The Argentinian wine regions

MENDOZA

And so we left a grey day in Santiago and travelled “swiftly and with style” (on a bus) over the Andes to Mendoza. What a vista! The 8-hour journey flew past with virtually never a dull moment. Fabulous scenery, majestic mountains, vertiginal drops and hairpin bends. Even snowfall as we passed through immigration.

Arriving on time into a sunny, warm, Mendoza gave us an opportunity to do some initial exploring and check out the ice-creams.

Our impression of Mendoza city was of an open and leafy city, with wide tree-lined streets, clean, mainly intact pavements, and very few tall buildings. An earthquake in the 1860s largely flattened the city and pretty much halved the population, so it’s kind of understandable that low-rise buildings are popular, and as there is plenty of space on the surrounding plains for the city to expand into there is little need to build high often. It’s a popular tourist destination but with only a few tourist attractions in the city itself as most of it’s attraction are the vineyards that surround it, but we thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the streets and exploring the central Plaza Independencia and 4 smaller surrounding plazas (Italia, Espana, San Martin and Chile); exploring the huge park (Parque General San Martin) with imposing gates, lots of green and a long lake; visiting the (very tiny) museum of natural history and archeology – where we learned how the Andes were formed, and finally back in the city centre, the Catedral of San Francisco – somewhat understated as cathedrals go. It could be that it was rebuilt after the earthquake so wasn’t overly ornate or gilded, but we’ve also noticed that despite many being quite devout, the Argentinians do not over-emphasise their religion and it is actually sometimes quite difficult to spot some of their churches and cathedrals.

After two days in Mendoza we moved from the centre to Posada Cavieres, a small vineyard out of the city (in the Maipu area of Mendoza), which had guest accommodation. The intention was to try a few local wines and to perhaps learn a little about the local grape varieties in the process. We were reassured by the Posada’s owner that there were several vineyards (bodegas) – 10 of them in fact – within 4.5km walking distance from the Posada, which did tastings. So, we spent a happy couple of days walking along the long, straight, tree-lined, very quiet country roads, and in the end visited three very different bodegas. The first being quite rustic, the second very contemporary and a part of three vineyards in the Mendoza region, and the third seeming to be a more maturely established vineyard and winery. All three were very welcoming and we were able to try a small selection of wines from their ranges. The main grape, of course, is Malbec but many vineyards also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, and our final vineyard, Atilia Avena, also grew Petit Verdot, and unusually, used it in a single variety wine in addition to using it in blends. All of the vineyards “import” other grape varieties, such as Merlot, to enhance their blends, but in the main they focus on locally-grown Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. We could stay here much longer, but perhaps that might be “too much of a good thing”?

CORDOBA

To be fair, we haven’t been into Cordoba yet, that will be tomorrow (on Monday). We hired a car in Mendoza to drive over to this region, after much research into transport options – this was definitely the easiest and it gives us a great opportunity to explore some fabulous scenery.

Our journey at first took us along a very, very, very flat plain. If you think the UK has some fairly flat areas, this made those seem positively undulating. The road was straight too, very few bends and also very little traffic, just an occasionally police check point to add a little frison of excitement to the first couple of hours to our journey (we were waved through most of them, but on one occasion they asked to check the boot – we have no idea what they were actually looking for though as they took a cursory glance and waved us on). As we neared Cordoba province however, the scenery definitely became more interesting and once again, we began to experience bends and hills. Our first night was Potrero de los Funes – not on the Western tourist radar, but definitely on the Argentinian tourist list – a pretty little town on the edge of a lake in in the foothills of the Sierras de Cordoba.

We felt very lucky with our choice of accommodation that night, as it’s garden and view of the mountains were beautiful and we were lucky enough to encounter a little local birdlife in the garden too.

We headed off early towards our next destination, La Cumbrecita, which was several hours drive away. This long journey though had scenery all the way, passing through many different vistas, with several stops to take in the views.

And so we arrived in Bavaria..!!?? Not exactly, but…. La Cumbrecita is a small village about 2 hours from Cordoba, and is an Argentinian tourist hotspot. At an elevation of around 1450m, it was founded in 1934 by a German engineer, Helmut Cabjolsky, working in Argentina, who wanted to create an Alpine ‘retreat’ for himself. Attracting Swiss, German and Austrian immigrants during the late 1930s and particularly during and after World War II, most of it’s buildings are in a European Alpine style and due to it’s elevation and fresh mountain air, feels a little like a ski resort. It is also very pedestrian friendly, the only cars allowed in being those of residents and overnight guests and the roads being unpaved (which made for an interestingly intense drive up narrow, twisty paths to our hotel!). All other visitors must park in a car park at the end of the village and walk. It is surprisingly quiet, but does have the rather bizarre effect that you feel you are staying in a theme park.

It is indeed in a very beautiful area, with some fabulous walks around in the hills around the village. We spent a great Sunday hiking over rocky terrain with stunning views, and also a rather challenging shorter walk to a local waterfall – not a rival to Iquazu, but very lovely nonetheless.

Cordoba proper!

After the leg to La Cumbricita the bit to Cordoba was straightforward, picturesque at the start, but then down onto the pampas and through the outskirts into Argentina’s second city was less alluring. In the city by lunchtime, we parked up, checked-in and went exploring, mainly just getting a feel for the city centre area and some of its notable places, such as Plaza San Martin, the Cathederal, and the river. It’s fair to say that the riverside is not quite Paris or London, and we suspect much more impressive after the summer rains.

Next day we set about understanding much more of the place, and did two walking tours; one of the historic centre, and one of the new university area, which includes where most of the museums are located. Both were fascinating in their own way. The historic centre took us around many places, including the Cathederal (obv), the old seat of government, and the Museum of Memories; Argentina, like Chile in the same era, had many people who voiced opposition and disappeared, never to be seen again. On a cheerier note, some of the buildings, inside and out, were amazing – the biggest surprise being the original Bank of Cordoba – almost as Baroque as the Catherderal, but to a different deity.

The late afternoon tour started in the museums district – Cordoba has many museums, most of which seem to have once been the dwellings of the seriously rich of the City. Over time, however, through inheritance and taxes, many found their way into the hands of the City, and in most cases were converted into museums – several of different genres of art. The area itself was great – wide streets, many trees, and a lively buzz that comes from a university quarter full of cafes, bars, and quirky shops. It also included the Capuchin Cathederal (sorry, another one…!) which really was something else! Between them, these two guided hikes gave us a really good insight into the city, and we enjoyed our time there.

Because the journey back to Mendoza is about a 10+hr drive we opted to split it and stop midway, before returning the car and flying off to the next leg. So we picked the alternative route back, with a diversion to see the lake and dam at San Roque, and a pretty randomly chosen overnight stay in Lujan. Lujan, by chance, also has a lake and a dam about a mile away – a much enjoyed walk and some more great views.

All in all a lovely few days exploring a bit more of the northern aspects of Argentina. Half way through our travels and now time to explore the south areas of both Argentina and Chile.