wineries Archives - Amanda Barnes

When you come to the land of sunshine and wine, there’s no excuse not to emerge yourself in the juice of the gods for the entire length of your stay. Whether you are a novice or a complete oenophile there are plenty of indulgent wine related activities to keep you merry for your entire trip.

Written for 36hrs.in

Friday, 6:00pm

There’s no better way to start your trip than with a welcome glass of wine so make your way to South America’s first dedicated tasting room, The Vines of Mendoza. In the city center, this chic wine bar offers themed flights of wine from around the country and wines by the glass and bottle all expertly poured by their English speaking sommeliers. Ease into your holiday, sample some flavors of Argentine wine and learn along the way. Salud!

9:00pm

‘Closed door’ restaurants are all the rave in Mendoza right now and Mendocinean friends Martin and Martin were one of the original home restaurants starting a decade ago with Los Chocos. Book yourself in on the communal table for an evening of traditional Argentine food paired with wines. As each colorful course is presented, the pairing is explained and the flavor cocktail devoured! Alternatively try Pirca for another closed door option run by renowned chef and sommelier Pablo Ranea or the more bohemian option of Ituzaingo with art lover Gonzalo Cuervo.

Saturday, 9:00am

If you really want to spend a day getting to know your Malbec from your Cabernet then book yourself for an intensive (but fun) wine boot camp with Mendoza Wine Camp. Spend the day visiting four wineries and learn about tasting wine, the process of winemaking and how to make your own blend, as well as a slap up gourmet food and wine pairing lunch in the middle. Explore the Lujan de Cuyo region with your own private guide and driver as well as getting premium tastings from the bottle and barrel in each winery. You can book with www.mendozawinecamp.com or for a more beginner focus try Mendoza Wine Tours or Trout and Wine.

Uruguay is the little country between Argentina and Brazil on the coast. It’s not Paraguay, and they are separate countries. Sounds patronizing, but its surprising how many Uruguayans will tell you anecdotes of how most westerners they meet actually have no idea where this little gem of a country is. And if you look at any bottle of Uruguayan wine, they almost all put a map of South America on the bottle, highlighting where their country is.

If you are travelling in the Southern Cone, don’t miss it out. Yes – it’s organized, it’s clean, people go to bed at a reasonable hour and public transport runs on time, but that doesn’t make it boring. With Christmas and New Year’s celebrations taking the form of huge cider throwing fights, endless fireworks and lots of parties, the year gets off to a good start here, but the best time to visit the capital city of Montevideo has to be Carnival in February and March. The longest Carnival in the world, with 40 days of theatre, music, murgas and candombe – it even gives Rio de Janeiro a run for its money.