Years ago, when I first started to dream about taking time off from work to travel, I thought about planning a wine tasting tour of the world. I essentially wanted to visit all of the major wine regions, both old and new world, augmenting my hobby with some serious real world experience. Then, as my dream became a reality, I found that my travel horizons had broadened and I wanted to see and do a lot more than just taste wine. However, I still had a number of wine regions on my bucket list, and one at the very top was Mendoza, Argentina. Fortunately, Mendoza is a very short flight from Santiago, Chile, and a few days of wine tasting seemed like the perfect complement to my South America itinerary of hiking, nature and wildlife in Patagonia and history and archaeology in Easter Island.

I opted to stay at the Cavas Wine Lodge in the Lujan del Cuyo region of Mendoza. Located about 40 minutes away from the Mendoza airport, the Cavas villas are nestled in a setting of vineyards overlooking the Andes Mountains. The high end property also offers a bevy of activities and rooms that are totally pimped out, for lack of a better term.

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Day 1: Check-In, Harvest, Dinner

I took advantage of Cavas’ offer to use their services for a transfer from MDZ and chatted with the driver from Colombia most of the way. Upon arrival, I learned that the cooking class I had booked for the first night had been rescheduled for the following evening. “We emailed you,” the concierge told me. After checking my email, I saw that they had in fact emailed me… earlier that day. “We didn’t want you to miss our harvest event tonight.” Okay, I didn’t want to miss the harvest event either, but I had very intentionally booked the cooking class for the first night, and not on the second night after a day of wine tasting in the Uco Valley with a driver. “Just cancel the cooking class,” I decided, slightly annoyed, but ultimately pumped to be in Mendoza and ready to maximize my enjoyment in wine country.

I had (somewhat unintentionally) arrived in Mendoza at the perfect time. It was late summer, so the weather was still great (although Mendoza supposedly gets 300 days of sunlight per year, so the weather is rarely not great). More remarkably, the harvest was just starting, so I’d have the opportunity to see some of the process during the winery visits I had planned over the next couple days.

At the harvest event at Cavas, they explained their harvest process in detail and then invited us to help cut grapes on our own to add to their supply. I will admit that I felt more than a little guilty cutting grapes for fun when I was seeing migrants hard at work all around me during my stay. But, I’m not going to get into economics and the increasingly divergent levels of wealth in society here and now…

Dinner was a low-key affair at the hotel restaurant, followed by a glass of wine by the rooftop fireplace. I had a couple big days of wine tasting ahead of me, so wanted to start out relatively slowly,

Day 2: Wine Tasting in the Uco Valley

I awoke to a clear morning that enabled me to see the Andes Mountains behind the vineyards from my room. It had been overcast when I landed the day prior and I was relieved that I wasn’t going to miss Mendoza’s signature views.

I had opted to hire a driver (through Cavas) to visit the Uco Valley on my second day in Mendoza. About an hour’s drive from my hotel, the Uco Valley is located at the highest elevation of the major wine regions in Mendoza (the others are Luján del Cuyo, Maipú, East Mendoza and San Rafael). The plan was to visit one winery for a morning tour and tasting, then have lunch at a second winery, and finish off at a third winery for a tasting/tour. My driver was a lovely Argentine who was well-connected in the area, and he offered a detailed education about Mendoza during our drive (I made a very big effort to remember his name at the time, but forgot to write it down and now I don’t recall it, ugh).

Stop #1: Monteviejo Visit and Tasting

I was paired with two couples from California for the tour and tasting at Monteviejo. I learned that they were business partners in several wineries and was intrigued to be experiencing a tasting with some people in the industry. It quickly became apparent that they had made their money elsewhere and were investing in wine for fun more than anything else, so I was able to enjoy tasting with them without being overly intimidated.

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We were given a very detailed tour, and finally sat down for our tasting. I quickly realized that the pours were much more generous than I was used to. “We get a lot of Brazilians,” our guide explained when the woman seated next to me made a comment. She left it at that. Hmm… I guess I would infer my own interpretation of that explanation.

I became fast friends with the woman next to me and learned that her daughter was going to be moving to San Francisco shortly after graduating from college. I told her about my own experience of moving to the city in my early 20s with nothing, gradually working my way up in my career and in life. She said she looked forward to telling her daughter about my success story. Awww.

At this point, I knew I was already late for my lunch reservation, and still had a bit of a drive. I figured it wasn’t an issue since nobody else was making a big deal about it, and I tried not to stress even though I hate being late. But I quickly learned, we were on Argentina time… arriving late was not an issue.

Stop #2: Luna Azul

Cavas recommended Luna Azul as one of several places for lunch, and I narrowed down the list myself based on reviews I read. After posting some stories to Instagram, I was delighted to hear that a few of my friends in New York had also enjoyed lunch at Luna Azul during their own Mendoza trip several years prior.

The restaurant was full of casual charm: open air dining overlooking the vineyards and the mountains, colorful dining room furniture and a pleasantly hospitable staff. My driver introduced me to the owner, who showed me to a corner table with views overlooking the property.

I had heard that the lunches in Mendoza were lengthy, indulgent affairs, and Luna Azul did not disappoint. My server Terecita explained that the meal would consist of five courses, all with (very generous) wine pairings. It was no problem that I didn’t eat meat.

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Despite the multitude of courses at Luna Azul, I had somehow caught up with my schedule, and it helped that the next stop was just a few minutes away.

Stop #3: Andeluna

Andeluna was another larger scale winery, and I was paired with a small group for a tour and tasting. Our tour guide was an enthusiastic and flamboyant Argentine who was able to keep my attention despite the numerous tastings I’d already had.

One of the things that I liked about the tour at Andeluna was that the tastings were combined with the different stops in the tour. Rather than experience a 30 minute tour with lots of talking and no wine only to be inundated with a rapid tasting of five wines at the end, we were able to enjoy a tasting at each key point in the tour. It seemed like a much more relaxing and engaging process.

The day was great, but I now I understood why a full day of wine tasting in Mendoza only included two tastings and one lunch. Unlike a day in the States, the tastings were all very generous, and I was glad to have an hour-long drive back to Cavas (and also very glad I had cancelled that cooking class). I chatted with the driver the entire way about his favorite travel destinations in South America, and he told me all about his month-long honeymoon in Europe (he and his wife now had a young baby together).

Tango & Fire Pits

Cavas once again had a special event planned for the evening: a tango show and an Argentinian BBQ. I had no interest in the BBQ, but a tango show sounded fun. I was offered a glass of wine as I found my seat and settled in for the performance (complete with a costume change)!

After the show I passed on the BBQ, but chatted with some other guests by the fire pit and made friends with the adorable house cat. Then, it was time to call it a night. I had more wine tasting to do the next day and needed my beauty sleep.

Day 3: Bike Ride, More Wine, Dinner at 1884

I had planned a slightly more relaxed itinerary for my last full day in Mendoza: one tasting and one lunch, all accessible by bike. Then a massage and another tasting at Cavas before dinner in town. Super chill.

Cavas provides bikes at no additional cost, so it was just a matter of figuring out my route after a light breakfast. Cecilia, the gorgeous and impeccably dressed proprietor of Cavas, assured me that I wouldn’t get lost, and they could always pick me up if I did or if I just decided I was done riding a bike. I wasn’t about to let that happen, however.

Well, I ran into a minor snag about 20 minutes into the 30 minute ride when I realized I had turned slightly too early and was now inside of a fence that I wanted to be outside of. I could turn around… or I could sneak under the small hole in the fence that I spotted. I looked both ways to ensure that nobody was around and squatted under the short opening, dragging my bike behind me with as much grace as I could muster. Success!

I was finally at the gate marking the entrance to Decero, the location for my first tasting of the day. However, I still had a ways to go. I passed a couple on horseback who were also staying at Cavas and would be joining me for the tasting at Decero (and silently expressed gratitude that I was on a bicycle and not a horse).

Upon arriving at Decero, I was given a glass of Malbec to enjoy while my fellow wine tasting partners caught up. Once they arrived, we began on our tour. Decero hadn’t yet started harvesting its grapes like many of the other wineries in the region, so our guide explained what would happen over the next couple weeks. I felt like an expert (well, kind of) after seeing the process in real life the previous day.

After the tour, we sat down for a tasting and I got to know the couple along on the ride a bit more. They were married with two kids and living in Westchester, NY, but probably not much older than I am. The woman worked at Viacom and we realized that we had a few acquaintances in common. Oh, small world.

The bike ride to lunch was about 45 minutes and I was worried about getting lost, so I bid my new friends goodbye and headed on my way. I ended up on the route that Cecilia told me not to take (busier road, still unpaved, with little cover), but oh well. The temperatures were slightly above freezing in New York and I was cruising around vineyards enjoying abundant sunshine in a summer dress. If I got lost, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Fortunately, I arrived at Ruca Malen right on time for my reservation (not that they cared… Argentina time, remember?) and was rewarded with another corner table.

Overall, I found myself preferring Luna Azul to Ruca Malen. The ambiance at Ruca Malen was more refined and the views were beautiful, but the food was generally bland (maybe that is my own fault for not eating meat). The service was also incredibly slow. Again, this is probably my own fault for not appreciating the culture, but I had made a 1pm lunch reservation thinking it would be plenty of time to make it back to Cavas for a 4:30pm massage. Instead, I found myself stressing out at the end of the meal, and then rushing to make it to the spa in time.

Fortunately, I made it to my massage (barely). I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for most of the 60 minutes, but it was still wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable.

After a shower, it was time to head to the Cavas wine cellar for a final tasting. I loved that they offered an activity for every evening I was staying at the lodge. Originally I had been slightly worried about staying in a relatively remote location since it only had one restaurant onsite, but I shouldn’t have been concerned. The proximity to the wineries in Luján de Cuyo made it easy to taste wine without a car, and it was easy to hire a driver to see the Uco Valley as well. With the variety of activities offered by Cavas (not to mention their luxurious accommodations), it would have been fine to stay onsite for the entire three days of my stay.

Plus, the drive to/from the city of Mendoza left much to be desired. Sadly, the city didn’t seem to be prospering in any sense of the word. However, once arriving in the wine regions surrounding the city, everything changed. The scenery quickly went from shit-hole to stunning. So… I’d highly recommend not staying in the city itself.

I had made plans to eat dinner in the city one night, as I wanted to check out Francis Mallman’s 1884 restaurant. Being a pescatarian who is mostly a vegetarian, I probably wasn’t the right person to be able to truly enjoy the unique food that Mallman has to offer, but when in Argentina, right?!

Well, it was okay. I ended up having a goat cheese salad and a pasta dish that I could have ordered in many other places in the world. So, I definitely wasn’t taking advantage of the house specialties and that’s my fault. I was also overly wined and dined at this point. Mendoza was great, but it was a lot of indulging. Fortunately, I had the perfect detox planned: hiking and archaeology lessons in Easter Island.

Some Final Notes from MDZ

My final morning in Mendoza was overcast and uneventful. I wondered, did they consider this one of the 65 days in the year that wasn’t sunny? In any event, I am always happy to leave a beautiful destination when the weather is on a downturn, as it tempers my sadness about saying goodbye to a wonderful place in the world. I did have a couple moments of joy at the tiny MDZ airport, however.