So, along with Mendoza being at the foothills of the Andes (and a phenomenal place for horseback riding), it’s also one of the best places in Argentina to go wine tasting—and try the native Malbec (see photo above). There are tons of vineyards and wineries outside the city. Kate and I decided to rent bikes for the day and ride from winery to winery. Sounded good in theory, and it was very beautiful. But we later realized that biking over 12 miles while tasting numerous glasses of red wine might get a little bit tricky. Alas, we prevailed!
My favorite glass of wine was the Pleno from the Tempus Alba vineyard—one of the more modern wineries in the area. It is 60% Malbec, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. It was deep and full with lots of wood flavors, and it was utterly delicious to drink on the patio overlooking their vast vineyard. I’m very bummed because it doesn’t seem like they sell to any NYC wine stores.
We also hopped on the wine tour at the very old and very famous Museo del Vino (in Spanish… which was interesting for me). They had barrels to store wine that were about a bajillion years old, and it was so great to get up-close and personal with (and smell!) all these classic Argentine wines. I bought 2 bottles of the Trumpeter while I was there. I bet you can buy this in NYC, but I haven’t checked yet. I still have 1 bottle to drink first!