Mendoza Wine Tour!

The day after Stephens Day we were finally able to do a tour of the wineries of Mendoza, a must do of the region, and the main attraction for many of its visitors. As tours had been postponed for three days due to the Christmas festivities it was a very popular tour option for the 27th, so we headed off early to beat the crowds and with the intention of somewhat avoiding the sun (an intention which, we learned, is always pointless in Mendoza..unless we wanted to do the wine tour in the dark!) We left at around 10, with our new group of Aussie/English friends(at least we all knew we would have the same attitude to wine tasting..and that the spitting bucket wouldn’t be necessary..), heading to 'Mr Hugos' where we picked up the bikes we were to use as transport for the day. Mr Hugos is a very famous bike rental place in Mendoza, with a great reputation among backpackers all over South America which one understands immediately upon meeting Mr Hugo himself. The bicycle pick up point had a beautiful garden where all the wine is free..and we had brought pate and rolls so the day got off to a good start..

The cycle was beautiful, down picturesque avenues with massive beautiful leafy trees lining each side.. had it been any longer however our vision definitely would have been blurring, and mirages would have been appearing as the heat in which we were cycling was extreme! We arrived at the first winery, saw the vineyards and tasted three wines..a really fun experience, as I’ve never tasted wines with a guide before, I have never really known what I was tasting, so I was looking out for those cinnamon and vanilla flavours they always tell you about! The location of the first winery was incredible, we were sitting out in an amazing restaurant/wine bar looking out over a lake and the vineyards.. a great place to start taking photos of the day..

It, thankfully, was only a short bike ride to the next winery, a family winery, the oldest in Mendoza. Here we did a tour, going down into the cellars, seeing the old wine making apparatus as well as the new, seeing the oak barrels, and doing some more of the all important tasting. As well as being a really fun experience, it was enjoyable to feel you were acquiring at least a little knowledge..it is really great to feel I have something of an appreciation for red wine now!! (Although since leaving I have felt it important to continue developing this appreciation with frequent practice of the wine tasting art..). After a short stopover at a beer garden to break up the day, and get some refreshments at backpacker prices, we went back to 'Mr Hugos' where great wine and conversation made for a great end to the day.