From Santiago I hopped on a bus and ended up in Mendoza six hours later! Crossing the Andes was breathtaking. We wound our way high up into the mountains, and even though it's the end of summer, there was still some snow on the peaks. The 2 photos right and below were taken about 1/2 hr apart...what a contrast!I'm staying at the Damajuana Hostel and it's awesome: super laid-back and full of adventurous people from all over the world. So far I've been hanging out with a group of Israelis, a few Swiss guys, some Irishmen, an Aussie (who went to MelbourneUni the same time I was there), a Brit, and a boy from Montreal. Everyone is so friendly, it reinforces how much I love travelling!
On my first night in the city, I went and ate dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, getting babaganoush, pita, a selection of different salsas, mineral water, and a jug of the house wine
(terrible!) all for around $10! (guess that explains why the wine was so awful!)
On my first full day in the city I met up with Juan Pablo Lupianez,
who I was put in touch with through Nick Goldschmidt, ("it's not what you know, but who you know" said
someone smart who probably knew a lot of people). We met for breakfast, un cafe con leche and una medialuna (their clever word for un croissant), and then he swept me off to the number 1
winery in Argentina, Catena Zapata, whose wines continually get 95-98 points in Wine Spectator. I took a tour of the place while Juan Pablo went for his business meeting, and
after the tour, the guide informed me they had set up a private tasting for Juan and I. For not being a Chardonnay lover, I have seen the light...honestly one of nicest whites I've tasted in a long time, well-balanced, fruit-forward (for a chard), slightly minerally, with just a lovely finish! (I should be a wine writer, I know) Their
Malbecs were equally as impressive, and they even brought out the grandaddy bottle, the most expensive and renowned of them all (woot woot!). For all their highest quality wines (reds and whites) they use barrel fermentation. They also brought us out 2 types of quesillo de cabra,
young dry goat cheese (delish!) and very flavorful olive oil and warm bread, which we made our lunch. After, Juan Pablo took me to another winery that has an art gallery and restaurant, that produces 6 MILLION liters of wine annually. WOW.
The next day, St. Patrick's Day, I visited the winery Fabre Montmayou, had a little tour then
went out with the winemaker to a bunch of their vineyards so they could collect grape samples and I could snap some pictures. Mendoza is awesome because the Andes are so close and the
snowy mountain peaks peek out from the clouds. During the evening, I ate dinner with the Irish couple who were staying in the same room as me at the resto-bar attached to the hostel, proceeded to have drinks there and then we went out to the Irish pub for more drinks. The following day the entire hostel was moving a little slow...we decided skydiving was not the ideal activity for that day so instead we went for hr massages...ahh!
Next stop, Montevideo Uruguay!
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