Few wine regions throw a party quite on par with Mendoza´s grape harvest festival known as Vendimia. It´s truly a challenge to describe the fervor created by this national event, it´s simply an experience that begs to be lived in person. Vendimia is a celebration whose roots reach way back into Mendoza history. The first official festival took place in 1936, but was likely a...
There is something ever so slightly entrancing about South American plazas. They are the gathering places and green spaces that can be found in South American towns of all sizes – from the small to spralling. Fast-paced footfalls cross the plazas in the early morning, as people rush to offices and embark on their lists of to-dos. By mid-afternoon, smaller feet zig and zag...
In celebration of Vendimia and for the sixth consecutive year, the Megadegustación uncorked hundreds of bottles, filled thousands of glasses, and threw a wine-centric party on a 2-block swatch of downtown Mendoza. The block party style wine tasting took place from February 27 – March 4 along Sarmiento Street, a popular tourist destination for travelers seeking meat and souvenirs. More than 250 wines were present...
Federal Vendimia Week is what can most accurately be described as the warm up to Mendoza´s grape harvest main event. Held from February 22-28, Vendimia Federal is a favorite among Mendoza locals, and an experience that is slowly catching on among international travelers. It doesn´t come with all the flashy lights and polished preparation of the Acto Central show held this upcoming weekend, but...
Selecting wine off a menu can be a harrowing experience, even in your native language. But come to Mendoza and find yourself in a sea of borderline bilingual waiters and it’s easy to become quickly overwhelmed. Thankfully, we’ve got some tips to help you navigate the wine list, wield the language, and wind up with a wine you can both enjoy and afford, the...
Behind the noise of billboards, souvenir shops, Asado restaurants, and a steady stream of city traffic, is a hidden doorway that leads straight into the heart of Mendoza´s Central Market, known as Mercado Central. As Mendoza´s only indoor food market featuring fresh and dry goods, the market has become a household name amongst the locals, and a tourist landmark for travelers looking to get a...
When Susana applied to study enology, no woman had ever earned a degree in winemaking in Argentina. In 1981 she graduated as the first female winemaker in the country, and just for added flair she did so with honors. It was an untraditional path for a young woman from a very traditional Italian family. But it was also the path that would take her,...
The van came to collect us at 9 AM. Tossing a bottle of sunscreen and a pair of shades into my purse, we ran out the door. For a short while the bus wove through Mendoza City, scooping up additional adventurers, and two hours later we arrived at the adventure activities base in Potrerillos. The base is located on the bluffs of the Mendoza...
Rounding the corner of Patricias Mendocinas and Gutiérrez streets, a flicker of color catches your eye. There´s something peculiar about the house on the corner – something that tugs at the corners of your curiosity, and entices you to walk through the front door. Every room of what once had been a lavish home belonging to one of Mendoza´s most prestigious families, is now...
A few nights ago I found myself at a family-owned estancia (ranch) folded into the foothills of the Andes. As tiny flickers of starlight poked through the cloudy night, a man in a navy blue beret reached for his guitar. Three hours later we realized that the lone candle stick had disappeared into a puddle of wax, the wine had run out, and the...
Mendoza´s Annual Vendimia Festival is cause for hundreds of thousands of travelers and wine lovers worldwide to make their pilgrimage to this humble Andean town, for one purpose only – to celebrate the harvest of the grapes. In homage to the tiny fruit that gave life to what is now a booming wine industry, Mendoza province plays host to a festival that runs from...