Day 4: Mendoza city
So today I discovered Argentinian low cost airlines are shit. Surprising I know. The plane is delayed an hour, and when it finally arrives, we’re informed the aircon is broken and it’s a fully booked flight. The overhead oxygen mask compartments are stuck down with sticky tape and peeling at the ends. BUT, in more positive news, I still had my hand luggage after the flight!
I arrive in Mendoza and its HOT! Sweltering heat aside, I already feel more comfortable here than Buenos Aires. The pace is far more relaxed and it’s a much more manageable size! I head straight for lunch at Fuente y Fonda, where I break from tradition and order pork with sweet potato mash and mustard sauce. The portion is ridiculously huge so I only manage half. It’s served with bread, salad, and they even through in a choice of dessert. I opt for the queso y dulce (literally translates as cheese and sweet) which is becoming my favourite thing here. It’s basically a slice of cheese with a gelatin like jam on top. It’s so basic, but so delicious! The whole meal, with wine, costs me £10. Bargain!
Having seen most of the city in 30 minutes, I decide to walk out to Cerro de la Gloria, a small hill which is a 4 or 5 kilometre walk. I figure I’ll walk there and taxi back. Boy did I live to regret that decision. It was an afternoon of mistakes, particularly deciding to embark on the trek during the hottest part of the day, and discovering there was practically zero shade on the route. Unsurprisingly, I passed no-one else on my way. But at this point I’m committed, albeit starting to worry about heat stroke.
I was so relieved to arrive at the foot of the hill until it dawned on me that I had to climb the damn thing! Being honest, I was THIS close to calling it a day and heading back to town. But I’d come this far! So I struggle on, the water in my bottle about to melt the plastic.
The reward wasn’t worth the effort. Even if I had been met at the top with a naked Channing Tatum pouring a bucket of ice cold water over my head and handing me a pint, I still wouldn’t have done it. I ask the police officer at the top the easiest way back to town. He responds by asking why I don’t just jump back on the people carrier that carts tourists back and forth from the centre. When I tell him
I walked here he looks at me like I have 3 heads. Yes officer, I know, I’m a knobhead!
After my narrow escape from death, I head home to take a cold shower and relax then enjoy a lovely cocktail at Gingger before heading to Azafrán for dinner. Its definitely more on the fine dining side than the places I’ve eaten at so far. But I like to mix it up wherever I go.
I’m poured a sparkling wine as I sit down and given a pre dinner snack - a goats cheese macaron. It’s both sweet and savoury and absolutely bloody delicious. We’re off to a good start! Next is the beef tartare with egg yolk and qinuoa crumb. Erm, yes please. Followed by goat, black garlic and potato crisps. Really tasty, but super rich and definitely bigger than it needed to be! For main, it’s hake with pesto and beans. This was definitely my favourite course of the evening! But again, the portions size is ridiculous, I’ve never seen a hake so big in my life! Too full for dessert, I enjoy the complimentary Dulce de leche chocolate and coffee before heading home to bed. The whole meal, with wine pairings, cost around £70.
Day 5: Lujan de Cuyo
The next morning, after my daily medialuna and coffee, I jump in a taxi and head 20 minutes south to Chacras de Coria, my base for the next two days. This is proper wine country, and the whole reason for my visit! My Airbnb host, Raul, is super friendly and insists on driving me to the bike rental place. Once there, I’m given a bike and a map and sent on my merry way! Well, the merry part comes later…
The bike paths are sporadic and I found myself cycling on roads most of the time. That’s probably because I went beyond the boundaries of the map I was given to visit the bodega I had booked for lunch. I never like to do things the easy way, as you’ve probably realised by now. But it’s all part of the experience!
My first stop is Bodega Viamonte. The setting is incredible against the backdrop of the Andes mountains. It’s so beautiful it doesn’t looks real, like you’re looking at a postcard. The photos don’t do it justice. My wine flight includes three wines, one white and two reds. I knock them back in quick succession - no fannying around. I’ve got more wineries to visit!
My next stop is a 30 minute cycle in sweltering heat and no shade. Theme of the trip. But at least if I pick up the speed I have the breeze to keep me cool. Plus, think of all the meat and empanadas calories I’m burning!
I arrive at Bodega Renacer and it’s just as beautiful as the first. Only this one has DOGS. I’m in heaven. Here I enjoy a 3 course lunch, beginning with the most incredible burrata salad I’ve ever had in my life. I think it was the macerated strawberries and the orange vinegarette that made it. Next up is, yes you guessed it, steak! I order it medium rare, but I’d say it was more medium. I’m surrounded by four beautiful dogs at this point so I couldn’t care less. Dessert is red velvet biscuit with ice cream. I’ve had four wines here to accompany the food, and the portions are generous. Plus they ask which one you liked most then fill up your glass. Luckily I’m not driving. It’s at this point I should point out, for my mother’s sake, that my bike came equipped with a helmet. Now whether I wore it or not is another thing…
The last bodega on my self guided bike tour is the man, the myth, the legend, Carmelo Patti. His reputation precedes him, and it’s easy to see why. He speaks barely any English, so if you don’t speak Spanish you might struggle to follow his tour. But regardless of language, what’s easy to understand is his passion for what he does and the wine he produces. Which by the way is delicious. Unfortunately I couldn’t buy any to take home, given I’m now travelling with hand luggage. Thanks Iberia.
I head back to my Airbnb for a much needed dip in the pool. When I say pool, I mean hole in the ground with water, which I enter in my mis-matched bra and pants because my bikini is somewhere in Madrid. Nevertheless, it’s super refreshing and I’m only slightly embarrassed when Raul pops over with a pool towel.
Dinner tonight is 25 minutes away at Cavas Wine Lodge, a 5 star hotel and winery. The location is absolutely stunning. If I ever find a man good enough to marry me, I may well do it here!
Exiting my classy Fiat Uber, I’m greeted at the door of the chateau by my waiter who offers me a glass of red and shows me to my table. If there’s ever a time where I wish I had my nice clothes, this is it! The setting is incredible, and I have a table overlooking the vineyards and the mountains. A very romantic meal for one.
I have to say, at no point have I sat down to a meal here and felt hungry. The heat really does something to your appetite, and my stomach is full from the litres of water I’m drinking to stay hydrated! But, I soldier on regardless and do what I do best. Eat!
I settle on two courses. To start, I order the vegetarian dish which is pumpkin wrapped in grilled zucchini with a creamy almond purée. It was unbelievably tasty, and nicely matched with a Sauvignon Blanc. They grow and serve their own wine here and you can’t drink or buy it anywhere else but in the hotel, which is a shame because it’s delicious.
For main, I’d ordered the duck on suggestion of the waiter. I have to say I was disappointed. The duck was tough, I couldn’t cut it with my knife, and it was over salted. That’s what you get when you decide to have a break from beef!
I definitely got my moneys worth in wine though. I did the wine pairing with my courses, but they constantly top up your glass when you finish and don’t charge any extra. Which came in handy when I had to wait 30 minutes for my taxi to arrive.
Day 6: Gauchos and asados!
I’m up bright and early for my 7am pick up. Today is my guacho experience day, one of the things I’ve been looking forward to most.
It’s about a 2 hour drive to the ranch (El Rancho Rosario), but it takes Lucas, my driver, 3.5. We stop to pick up 5 kilos of meat and then spend the next hour driving back and forth along a dirt road looking for the entrance to the ranch. We stop at 4 farmhouses along the way to ask for directions. “Look for the two big rocks” they say. Very helpful, given there’s bloody rocks everywhere! As I’m losing the will to live, we finally find the entrance.
The ranch is by a river in the middle of nowhere with the Andes mountain as a backdrop. I’ve been worse places. There to greet us is Gaucho Eduardo, Elena, who helps with Spanish translation when required, and her partner Gabriel. Thankfully I’m not doing the trip alone and I’m joined by Andy, a retired IT consultant from Kent. His wife and daughter are on a 3 day horse trek in the mountains with Jose, the owner of the ranch, and Andy stayed behind, not being a keen rider.
I arrived in shorts, but due to the sun, the chaffing and the branches, you really need to have your legs covered. With no other options, I end up in Andy’s hiking trousers. He’s over 6 feet, so you can imagine how well they fit me. I had to use the gaucho’s belt to stop them from falling down.
Looking the part, I clamber onto my horse, Bayo, and off we go. It’s apparent right from the start that Bayo doesn’t want to work. Who can blame him, it’s 33 degrees and I’ve eaten a LOT of steak. I find myself playing catch up most of the trek and I’m glad that it’s only a 2 hour ride! It was a great experience, and the scenery is spectacular, but my ass hurts and I’m ready for wine!
We head down to the river where Lucas and Gabriel have been busy setting up our lunch spot and grilling the meats on the BBQ. The one thing I was intent on doing in Argentina was experience an authentic asado, and I couldn’t have asked for a better location or better company. We had different cuts of meats, chorizo sausages and grilled vegetables and it was all as delicious as I’d expected. So delicious that the dog nabbed a whole rack of ribs off the grill when we weren’t looking and bolted across the river. We were stuffed at that point anyway!
At this point I’d have been driven back home, but Argentina are playing the Netherlands in an hour and football is life here. I couldn’t ask Lucas to miss the game to drive me home, and I wanted to see it myself. And what better way to experience the game than in a roadside bar in a small town in Mendoza with Argentinians!
Watching a football match here is nothing like watching a game back home! When we enter the bar the match has started, and it’s absolute silence. I ask why, and I’m told it’s because everyone is very nervous. There’s also hardly anyone drinking alcohol (apart from Andy and I who are chugging beer at the back). If this was an England match, there’d have been countless fights by now and folk would be spewing out in the street.
The place erupts when Argentina score their second goal, and everyone starts to relax, until the Netherlands start to make their come back. The equalising goal in the 10th minute of injury time was brutal to watch! When the penalties start, half the bar is outside smoking watching from window. It’s tense! Thankfully Argentina win on penalties and the place goes nuts! I’m extremely relieved as a 2 hour ride back home with a depressed Lucas wouldn’t have been fun!
As we start our journey back, people are lining the streets waving flags and there’s cars driving around honking their horns. I ask Lucas where they’re going. Nowhere, he says. Just driving in circles celebrating. You’d think they’d have won the final! Never seen passion for football like it in my life! I can only imagine what the semi finals is going to be like on Tuesday.
I get back to my Airbnb much later than expected and rush to my dinner reservation at Clos Chacras, a winery in the town centre. It’s a 3 course meal with wine pairings for less than £20. God bless Argentina.
I order the duo of empanadas to start, which I have to say are some of the best I’ve had so far. I’ve eaten 5 kilos of meat today, so for main I order the ricotta and spinach pasta dumplings with carrot and parmesan. Dessert is a Malbec poached pear with a nut crumble, which I’m counting as one of my 5 a day. Completely exhausted, I head home to bed and pass out.
Mendoza has definitely been the highlight of my trip so far. Lovely scenery, lovely people and amazing food! Next stop, Salta!
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