Not Your Ordinary Wine Tasting

Let’s be honest: wine tasting can be a snooty affair.  It can be hoity and toity and uncomfortable. It can be more about spinning jargon than swirling wine, and more about impressing those around you than paying attention to the wines that impress you.   Yes, some wine tastings are as stiff as the tannins in a hearty Syrah.  But that was not the case on this particular Mendoza summer night.

The city’s fifth annual Mega Wine Tasting Megadegustacion took place this past week and tempted argentines and tourists alike to fill the streets and fill more than a cup or two.  For four days and nights, tents and tasters took over Sarmiento Avenue from 25 de Mayo Street to Belgrano Avenue. If you can’t quite picture the scene, try to imagine wine tasting meets neighborhood block party, and you’ll get the idea.  The event showcased over 250 wines and champagnes from a variety of wineries across Mendoza province. And if the aromas of swirling vinos and a golden Argentine sunset weren’t enough to get you in the mood, live music throughout the night made the evening a moment not easily forgotten.  Local artists and Argentine starlets were present to keep the party going and the mood up, long into the night. Access to the tasting was free to everyone and all are welcome to ask questions and scope out the wine brands and wineries.  However, filling your cup does require forking over a few pesos, but what you get for the price is truly a great value.  A tasting cup and 6 wines of your choice only runs $50 pesos, and the tasting amounts are quite generous.  Street food and snacks were also available – but as I found, the food was more for function than flavor and simply serves to keep all the wine tasters standing upright. This year was also the first time that Mendoza International Wine Capital offered tango shows and wine courses throughout the day. To think that Vendimia is merely a weekend festival, is to be wildly misinformed. Anyone with experience in Mendoza, or any part of Argentina for that matter, knows that celebrations are never taken lightly.  In a country with upwards of 20 national holidays, fiesta is practically a part-time job.  Any occasion to celebrate is a reason to take off work, gather family and friends, and lose yourself in a wild swirl of music, food and wine. In short, Argentines know how to celebrate.  And the annual harvest of Mendoza province’s grapes is no exception.  Festivities across the 18 departments in Mendoza province began months ago and are culminating this week in a marathon of tastings, parties, parades and Las Vegas-style shows. A block party wine tasting is not a high brow event, but that’s not to say it does not accomplish something important.  It brings wine back to the people, away from lofty jargon and back to a simple question: what do you like? Because at the end of the day, when you stare into the ruby reds and violet hues, and smell the sweet fruit and earthy depth, wine is made to be enjoyed – and meant to be celebrated. And as for its place in the larger Vendimia festival, this is just a taste of good things to come.