Mendoza is located in a beautiful region situated at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The scenery and the views are breathtaking, however Mendoza is probably most known for it’s wines.  Today, Argentina is the fifth largest wine producing country in the world with the majority of Argentine wine coming from Mendoza.  An interesting fact about Mendoza is that this region typically receives less than 10″ of rainfall annually.  Just for comparison, a desert climate is defined as a region that receives less than 10″ of rainfall per year; Mendoza, on average, receives approximately 8-9″ annually.  This semi-arid region is able to sustain it’s many vineyards because the early settlers constructed a complex irrigation system allowing for vegetation of the lands.  The grape variety that appreciates Mendoza’s climate and the hard work of it’s early settlers the most is one that originated in the south west of France, the Malbec.  There is a lot to write about the history and culture of Mendoza, but I’ll get on to writing about our trip!

After daydreaming about visiting Mendoza for months, Jamie and I finally decided to go ahead and visit already!  Our trip was in early July, which is the middle of winter in Argentina.  We were on a budget (as usual!), so we decided to make it a short trip and take the overnight bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza instead of flying.  The bus ride was about 13.5 hours, but it cost less than half the price of a plane ticket.  Granted, the flight would have been much quicker, but the bus ride was pleasant and the scenery along the way was enjoyable.  For anybody planning a trip, we definitely recommend the bus company we went with, Andesmar.  Jamie and I headed to the Retiro bus station in Buenos Aires after a very hectic Thursday, worried that we were going to miss the bus.  But our timing was perfect (for once!) and we boarded the bus with no issues.  We had dinner on the bus, watched a movie and fell asleep.  Soon after we woke, we were approaching Mendoza.  We could see the mountains just ahead!

We reached Mendoza around 9:30 on Friday morning.  Javier, a personal driver and tour guide, was there to pick us up at the bus station.  While planning the trip I found several recommendations online for Javier, the owner and operator of Route Wine Mendoza.  After hiring him for the weekend, I would agree with all of the reviews… he’s great!  He was an incredible help in selecting which bodegas (wineries) to visit and made all of the reservations for us.  He speaks English fluently and is super knowledgeable of the area.  If you are traveling to Mendoza to visit the bodegas, I think hiring a driver is the best option.  The cost is comparable to renting a car and this option comes built in with your own tour guide!  Do a little bit of legwork though, sometimes the drivers/tour guides that work directly with the hotels are more expensive.  I saved quite a few pesos by contacting Javier directly.  If you are interested in contacting him as well, his contact information is below under “Resources”.

Directly from the bus station we headed to tour our first bodega of the trip, Bodega Benegas.  Upon arriving at Benegas, we were greeting by Julieta, the tour guide.  We met the vineyard kittens and then began our tour with about 6 other Americans.  (Small world, eh?)

This winery was constructed with adobe and sits upon an underground cave built to store the casks.  Construction was complete in 1901 by Agustín Alvarez, who was the governor of the Province of Mendoza at that time.  This winery is one of the few historical structures that still remain from that time period.  Benegas’ vineyards are located in the region of Maipú and were planted by Tiburcio Benegas as “El Trapiche” vineyard in 1883.  Because of it’s long past, the vineyard boasts 100-year old grapevines which give the wine produced by these grapes a very earthy taste.  Another remnant of this winery’s past is the colossal guestbook, which is right around the same age as the oldest grapevines.  It was interesting to look through the old pages of the guestbook and to see the beautiful handwriting from a hundred years ago.

The owner of Bodega Benegas, Federico J. Benegas Lynch, came from a long line of winemakers.  Benegas was born in the winery in 1951, during which time his father owned it.  He spent his childhood at his father’s side, sampling the wines and working in the vineyard.  Having developed a great love for wine, Benegas joined his father and today carries on the family business.  He recently restored the old, crumbling building that houses the winery to it’s original state with adobe and reinforcing.

The upstairs area of the winery houses a social gathering room, complete with a seating area, a long dining table and a huge parilla to cook steak on.  Benegas’ personal poncho collection, worth an estimated $30,000, decorates the space along with old relics from the early days of the winery.  Downstairs, in the wine cellar, the first area we came to was for storing the barrels of wine.  The wine is stored for varying amounts of time in a variety of different types of barrels depending on which type of wine is desired.  One of the barrel types is made of French oak.  This is the most expensive barrel one can buy, costing about $1,000 euros a piece.  These barrels can be used 2-4 times and then are sold or used to make lower quality wines.  Beyond this area was a long hall that led to rooms lined with bottles of wine.  The wine is stored here until it has reached its desired age and is ready to be labeled and shipped out.

After our tour we got to taste some of the wine, including their Syrah, Finca Libertad, Cabernet Franc and a special treat, their Meritage.  We tasted each one while we were given an overview of the history and process of making them, then tasted each one again.  It was pretty incredible the difference in taste the Syrah had after sitting for ten minutes.  Now when someone says the wine needs to breath, I’ll believe them!  Our favorites were the Syrah and the Cabernet Franc.  The grapes that were used in producing the Syrah came from vines that were 30 years old and the wine was conserved in French oak barrels for 12 months.  The wine had a sweet, fruity taste with undertones of blackberry, cinnamon and subtle oak scents.  The Cabernet Franc was made with grapes from the oldest vines on the property, having more than 100 years to soak up the earth around it.  The wine was conserved in new French oak barrels for 18 months.  It was a beautiful, ruby red and bordeaux color with a complex taste of mature fruits, mint and chocolate with a toasted oak scent.

This was a great bodega to visit and we’d definitely recommend stopping by for a visit if you’re in Mendoza.  The tour guide was very informative, the wines were delicious and the atmosphere was cozy.  We even got to meet Mr. Benegas himself!

After we left Bodega Benegas, we headed to our hotel where we checked in and freshened up after our long night on the bus.  At that point, we were both getting a bit hungry and were ready for our next stop… lunch at Ruca Malen.  Ruca Malen is a boutique winery located at the foothills of the Andes Mountains.  We only went for lunch and did not tour the winery, but it was a beautiful place.  The lunch we had came with five-courses and six wine pairings.  The food was absolutely incredible and the wine pairings were perfect.  I definitely gained an appreciation for the way a properly selected wine can compliment the food and help to bring out its flavors.  We sat in the sunroom just outside of the main building and had the most amazing view of the mountains.  Lunch at Ruca Malen is a must-do if you’re going to be in the area!

After we were beyond full from lunch and a bit dizzy from the pairings, we met up with Javier and headed over to El Lagar Carmelo Patti.  Carmelo Patti, the winemaker, has a unique winery and is so passionate about his craft.  While the winery itself isn’t glamorous like some of the others and the setting doesn’t have that stunning mountain range backdrop, a trip to visit Carmelo Patti is one-of-a-kind and his award-winning wines are not to be missed.  Carmelo Patti is considered a legend  in Mendoza and a master of fine wines.  The son of Italian immigrants, Mr. Patti has spent a lifetime perfecting his wines and follows the more traditional methods of winemaking.  He ages his wine for a year in the tank and then at least another year in the barrel before the wine gets bottled.  Another interesting fact is that he is known only by word of mouth, he doesn’t do any advertising.

The Gran Assemblage, Carmelo Patti’s signature wine, is a remarkable and unique wine.  It is a very complex yet smooth blend of other wines he has produced, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  Each wine in this blend has has been conserved in an unused French oak barrel.  It has a rich, earthy aroma with great texture, a soft berry taste and a strong finish.  This blend is a masterpiece, the product of Carmelo Patti’s dedication and passion for his craft.  He himself explained his wine to us and the process that goes into making his wine.  On top of all of that, he is a very kind person and made us feel like we were part of his family.  Carmelo Patti definitely made this stop in Mendoza our most memorable one!

And this wraps our our first day wine tasting in Mendoza!  The next post is about the hotel we stayed at, Cavas Wine Lodge.  I can’t rave enough about the place and I have a ton of pictures to share… so I’ll just save that for the next post!

View the entire photo gallery here:  Mendoza, Argentina

Resources:

• Bodega Benegas
• Ruca Malen
• Carmelo Patti - No website, but the phone number is (0261) 498-1379
• Cavas Wine Lodge
• Vines of Mendoza - A very useful guide to help you decide what to do, where to stay and where to taste wines in Mendoza.
• History of Mendoza
• Wikipedia:  Mendoza
• Javier Caruso, Route Wine Mendoza - Email: javiercaruso2003@hotmail.com Phone: 0261-155275598 or 0261-156503382

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 2:10 am and is filed under Regional Travels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.