saltwatersteve.com/travel

Hola de la Tierra del Vino, Mendoza, Argentina! We love it here - very chill and tons of cheap but very nice wines abound.

This morning we rode a bus to the south end of town from where we rented bikes to explore the wine country. At the risk of sounding cliché, I will tell you about the tree-lined country roads that remind me of France. The primary grapes they use here are Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Also, a bonus for us is that this time of year (fall in South America) is harvest time, so it was very special to be able to see the trucks full of ripe grapes headed to the wineries. I got to taste a Malbec grape - much sweeter than I had imagined (someone had told me that wine grapes don’t taste very good), and although I am not a trained oneophile, I could detect some of the flavors that shape Malbec wine’s final character.

It was interesting to note the different philosophies of the different wineries. The first one was a mom-and-pop small batch place and they make their wine in cement vats. They let us try their 2000 Malbec and their 2000 Cab. Both were superb (in our unprofessional opinions).

The second one was a yuppified place with a lot of architectural appeal to their bodega, specifically in their tasting room. Instead of concrete vats, they use stainless steel. They only gave tours by appointment only and their tasting was more expensive. Meghan liked their reserve (a blend) more than the two from the first winery, I disagreed.

Third, we went to see an olive oil plantation and factory. Apparently they use different olives for oil versus direct consumption. My family - I hope you are proud - I tried a green olive, and it was very nice! (I don’t generally care for olives of any kind). Also they provided free tastings of the two types of oil they make, with bread and sun-dried tomatoes - yum!

Also, Dad, this bit of trivia is for you. You had told me at some time that the classification (Extra Virgen vs. other types) of olive oil was primarily dependent upon what pressing (i.e. first, second, etc.) of the olives was involved. Apparently it is more complicated than that, and it depends where you buy your olive oil (according to wikipedia in the U.S. any olive oil can be labeled “Extra Virgin”). Click the following link for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_virgin_olive_oil

At our fourth and final stop we went to a bodega owned an operated by a Frenchman and his wife. This is where we tasted the Malbec grape. They import French Oak barrels for their aging process (I wonder why). They provided (for a 25 pesos) a huge spread of ham, various cheeses, and bread to accompany our tasting. We bought a bottle there. The owner, Filipe, did our tasting, rinsing our glasses between grape varieties.

So now we’re lugging around a nice bottle of wine and wondering where and when to drink it. Decisions, decisions.