|
|
|
Today, I had organized a wine tour in the afternoon, so with the morning available, I decided to also visit another winery, based upon the recommendation of my brother who had recently been out to Argentina as part of a trip with some of his MBA colleagues. The place is called Catena Zapata, and is probably the top winery in the country by many standards. On very short notice, I took the 40-minute taxi ride from Mendoza out to the estate, located in the lujan de cuyo region near the town of Agrelo.
CZ is a breathtaking property that is further accentuated by its modern, Mayan styled central building. Here, the companies production facilities, laboratories, meeting/tasting rooms and offices are located. It is also where I met Mercedez, a charming Argentinean woman who served as my personal tour guide. What a treat. Gorgeous and highly knowledgeable, she very kindly showed me around and assisted me in tasting quite a few of their top wines.
Following my tour of CZ, I took a taxi to meet the others on my afternoon wine tour, one that would take us to two other wineries. After a couple glasses of wine though, I was feeling a bit hungry, so I stopped off at one of the local restaurants and ordered myself a lomo, an enormous sandwich one can find throughout the country. Packed with beef, cheese, ham, tomatoes and other fresh ingredients, it is delicious. Perhaps one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.
The first stop on our group tour was Cavas de Weinert, a winery that is one of the few Argentinean wineries to export to Canada. A rather humdrum tour, only matched by its wine.
Next was a family run bodega called Vina el Cerne, a small wineyard that produces small batches of wine, mainly through traditional methods (short of using human feet to crush the grapes). Simple and unsophisticated (unlike CZ that uses satellite infrared images of their vines to selectively pick grapes at their optimal ripeness - crazy), it was refreshing and educational tour with a very entertaining guide.
Now that we'd had a few sips of wine, it was time to dine. Historias & Sabores, a small specialty food shop run by a Swiss Argentine, was our next stop. Here, one could purchase handmade candies, chocolates, liqueurs, jams, cheese and sauces. Very tempting, but I was out of cash and it was all they accepted. Oh well, I think I had spent quite enough on the 6 bottles of wine I'd purchased during the day!
previous travel blog entry
Would you like to comment or ask a question?
Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).