When one thinks of Argentine wines you are most likely to first think of Mendoza and Malbec. While Mendoza produces great Malbec it also produces other great wines like Bornada, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Mendoza Province is the largest wine-producing region in Argentina. According to the Austral Spectator 2010 publication of Viñas, Bodegas & Vinos de Argentina Mendoza Province wine region consists of three vast artificial oases (Oasis Norte, Oasis Sur and Uco Oasis). Oasis Norte is irrigated by the Mendoza and Tunuyán rivers, with Oasis Sur by the Diamante and Atuel rivers and Uco Valley Oasis by the Tunuyán River. All three rivers have their origin in the Andes.
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| Welcome to Mendoza Province © Spaswinefood |
The capital city of Mendoza is located in Oasis Norte. During our Mendoza visit we stayed three days at the pet-friendly Sheraton. The
Sheraton Mendoza was great. We loved the service we received. We were treated with wine while we waited to be checked in. Our cat Amadeus loved the star status he received from the staff.
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| Downtown Mendoza © Spaswinefood |
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| Cat napping at the Sheraton © Spaswinefood |
The Sheraton has a great location downtown with so many great restaurants and sidewalk cafes all within walking distance. While we tried a number of restaurants near the Sheraton we especially enjoyed Estancia La Florencia Parrilla Restaurant.
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| Great service © Spaswinefood |
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| Great food © Spaswinefood |
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| Great Wine !!! © Spaswinefood |
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| And great pasta for me © Spaswinefood |
We did lots on research on potential wineries to visit but in the end we hired a wine tour company to take us around. There are so many wineries in Mendoza that unless you want to spend lots of time researching it is best to hire a good wine touring company for a first time visit. During our one-day wine tour we visited the following wineries: Alta Vista, Belasco De Baquedano and Ruca Malen.
Bodega Alta Vista
Bodega Alta Vista is part of the Edonia Group which produces high quality wines in Argentina, France and Hungary. We enjoyed our visit to this beautiful winery.
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| Entrance to Alta Vista © Spaswinefood |
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| Three of us tasting © Spaswinefood |
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| Alta Vista Wine Cellar © Spaswinefood |
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| From grapes --- © Spaswinefood |
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| --- to Malbec © Spaswinefood |
Belasco De Baquedano
Belasco De Baquedano is a winery that produces exclusively Malbec wines. What is unique about Belasco De Baquedano is that it has an aromas room where you can smell the various aromas (both good and bad) present in wines. We all found the aromas room very interesting and would strongly recommending visiting.
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| Belasco Vineyard © Spaswinefood | |
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| The group tasting the Malbecs .... © Spaswinefood |
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| Aroma Room © Spaswinefood | |
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| President Cristina Fernádez de Kirchner has obviously tasted Malbec here © Spaswinefood |
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Bodega Rucca Malen
Bodega Ruca Malen is written up in many travel guides as a culinary delight. It lived up to its reputation. Put it on your list it is well worth a visit. They make accommodations in the menu for vegetarians. The food and wine pairing is excellent. Some of its wine are amongst the best produced in Argentina.
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| Sharon entering Bodega Ruca Malen © Spaswinefood |
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| A corner table for four with a vineyard view © Spaswinefood |
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| Tasting Menu © Spaswinefood |
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| Appetizer and wine pairing © Spaswinefood |
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| Main course for Karla, Gary and John © Spaswinefood |
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| An awesome vegetarian main course for me © Spaswinefood |
On another occasion we also visited a few wineries in San Rafael which is in Oasis Sur. While we only did quick visits to Bodega Suter and
Algodón Wine Estates there are other wineries well worth visiting in the San Rafael area.
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| San Rafael © Spaswinefood |
On our drive through San Rafael we happened to encounter the owner of a small organic winery, Felix (vinos orgánicos certificados). For a random roadside stop we were quite pleased with the wines and bought a few.
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| Organic Winery Felix © Spaswinefood |
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John making a purchase © Spaswinefood
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Upon reflection we did not take enough time to tour the wineries in Mendoza Province. The fact that we visited over the weekend and wanted to tour the city; just hang out in sidewalk cafes, etc. cut into wine touring time. Even though we visited during peak tourist season Mendoza is a great place to visit and we will return. We have been told that spring or fall is a great time to visit.
Sharon and Jack,
Tasting Memories from the Las Américas Trip
© Spaswinefood
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