Mendoza, Argentina

I arrived in Mendoza mid February after spending a month in the States during the Christmas Holidays and another in Buenos Aires to check on new friends and print my art work at large scale to assess and alter for final production. I have always intended to present my ideas in a printed format and at a size that reveals the detailed nature of images collected throughout my travels. So, a periodic review has become a mandatory component of the process. Fortunately, I found an affordable apartment in the historic district of San Telmo with close proximity to an inexpensive printing house, Aurelie, and the good people I had the pleasure of meeting during my stay in August and September of 2023.

 

Mendoza is the wine capital of Argentina and sits about a thousand feet above sea level at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the western edge of the country. The territory of this valley is divided into five sub-regions representing a variety of soils, elevations and micro climates that are ideally suited for growing the type of grapes required to produce high quality wine. I chose to stay about twenty minutes south of Mendoza City in the appellation of Luján de Cuyo where you'll find the highest concentration of Argentina's most famous grape, Malbec.

 

Like California's wine regions, Mendoza offers plenty of wineries to visit but they typically include a tour and food pairing lunch to complete their presentations. Unfortunately, these packages are not cheap and require reservations so random tastings are not possible. Ironically, these expensive visits are in direct contrast with the incredible value and accessibility of the wine you can find in Argentina. As a long time enophile, I must confess - collectively, the quality, value and expressive nature of these wines is at the next level.

 

Given my tight budget, I limited visits to once a week with a concentrated focus on the surrounding region at wineries specializing in the natural process of production (meaning, minimal intervention) and from grapes grown organically. These wineries include La Garde (Mendoza's oldest), Durigutti, Riccitell and Krontiras. My list was created by the owners of a wine bar in Buenos Aires who had years of experience vetting hundreds of wines and wineries to visit. Fortunately, their recommendations were spot and I couldn't thank them enough, Just exceptional. If you ever visit Buenos Aires and find yourself in San Telmo, make a point of visiting 'Nilson' for a glass or two. And give my best to Sergio and Samantha.

 

One final note on my stay in Mendoza. Late February, early March is considered the tail end of the summer leaning fall, however, temperatures were continually hovering above the 90 degree mark. This is not normal nor pleasant, especially for this traveler who makes a point of staying in high elevation cities to escape the extremes of heat and cold. And it wasn't just Mendoza. My month in Buenos Aires was equally discomforting with continual record heat during the day and throughout the evening. In fact, during the first week in February, I can recall a day that was 100 degrees in Buenos Aires and 50 degrees in Minneapolis, Minnesota (with no snow on the ground).

 

Normal? Sure!

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