloria, with a huge equestrian monument to the liberator General San Martin, of course. The view from here is quite dramatic, with condors flying overhead.

For advance hotel arrangements, by all means go to www.mendoza.com.ar. Located in the center of Mendoza and operated by the Soler family (four brothers and a sister!), the website, which also features a helpful call center, knows the area best and can handle reservations. English is spoken; indeed Mariano Soler, the CEO, attended UC Berkeley. The service is personalized and professional. Mariano recommended the boutique style Lares de Chacras in the charming nearby suburb of Chacras de Coria, and I was not disappointed. (www.laresdechacras.com)

Only two years old and owned by the Day family (with a Dallas, Texas connection), the country style inn features 10 comfortable rooms with all the creature comforts ranging from Wi-Fi, a swimming pool with jacuzzi, wine cellar, free bicycles, and a staff that wants you to enjoy yourself. Spa services are available. While there is no gourmet restaurant, complimentary breakfast is served and a variety of light foods like pizza, empanadas, and tartas can be had at any time for a small charge, plus the inn sells local delicacies like olive oil and homemade jams. Entering the inn one walks over a glass floor, with the wine cellar visible below. The Chacras town center is within walking distance, and central Mendoza is only about twenty minutes away by taxi, the costs of which are a bargain by US standards. Overnight rates run about $100-150 US per room. Other accommodations ranging from top end hotels to middle range and even hostels are available. Most tastings are free or at a nominal charge. The dollar to peso exchange rate is still a huge bargain. Using dollars, divide by three. Pound sterling- strong Brits have the real advantage; divide by six. The Alta Vista bodega is in Chacras.

Mendoza is easy to navigate, even in a rental car, as opposed to the chaotic streets of Buenos Aires. There are plenty of sights in the central city, but the bodegas are all over the surrounding areas, and I strongly recommend you stop at The Vines of Mendoza at Espejo 567, just a block from the Park Hyatt, before you do anything. (www.vinesofmendoza.com) Open from 9 to 9 daily (with some seasonal variations), this unique information/tasting room was started by Americans Michael Evans and David Garrett and Argentine Pablo Gimenez-Rilili who could see the area’s potential for wine tourism. Just opened in March 2006, the helpful English-speaking young ladies are knowledgeable about all the bodegas and the wines. They offer free trip planning, reservations for visits, dining, guided tours, arrange transportation, and the adjacent tasting room features free samples of many boutique wines, nearly all averaging around $10US a bottle locally. I especially enjoyed the Otello Malbec 2005 with its coffee and cherry aroma. There is a small charge for some specialized wines. The center does offer wines by the glass, but does not sell them by the bottle. Instead, they will take orders for cases (in Argentina a case is six bottles) for delivery to your home in the U.S. or Europe. If you fall in love with the area as many have, the Vines also will sell you your own vineyard land in the nearby Uco Valley, at $40,000 an acre (minimum two acres) and will help you get started. In the same area, The Vines of Mendoza will open their own vineyard in February 2008, followed by an intimate 5 star resort and spa in December of the same year.

Pressed to recommend which vineyards should be visited by someone on a limited schedule, The Vines’ Marlene suggested Catena Zapata, a large bodega famed for its architecture (a Mayan pyramid style), view, and of course fine wines; Ruca Malen, a medium sized but striking bodega with a popular restaurant and personalized tours; Achaval Ferrer for its great wines of several different labels and where you can taste wines from barrels; Carlos Pulenta for its design and famous restaurant; and Alta Vista, a small bodega with a combination of old and new architecture. For Sunday visits, Familia Zuccardi, a pioneer in local wine tourism, and La Rural, which produces the award winning Rutini label, were suggested. Ward Lay is an investor in Andeluna, a beautiful bodega. (www.andeluna.com)

I managed to visit three of the bodegas, en route passing many well known vineyards such as Nieto Senetiner, Septima, and Norton. All of these legendary Argentine wine labels have vineyards elsewhere in Mendoza province and in other provinces as well. The terroir here is especially excellent to produce red wines, particularly the wonderful Malbec. My first stop was at Carlos Pulenta (www.carlospulentawines.com). Entering the gate, we pulled up to the 1800’s hacienda style architecture building that was only opened in 2005. It features a 58 hectare vineyard growing Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Bonarda, and grapes for three blends, known as VistAlba Corte A, B, and C (not related to grading quality). The chef of the prestigious La Bourgogne of the grande dame Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires has opened a branch here and offers lunch and dinner daily except Sunday; reservations required. Production here is natural, with no pumps. French oak is used to age the wine, and an artificial curved ceiling with an insulating chamber of air helps adjust the temperature. The vineyard produces 1.2 million liters a year. In addition to the VistAlba label, Pulenta also produces the Tomero Blend, with Sauvignon Blancs, Semillon Chardonnays, Malbecs, Cabernet Sauvignons, and Petit Verdot. Locally, retail prices range from only $3 to $14 dollars for very drinkable wines. That’s per bottle, not per glass.

The bright reddish orange bodega of Ruca Malen stands out against the Andes foothills. (www.bodegarucamalen.com) This vineyard, with the same owner as the well known Alta Vista label, was started in 1999, but the current building opened in 2003. Its restaurant opened with two tables in 2004, and now has 12. Chef Lucas Bustos offers a five course lunch with paired wines, at a mere $25 US. Tours are by appointment, and are limited to just a few per day. It produces high quality wines including Malbec and Chardonnay, and uses French and American oak.

The third and largest vineyard visited was the Familia Zuccardi bodega, the only one that has gotten a head start in wine tourism. (www.familazuccardi.com) From several locations, Zuccardi produces 13 million liters of wine annually, 60% of it exported to 40 countries. While the company traces its roots back 50 years, the visitor center opened in 2000 and is open daily, plus it offers far more than tours and tastings. The attractive facility center offers tours but also features an art gallery, logoed clothing, a wide selection of wine, related accessories, and it accepts credit cards, which some bodegas do not. This is also one of the few bodegas that accept walk-ins. Tastings are free, except for certain upscale labels. And some interesting labels are not widely available except at the winery such as the experimental Innovation label of which the Tannat and Nero Davola were exceptional. Santa Julia is one of their well known labels, and award winning Zuccardi Q and the lofty Zuccardi Z are renowned. I fell in love with the Malamado, a port-like dessert wine made from Malbec or Viognier grapes. Zuccardi also produces organic wine, a special tempranillo, sparkling wines, and even olive oil and cosmetics.

Zuccardi offers much more, such as “Bike and Taste” on Wednesdays (biking through the vineyards and tasting), picnics in the gardens, “Come and Cook”, “Come and Prune” (exactly what it sounds like), “Come and Harvest”, and the bodega has a beautiful garden restaurant. All of these, unlike the tastings and tours, require advance planning and come with a charge. Zuccardi also has music programs and even attracts corporate retreats at the bodega.

Mendoza has other wine related connections. I learned of a grape based vodka (Malbec and others), Primo Vodka, which was just introduced by a local company. (www.primovodka.com). This turned about to be quite hard to find, and I found no one in Mendoza familiar with it, but managed to track down a bottle at a small wine shop in Buenos Aires. Ferruccio Soppelsa, a local ice cream parlor with several locations (Argentina does have excellent ice cream), offers homemade flavors with wine such as vanilla with Malbec and peach with Sirah.

With the wine influence, Mendoza is a gastronomic cornucopia. There are plenty of places to choose from, both at the bodegas and throughout the area. I had lunch at the Park Hyatt’s Bistro M (www.bistrom.com.ar), starting with a savory veal empanada, followed by a delicious grilled Chilean salmon paired with a Rutini Sauvignon Blanc, fresh bread from the adobe oven, and dulce de leche ice cream for dessert. Dinner was at the simpler and suburban Bocas de Toro in Chacras de Coria, and while not quite high gourmet, it was hearty and tasty with, of course, fine wines, friendly service, and comfortable surroundings. Walking in at 9:15pm, I was greeted by an empty restaurant, as I would likely be in Buenos Aires, but by 11pm the place was packed.

There are too many reasons to visit this outstanding wine region. So put Mendoza on your list for a visit, but don’t wait long.

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