Wine Tasting in Mendoza

While Mendoza has many things to offer, from its dramatic mountains to its winding river with rafting opportunities, its incredible gastronomic scene (which mom and I delved into very hungrily), and beautiful green city in the midst of a desert landscape, there is still one drawcard that trumps all others: Wine.

Ask anyone who knows me, I love my wine. Studying in the heart of South Africa’s wine route, plus working on a wine farm, has just entrenched this love. And Argentina feeds it. Wine is ridiculously cheap in this country, and you can get a nice bottle for next to nothing. So when we put Mendoza on the itinerary, wine tasting was a priority.

The day after our Andes adventure, we took an easy morning strolling around the main park of the city before being picked up for our wine tour. This classic wine tour took us to Maipu, one of the main wine regions in the area, and the closest one to the city. As we drove out to the first winery, I was very glad we had gone for the tour option for day one, since our lovely guide filled us in on the history and characteristics of Mendoza’s main varietal – Malbec. I’ve certainly consumed enough of it since I’ve been here, but it was great to learn a bit more about it. For example, the reason it thrives here and not so much elsewhere is because of the unique conditions: Mendoza’s varying temperatures – it gets very hot in the day and then cools down dramatically at night – the high altitude, and the right soil conditions (I would attempt to explain this further but I am no viticulturist).

I digress. The first stop was to a large winery, Lopez. Big, commercial, and very popular with tour buses, my mom and I lucked out big time by being the only English speakers, thus getting a private tour of the cellars, separate to the hoards of other tourists. It was quite special wandering around just the two of us and our winery guide, with her showing us the various areas. I was quite astounded at the scale of things on the farm. I have never seen so many tanks of wine in one place, stretching from floor to high ceiling in a huge underground cellar. And let’s not forget about the bottling, labeling and packing production line, which moves thousands of bottles per day. A far cry from the smaller wine cellars where I learnt about how wine was made. The tour around the cellars was topped off by a private tasting, where we picked up a delicious crisp bottle of white wine for our trip to Iguazu Falls.

Continuing on, the tour took us to an olive farm, another big crop in this area. Again, we got a private tour in English. I had no real knowledge before about the process of making olive oil, and the differences between normal and virgin and cold-pressed etc. After a comprehensive tasting (they had everything from unfiltered to flavoured olive oils and tapenades), I walked away with a bottle of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, which I’m quickly running out of as I use it very liberally on my salads (can you tell I’m trying to eat healthy after this trip?). Stomachs lined a bit, we went to the final farm, which was exactly the opposite of the first one.

Bodegas Cavas de Don Arturo is a small, family-run estate, in the category of a boutique winery. They only produce red wine, and their wine is only available at the farm itself and for a small overseas market where they import. The contrast between the first farm and this one was vast. On another private tour of the estate, given to us by the owner’s wife, accompanied by her daughter, we were taken through the much smaller cellar with its more traditional methods and old-school processes.  The family has quite an interesting story. When they were looking at the farm, which used to operate as a wine farm but had been untouched for years, and they pushed open the barn doors they found these huge wine barrels, imported from Europe. They are no longer usable, since the wood when left dry cracks, but they decided to keep them as an ode to the farm’s history, and so they stand, representing long traditions of wine making and adding to the farm’s authentic feel. Instead, the wine is now aged in the typical smaller barrels in a dark and dusty (and magically rustic) underground cellar. She told us more about their more traditional methods of making wine (in comparison to the huge modern operation at Lopez) before giving us a great personalised tasting. It was topped off by the main man himself, her father-in-law giving us a sneaky tasting of one of the more expensive and exclusive malbecs. Finishing before the rest of the group, mom and I stood outside on the estate in the late afternoon sunshine, looking out over the mountains and vineyards, listening to the sound of the parrots (a common feature in Mendoza, and in Buenos Aires as well), soaking up the bodega’s atmosphere. All in all, a great introduction to wine in this area.

Not satisfied with just one day of wine tasting, the next day we set off again, this time to do the most quintessential wine tour: a bike tour of the vineyards. We hopped on a local bus to the centre of Maipu, and it dawned on us that this was going to be a very warm day, and I was starting to regret wearing jeans. Undeterred, We hopped off in front of Mr Hugo Bikes (the famous Mr Hugo, this is probably the most popular bike rental place around, even though there is no shortage of bike hires around here). After chatting to one of the ladies working there, with her explaining which wineries we could visit on the map and how long it would take to get there, the friendly Mr Hugo himself matched us to bikes and took the time to adjust everything until we were comfortable. Then we were off!

It was quite an amusing start, since mom hadn’t been cycling in years (probably not since our family cycling holiday in France cerca 2002), and I was a tad rusty myself. It didn’t help that the first part of the cycle was along a busy road (although it had a cycle path, except for one bumpy section later on). Luckily it was only a few kilometers before we turned down a quieter tree-lined lane. We had a plan to visit three places on the map, but along the way, a different farm caught our attention and we stopped (a reminder that the best travel experiences end up being the unplanned ones). Tempus Alba winery was a surprising tuscan style bodega that looked very intriguing. We slotted our bikes into the allocated “bike parking” and ventured inside. The farm has an interesting self-guided tour with sign boards pointing you to the next one, like a treasure hunt with the prize being the tasting room. This very modern looking winery is steeped in family history, founded by, and still owned and run by an Italian family. Reaching the wine tasting room, we were very pleased at our decision to stop here. There was a beautiful terrace looking out over the vineyards and mountains. We decided to share a tasting (they really don’t skimp on the tastings here, and mom was not keen to attempt all that wine and then get on her bike!). Good decision indeed. All the wine was delicious, including some interesting wines that I hadn’t tasted yet. Enjoying the idyllic atmosphere too much, we decided to stay here for lunch as well, which came with another pleasant surprise: a free bottle of wine. I added this to my backpack, to enjoy at a later stage.

Very full, and lethargic after mid-day drinking, we got back on our bikes with difficulty and cycled the 20 or so metres to the boutique wine farm on the other side of the road, Viña el Cerno. Walking inside the tasting room of this much more rustic farm, I immediately heard an accent that sounded way too familiar. Would you believe it, the only other couple in the tasting room was from South Africa! We had a great chat to these two, in the country for a wedding, before they headed off and we attempted tasting number 2. Since mom was going slow, the drinking fell mainly on my head until I decided that anymore wine would be detrimental to my ability to cycle back. I should mention there were only 2 tastings here, but again, very generous servings. The wine here was very different, but good, and I even liked their really unique chardonnay (not my favourite wine in general). We contemplated cycling on to another farm but then decided for our own safety, given we had had a fair amount of wine, and had done a fair amount of exercise in the heat, that we were ready to return. So we headed back to Mr Hugo, with me having to concentrate a bit harder on balancing my bike than on the way to the farms. Luckily Mr Hugo was ready to greet us with some lemonade in the shade before we caught the bus back to the city.

Interestingly, that night as we sat having dinner on the sidewalk of a restaurant, who walked past us? The South African couple again! They had managed to make it to 4 wine farms, admitting that it was quite the challenge to cycle back. It was such a lovely chance encounter. My favourite moments from travel are always the interesting encounters with people, whether they are fellow Capetonians, an American wine marketer living in Mendoza who we shared a glass of champagne with, a hotel manager and an artist with all the insider tips to art galleries in Buenos Aires, the hotel chef (and owner) with his interesting life story and love of food, art and wine, or our taxi driver who whom I had a long conversation in Spanglish on the way to the airport about the problems in Argentina and South Africa and why I love living here.

All in all, Mendoza was a place of indulgence for mom and I. Two days of great wine tasting (officially), many delicious meals including a private dinner at our hotel, cooked by the owner and chef, including a scrumptious bottle of Malbec, perfectly cooked steak and pasta, and the dessert from heaven: pears poached in Malbec. Oh, and there was that meal at a French café, with risotto and red wine, topped by what we thought would be a refreshing dessert of ice cream with a touch of vodka and fruit, but turned out to be very heavy on the vodka, resulted in much giggling on our walk home. Not so good for my waistline, but certainly great for my mind, spirit, tastebuds and belly!

I could definitely have spent more time here, visiting more of the surrounding areas, including the other wine districts, especially Uco Valley, but one must always leave a place wanting more. And besides, Iguazu Falls was waiting for us.

The barrel room in Bodega Lopez

The huge wine tanks in Lopez Winery

The only way to get a sense of scale of these tanks is by standing next to them.

Some of the winery’s grape varietals.

Looking out to the vineyards at Don Arturo

Private tour: shadows in the vineyards

Visiting the church that withstood Mendoza’s worst earthquake.

A beautiful day in Mendoza as we walk to thus bus to Mr Hugo’s.

Parking our bikes at Tempus Alba

Mom at Tempus Alba

Enjoying wine on the terrace at Tempus Alba

Wine farm number 2

Bikes, vineyards and wine.

Viña el Cerno, another boutique winery

Tasting at Viña el Cerno

Mama bear on her bicycle

The faint sight of snow-capped mountains in the background

Adventures in the Andes [In Pictures]

Mendoza: The Land of Mountains and Wine

After enduring a 20-hour bus journey overnight from Bariloche (the least impressive one I’ve taken so far in Bariloche thanks to winding mountain passes and a dirty onboard toilet), mom and I arrived in Mendoza. Unable to find our pick-up service initially in the rather big bus station, we did what we do best together: drank coffee. As the caffeine fix starting kicking in, our driver arrived and took us to our lovely B&B/boutique hotel.

The whole trip here was fraught with good luck and amazing little gems that made the stay that much better. And the hotel was one of those jewels. Booked by an old student of mine (the perks of teaching travel agents), Bohemia Hotel was the perfect choice for mom, as the small hotel, situated on a quiet and leafy street, is an art lover’s paradise, with beautiful and interesting art works decorating the place. Not to mention the friendly staff who pointed us in the direction of many great places.

After taking a much needed shower, we set off to explore the city and find lunch. Mendoza city is testament to remarkable city planning. Despite being in a desert region, every street is lined with trees making for a shady, green city. This is made possible by the canals that run alongside each street, carrying water from the Mendoza River, which then waters the trees, and creates a peaceful background soundtrack as you walk down the streets or sit in any of the central plazas, adorned with water features. This all serves a particular purpose. Because of the region and climate, temperatures soar high in summer, although the city doesn’t have the high humidity you find in Buenos Aires. Since it is a dry heat, the shade created by the thousands upon thousands of trees in the city provide much needed relief from the scorching heat, keeping the Mendocinos cool.

Reaching the central plaza, we were pleased to see a fair of some sorts was on. We headed straight for the fresh fruit juice stand, suffering a bit with the sun and heat after a week of cold in Patagonia. Shortly after, I found wine, and had a quick wine tasting with the owner of a local boutique wine farm. I knew I’d like Mendoza when it took me all of 5 minutes to start wine tasting! We then found a very eclectic and colourful restaurant for lunch, complete with pictures of hitler in a cage, doll legs stuck against the wall and a shrine of sorts to some beacons of peace, including Nelson Mandela and Ghandi. After a satisfying meal, more so after 20 hours of bus food, it was time to make as the locals do, and have a siesta. I’m always surprised when I leave Buenos Aires that the rest of the country does the typical siesta, with everything closing in the afternoon, only to reopen around 5pm. It certainly makes for a laid back atmosphere, and is something I love while I’m on holiday. We emerged, refreshed and ready to eat again (I feel like our travels truly revolved around food, which, frankly, is what made it so wonderful, although not for squeezing into my jeans). A brief meander into the hotel’s garden on our way to a restaurant turned out to be a good plan. The hotel manager and the hotel’s neighbour were sitting in the garden and offered us tea, which eventually turned into champagne. It was a wonderfully interesting conversation, since the manager is also an artist (good for mom) and the neighbour is an American guy working in wine marketing in Mendoza (good for me). It really is these moments in travelling, meeting all sorts of interesting people from around the world that make it so memorable. The people stick with you just as much, if not more, than the landscapes and incredible sights.

Since my memories in Mendoza are so marked by our meals, it is worth mentioning we managed to drag ourselves out of the hotel garden eventually (once the champagne was finished) to go have dinner at a lovely place just two blocks away. A delicious healthy beef and vegetable stir fry and red wine (I swear we’re not alcoholics, but when in Mendoza…) and yet another lovely evening spent in the company of my mom – have I mentioned yet how incredibly lucky I am to have such a good relationship with my mom? Living here in Argentina has certainly made me even more appreciative of my family. Family ties are incredibly important in Latin American culture, something I think a lot of other places could learn from.

First Wine Tasting in Mendoza

The main plaza in Mendoza

Tree lined avenues in Mendoza

Every few blocks you reach another beautiful plaza with statues and trees.

Beautiful architecture, trees, and old tram cables

A few of the many eclectic touches at our first lunch spot

Enjoying a cold Andes beer to cool off

You can order just about every part of a cow in Argentina.

The next day we were up bright and early for our Alta Montaña, or High Mountain, Day Tour. Booked through Argentina4u, (you can read the official review here), this full day tour took us into the Andes mountains to the border with Chile. I am still struggling to put into words the immense and dramatic beauty of this mountain pass (even as someone who has spent her life surrounded by spectacular mountains). It was truly breathtaking. I’ll let my descriptions remain brief and dedicate a post to pictures of it, but I’ll give a quick overview. The tour winds from the city into the pre-Andes (the Andes are divided into three sections, indicating the lower range you encounter first, followed by the central range and peaking on the frontier with the highest mountains). Along the way, we passed by Mendoza’s other big industry: petroleum. It’s quite a contrast between the iconic green vineyards with a backdrop of snow capped mountains, to the decidedly less pretty refineries, even if they’re a distance away from the city and wineries. I always forget about Argentina’s mining industry. In fact, the last time I was in Mendoza province, back in April, I remember learning for the first time how much fracking was taking place here, something quite controversial back in SA at the moment. Anyway, I digress, back to beautiful and natural things…

Our tour took the National Route 7, or Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, the highway to the border with Chile. It follows the Mendoza River, the life source of all Mendoza’s industry and agriculture, and the old Andean train line, which is no longer running, but adds to the drama of the pass with its broken and abandoned tracks following us all the way.

Some highlights along the tour were an old stone bridge built by the Spaniards for their messengers crossing between Argentina and Chile, an old fort, as well as two modern military bases, serving as a reminder of the tension between the two countries (if you look at a map and glance at the size of the respective countries, it makes a lot of sense. Of course, the Andes do form a natural border, so in some ways it makes perfect sense for the line to be drawn there, but in doing so, Argentina gained really important natural resources, including many glaciers, and rich water sources, not to mention much more agricultural land than Chile. The more I learn about the border disputes, the more I understand the seemingly mutual animosity between the countries, amplified by other historical events like the Malvinas war. But that’s a political discussion for another time).

We also went to a ski resort along the way, although no one in our group opted to take the ski lift to the top, since the temperature was dropping sharply. We found out why soon enough, as we got to the lookout point to Aconcagua, the highest peak in the americas, to find it was largely concealed by ominous looking clouds. And sure enough, it started snowing. Something that I found incredibly exciting. I’ve been in snow many times before, but this was the first time I experienced actual snow falling. As we got to our lunch spot on the frontier, I was one of the few people to be prancing about outdoors (along with some Brazilians who also hadn’t been in snow before). Unfortunately due to the weather, we couldn’t do the trip to the giant Christ the Redeemer of the Andes statue, something I had been looking forward to, but the snow made it all worthwhile. We did stop off at the Puente del Inca (Inca bridge) on the way back. This is an incredible feat of nature, as a natural bridge was created by the river and sediment. It’s also an eery sight. There are natural hotsprings here, which naturally led to a hotel being built. But this luxury hotel was decimated by an avalanche, with the only things left standing being the bridge, the tunnels to the springs and the church (perfectly intact, although now rather desolate as the lone structure). The hotel was never rebuilt since it was deemed too dangerous.

The stark beauty of this desert landscape is a little unreal, with its towering mountains which are shaded in everything from multihued facades (a big feature of mountains in central and northern argentina), sandy brown rock faces and dark volcanic like slopes, eventually peaking in white mountain tops surrounded by notoriously unpredictable clouds and snowstorms. The scenery was so different to Bariloche, yet just as beautiful in its own way. There is something about those mountains that has a calming effect on me. It’s no surprise that there are a number of spiritual retreats in these mountains. I may not be very spiritual myself, but I get it when people say there is an energy here.

It’s a sight that no words or descriptions or photographs can truly do justice to. You need to witness it for yourself.

Touring Canyon Atuel

On my second day in San Rafael, Pierre kindly arranged a tour for me through a friend of his. I wanted to see some scenery and had heard about Valle Grande, which is something only accessible if you have a car or if you do a tour. I wasn’t up for forking out the car hire fees, nor have I worked up the courage to drive on the wrong side of the road yet, so I was happy to join a tour. The bonus here is that these tours are aimed more at locals, so everyone on my tour was from Argentina (with the vast majority from Buenos Aires), the price was extremely reasonable, the tour completely in Spanish (very good for my learning) and we were lucky enough to have the sweetest tour guide, Cynthia, who despite not speaking any English was always checking to see that I understood.

Bundling into the minivan early on a freezing morning, we headed towards the mountains (with my heart singing happy songs as the landscape became less flat, blame the fact that I’ve lived in the Western Cape for most of my life). At a pit stop for the bathroom and snacks, a guy pulled up on a motorcycle and at 10:30am orders an ice cold beer and sits outside in the frosty wind drinking his beer. Bizarre.

From there we went to El Nihuil, the artificial lake at the start of the trip down the canyon to Valle Grande. The lake and river are used to generate electricity and also provide a certain amount of irrigation. It’s a beautiful expanse of blue, framed by mountains in the distance. Besides its importance to the region, it is also the site of recreation, with many boats on the lake, as well as fisherman dotting the lake’s wall. On the shores is a popular resort town, where people from the province have their holiday houses, much like Buenos Aires’ residents have their country houses.

El Nihuil

Looking out over the other side of the lake. The river is closed at this time of the year.

A view of the lake from a holiday resort on its shores.

From there, we followed the river (or lack thereof, since it is purposefully closed at this time of the year), down the canyon. As the road turned to gravel and the landscape changed dramatically, I was ever so grateful I hadn’t hired a car, as going down the pass was reminiscent of the rougher gravel passes around the Karoo and Cederberg areas back home.

Entering the Canyon

The gravel road winding down into the canyon

Danger!

There are many smaller lakes along the canyon where the river is allowed to dam up, and hydroelectric power stations operate on each one.

The most amazing colours and rock formations dot the landscape.

Going up another pass, shortly before Valle Grande

The autumn colours against the pink rock are so much more striking than I could capture.

The area is famous for its striking rock formations, with the tour guides pointing out all manor of shapes, such as the owl, the elephants, the praying monks and the humping turtles. Even more impressive though is the colour palette. The rocks form rainbows of pink, yellow, white and even some blue.

Reaching the top of another pass, we finally caught sight of Valle Grande. This large valley consists of a sprawling turquoise blue lake, on which many water sports take place. Passing past the dam wall, where the river usually continues, although not this late in the year, there are plenty of opportunities to do white water rafting, canoeing, or more sedate zip-lining and horse riding. Given the weather, and time of the year, we didn’t (and couldn’t) do any of these sports, so settled for a lazy lunch and a stroll around the area.

Valle Grande

One of the pretty ponies used for horse trails.

On the other side of the lake, a cool car standing in front of a curio stand.

Valle Grande

After our late lunch, we passed through the end of the canyon, a place that I imagine to be amazing in summer, given the number of hotels, cabins, camping spots and boat hire places along the riverbed. What I found especially great was the number of asado spots, so similar to public braai areas back home.

Our last stop was a bodega near San Rafael, where we were given a tour by the owner, explaining the wine making process (something I could understand in Spanish only because of my knowledge of the process in English), and the production process of fruit on the farm. It was a charming place, complete the world’s largest pigs and their tiny suckling piglets, the biggest vegetables I have seen possibly ever, and even a rather surprised looking llama.

Pig legs hanging in the garage.

Piglets!

A peaceful evening scene on the bodega

The vineyards of the bodega

All in all it was a great day. The area is just so majestic and breathtaking, it is definitely a trip I would recommend doing. I think the contrast between this and the town itself adds to this, it’s kind of like going from Stellenbosch into the Karoo. Plus, I managed to impress myself with how much I was able to understand in Spanish. Success overal!

South Africans in San Rafael

After a fairly stressful short week, which included moving apartments, voting in the South African elections (an easy affair in Argentina, given there are a whole 18 South Africans registered to vote here), and a great deal of month end invoicing admin, I was all too happy to escape to the small town* of San Rafael, Mendoza.

*It’s not actually small. It can legitimately be called a small city, but it’s so flat and spread out, it’s easy to miss the size of the place. Until you spend time walking around it, that is!

The weekend got off to a slightly rocky start, with me nearly missing my bus (another story for another blog post), and Dan, who was coming from Santiago to meet us in Mendoza, falling ill, having to cancel his trip. The weekend was a South African reunion of sorts, with San Rafael, where Pierre lives, a middle point for me from Buenos Aires and Dan from Chile. As bleak as I to be missing out on catching up with a great friend, an amazing weekend was still on the cards.

After taking a nap to recover from the 14 hour bus journey, we headed out on bicycles to a picnic on a farm out of town. I had a wobbly start when I nearly found myself run over by a motorbike, given that I didn’t brake in time, nor was I paying enough attention to the traffic around me! As we got out of town, and I gained some stability on the road racing bike, my tire went flat. At this point I was convinced that this weekend was somehow cursed with bad luck! As Pierre went back for a bicycle pump, I sat by the side of the road, looking out over the late afternoon sun setting over a vineyard, tinging the tree-lined avenue with an autumnal glow of orange and yellow, I realised that there are far worse places in the world to be stuck on the side of the road, enjoying the sunset. And sometimes that attitude shift is all that is needed to turn a weekend around.

From that point on, San Rafael spoiled me. We cycled out to a beautiful picnic on a farm, where colourful bunting hung between the trees, people were slacklining and doing hoop acrobatics, people sat around sharing mate, and various bands and artists took to the mic, and there was a fire dancer. This was followed by good pizza and wine in town, and a fair amount of Spanish practice!

The next day I was up early to do a tour of Valle Grande, which also needs a post of its own to do it justice. A long day of sightseeing was nicely rounded off with a musical education from a local while we waited for my friend, and an evening of wine smuggling, a repeat visit to the great restaurant/bar from the night before for more malbec and beer, and the night (morning) ended in an Irish pub (because it seems like every town on Earth has some form of an Irish pub).

My inability to sleep soundly after more than three glasses of alcohol, meant that I was up bright and early the next morning, which was great because we had a morning plan to go out to the lake outside of town, part of the Diamante River. A stunning morning at last, on the first day in San Rafael that didn’t have me shivering in my boots (although the only day I remembered that I had in fact packed in my K-Way fleece jacket), we had a quiet stroll along the lake, lucky enough to spot two grazing horses to form a stunning backdrop to the picture. From there we wondered into the historical San Rafael, now called Villa 25 de Mayo. At the old fort, two little boys asked us if they could recite us some poetry, so we were treated to an impromptu poetry reading from these two adorable – and entrepreneurial – kids. Strolling down the quiet country lanes, we were greeted to the wonderful and weird quirks of a small town, from a horse wondering around town to a house with a grave stone leaned up against it (perhaps the owner was preparing his own tombstone), rusty broken down cars, an austere but beautiful old Catholic Church and just generally the sleepiest Saturday morning vibes.

Catching the bus from there, we went to a bodega, the real reason behind my visit to Mendoza province! I jest, but really I do love my wine. We arrived just in time for a tour of the wine cellars at Suter. This winery is more than 100 years old. From the outside it looks fairly modern, but the cellars are underground, winding down beautiful bricked dark passageways to a picturesque cellar area, where the barrels and bottles are stored. There they have a ceremonial room where the new vintages are tasted, surrounded by enclaves packed with very old and dusty vintages which they bring out on important occasions for a ceremonial purpose (no one wants to drink a wine that dates back to 1924, but it is amazing to be able to whip out such an antique bottle). This really appealed to me, especially after working at Muratie wine farm in Stellenbosch that also prides itself on its history, and whose tasting room is decorated with old vintages. Adding to the atmosphere is the room’s acoustics. Built in a circle, if you stand in the middle of the room (see pictures in this post), and speak, it is the weirdest sensation, it’s like talking into a microphone. When you stand against the walls, and someone on the opposite side of the room talks, it sounds like it’s being broadcast from a speaker behind you, which is fairly disconcerting. After the tour and tasting some champagne, I caught sight of the price of the wine, which was ridiculously cheap, from 16 pesos for a bottle of red wine (equivalent to R16 using the blue dollar rate). If I didn’t have a bus trip back to the city, I would probably have come away from there with a few cases. I constrained myself to two bottles, and left the bodega very happy indeed.

After a busy morning, I took a stroll in the afternoon into the town centre. It was dead quiet, seeing as everywhere outside of Buenos Aires city is a fan of the afternoon siesta, so that town effectively shuts down from around 1 until 5pm. Nevertheless, I had a leisurely meander around the tree-lined avenues and cobble-stone centre, with its beautiful big plaza/park.

The weekend finished on the perfect note, with nutella and cappuccino ice cream (helado – ice cream – here is definitely my weakness. Well one of many food-related weaknesses. Oh well, it’s a good thing I do so much walking to counterbalance the eating). After bidding farewell, and being dropped off at the bus terminal, I was back on the bus to the city, and back to my new home.

Autumn in San Rafael, Mendoza

Because my words will never do the amazing colours of autumn justice (athough I fear my pictures also fall short of the reality), here is a snapshot of my weekend away.

San Rafael’s town logo (I think). Reminded me a little of Stellenbosch’s.

A late afternoon walk down a leafy avenue.

The sunset whilst cycling to a picnic on a farm outside of town.

This is very zoomed in, but those are the snow-capped Andes underneath the clouds.

Reflections in the lake on a perfect autumn day.

Suter winery, these wines date back to 1974, although they have bottles from the 20’s as well.

Can you tell I’m happy to be around so much wine?

Finding 2CVs for my dad (holding my loot from the winery).

A statue in the town centre. An offering to the wine gods?

Rusty old truck.

A horse in a small town, set against autumn tinged trees.