Mendoza

Ah Argentina. We´ve been waiting for you. We´ve heard you have succulent beef and delicious wine. After hockey pucks and vinegar in the northern countries, we swore off the good stuff until we arrived in your land of steak and Malbec.  Sure we cheated a bit in Chile, the wine was quite tasty and cheap, but we saved our splurging for you. Thank you for not dissapointing us.
As the New Year and Laura´s birthday approached, we took our final trip across the Andes (we will miss the amazing scenery but not the stomach-turning switchbacks) and arrived in Mendoza, the heart of Argentine wine country. Our first taste of Argentina´s finest would be by bike. Although it took a bit of convincing Laura, who hasn´t been on a bike for over a decade, this was a great way to see, and taste, what Mendoza had to offer. Accompanied by a Canadian, an Aussie, and a Swiss, we were a happy, and buzzed, group of gringos riding through town and country. While not all were good (I´m talking to you Weinhardt who didn´t even give us a taste of Malbec), some were outstanding (cute little organic Pulmary that opened up a reserve bottle for Laura´s birthday). The ride ended on a high note with a trip to a home-made chocolate and liqueur shop. Run by the sweetest old lady with a nasty sense of humor, for a couple bucks we got an amazing array of olive spreads, jams, chocolate, and two healthy pours of any liquor. The chocolate hazelnut liqueur was so good we had to buy a bottle (which went perfectly with some vanilla ice cream). But the real star was home-distilled absinthe, served up with the requisite fire and sugar. Warned to drink it slowly, although in Spanish, Laura and the Canadian took it as a shot, which got wide eyes from the old lady and prompted her to usher us out into the garden, where she served us delicious macaroons in celebration of Laura´s birthday. We returned to the hostel where we layed by the pool and hungrily awaited the asada, or BBQ, that night.  At about 10pm (early dinner by Argentine standards), the whole hostel sat down and indulged in a buffet of grilled beef and wine. Covered in delicious meat juice and a bit drunk, it was the perfect way for us to celebrate Laura´s birthday.
Feeling a bit fragile from the previous night´s festivities, we slept in, layed by the pool, ate a delicious charcuterie plate, and readied ourselves for New Year´s Eve. Since most restaurants were closed, we decided to cook up a feast, rib-eye steak (so cheap!), garlic mashed potatoes, and tomato-zucchini salad, with the requisite bottle of champagne of course. Needless to say, it was a great way to ring in the new year.
Our final splurge in Mendoza would be a high-class tour and tasting of some of the best wineries in Mendoza. Outside our budget, but rationalized by Laura´s birthday, we indulged in some of the finest wines Argentina has to offer. But the real draw was the five-course lunch and wine pairing. Gourmet food and delicious wine? Yes, please. We felt like kings and queens. But after months of living out of packs and eating mostly chicken and rice, it was a splurge well worth it.
So thank you again, Mendoza, for making our first taste of Argentina so delicious.

Ciao Chile, Hola Argentina!

One of the largest casks in the world. That´s a lot of wine!

How are them grapes?

Proof that Laura rode a bike.

Chorizo, wine, and new friends.

Absinthe. Drink slowly!

Birthday macaroons.

Happy New Year from Argentina!

One of the largest smelling rooms in existence.
They had over  60 different scents that characterize wine.

Post gourmet lunch and wine pairing.
See all those glasses? That´s a lot of damage.

Anybody want to go in on a vineyard and move here?