7/27/2019 Bikin and Quaffin Wine Tasting in Mendoza Erinwalton

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Erin Walton

Bikin and Quaffin: Wine Tasting in MendozaIf, like me, Bacchus is your preferred Roman God then youll know that being presentedwith many a glass of red wine ready for sampling is about as good as a lazy afternoon canget. Here in South America, Mendoza is Argentinas most famous wine district, and is aplace where those sorts of afternoons come oh so colourfully true.On Calle Arstides Villanueva in the city centre, friends and I visited a wine boutique andfound ourselves joining in an evening cata de vinos, a blind wine tasting, attended byindustry professionals. Along with the other non-professionals present, we sipped differentversions of Mendozas Malbec variety and rated away, eating bucketloads of free cheeseand enjoying the snippets of conversation we caught among the sommeliers andeonologists. When the time came to reveal the groups favourites, we were as happy askids with huge striped lollipops to see that our top choices were the same as theprofessionals. Perhaps a new career is beckoning?Later, it was time to visit Mendozas much raved about Ruta del Vino, or wine route,located in Maip not far from the city. There against the backdrop of the Andes, fields ofgrapevines stretch out like intertwined fingers and bodegaslie within a few shortkilometres of each other; too far to walk comfortably, but not really far enough to warranthiring a car (umm, especially not after so much energetic wine sampling!). Happily, fromthis delightful little distance conundrum the idea of recreational bike riding and winedrinking was born.For many, this combination heralds nothing but excitement. But to me, it brought visionsthat my incredible ineptitude atop two wheels was about to cause me serious physicaldamage out there on those Argentinian roads.With other travelers met en route, I visited four vineyards and one small olive oil producer.So much goodness was tried and tested. We were given absinthe at 11am (spoiler alert: itdefinitely wasnt real), learned how to swish and swirl our glasses and appreciate colourand depth. But the part I liked best was when the guide at our final (and most swanky)vineyard freely told us that quaffy banter about what you can taste in your glass is, in fact,entirely personal and most likely related to memory. So you cant taste the wrong thing.Eucalyptus leaves? Pepper? Nectarines? Brandy snaps? If you tasted it, its thereforyou.Thankfully, I remained able to tell my bicycles front from its back at all times, and was notreduced to South American road kill. It seems that the cycling gods were smiling uponmewhich I do thank them for as we must remember that all this biking took placebetween copious glugs of good red wine.For those who enjoy the red nectar of the gods and a bit of cycling action, Mendozas Rutadel Vinois a great option for your Argentinian getaway. For travelers who are not taken torealms of joy by a bicycle a wander through the city centre will do the trick. Watch out forevening wine tastings in the local boutiques or order a glass or two to savour on a terrace,accompanied by the slightly bouncing accents of the mendocinolocals. Just exquisite.

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