Yesterday we decided to hop on a bus and head to Maipú, about 30 minutes from Mendoza to do some wine hopping. We woke up later than we thought (apparently Argentina is an hour ahead of Chile, a fact we didn’t know for a few days), but ended up at Bikes and Wines, a bicycle rental outfit where we got a discount for joining South American Explorers. So far we have saved $10 with them, although most of the hostels don’t know what we’re talking about and have to ask their boss.
Anyways, we rented the bikes for a half a day and started down the road. The main wine area is south of town and the bus dropped us off right in front of the place (convenient!). There’s a 40km circuit but I think we did the 12 km circuit instead. The town itself was a bit of a letdown (dusty bumpy roads, not much of a bike lane, the usual litter) but part of the road was tree-lined and shady with less traffic. I’m surprised the town hasn’t thought to install a bike lane or a path through the vineyards to make it more tranquil…perhaps one day.
The first winery was La Rural, where we had a free taste of their Malbec and neither of us liked it. We opted not to do the tour and biked to the next stop, Historia y Sabores, which was really neat. We had a free tour and saw all the different kinds of liquors and wines and chocolates they make. It’s a cool concept, perhaps I’ll steal it. We also got a free shot and free piece of chocolate (the chocolate was good, but it wasn’t a dark choclate, mine was coffee and Matt’s was mint). Matt chose the chocolate banana liquor, which was delicious and tasted like a thick chocolate syrup with banana, but boozy. As usual, I chose the weirdest thing: Green Pepper liquor, which was about 30% alcohol (the chocolates are about 20%) and it was spicy! It was fun and I drank it all down with watery eyes. They make absinthe and have a really long list of fruit and chocolate drinks I can’t even remember.
Our next stop was the Almacén del Sur for lunch. Our map had it labeled as a Deli but it was anything but that. Fancy locked gate, orchards and gardens and a set menu (5 courses for $100AR). They offered us the special cyclist deal for $35AR (about $12 US) which was a soda, some bread, a pretty rolled pasta and spinach dish, and dessert (flan). A large tourist group of old white people showed up while we were eating and we were promptly forgotten by our waiter, but eventually we got our check and were able to hop back on our bikes. They have a nice concept using seasonal, local produce and giving you a “tour” of the food, except they do not treat all their guests the same. We were told we couldn’t have a tour because the large group arrived and no one could tend to us. Oh, well, there’s more wine to taste!
Next stop: Viña al Cerno. We showed up and planned to do a tour and a tasting but our guide didn’t show up for the tour and the other couple that was waiting with us left. We were tired of waiting as well so we went and just paid for the tasting. We tried their 2002 (Matt’s favorite) and 2005 Malbec, a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Tempranillo (my favorite). Our tour guide found us in the bar eventually and asked about the tour and we explained we didn’t want to wait all day to take a walk…he didn’t seem to get it. Impatience and expected efficiency is definitely a Western standard and we are still in South America. But no worries, we had fun tasting the wine (and they were large pours).
Next stop: Familia di Tomasso. I’d like to believe that these people are related to FE’s family. A family run operation, all small batch, small vineyards. They put a lot of love and time and care into their winery and it shows. The granddaughter gave us the tour and her English was great. The winery was cool, too. The big vats were made of brick (brought over from France) and the building itself was really old (1800′s). We had 4 tastes (Malbec 2002, 2004, Cab. Sauv 2004, Dessert Wine). I liked the older Malbec the best. The dessert wine was really caramelly and sweet, but not bad. It’s won a bunch of awards and the place felt really homey. It was nice to visit a family place after seeing the commercialized Concha y Toro in Chile.
By now, perhaps you have noticed we were late for returning the bikes. We hoped they would be understanding and let us pay for a full day when we finally returned. We were having too much fun…and with all the waiting time visiting one winery could be over an hour, easy. We finished up at Laur, an olive oil farm/factory/? We joined up with a tour group and had a quick tour of the orchards, the press room and some samples. It didn’t taste like the thick, strong olive oil I remember in Spain, but it’s nice to see some olive oil around (it was hard to come by in Peru). After that tour, we hopped on our bikes and hustled it back to the bike rental place before they closed (we just made it). Parts of the ride were really pretty and scenic and we both had sore butts from the crappy bike seats at the end of the day, but veins full of local, yummy wine.