Like any self-respecting Mendoza tourist we ended up tasting lots of fantastic wines that week. We highly recommend "Vines of Mendoza", a wine shop in downtown Mendoza that carries many wines from the surrounding boutique wineries you can't get elsewhere in the country (or internationally for that matter). Even Max got into it, although he did miss his beer after a while... :)
We participated in the obligatory half-day wine tour, covering 2 wineries and one olive-oil factory in Maipu, just south of Mendoza. The two wineries were like night and day, one traditional (artisanal) and one ultra-modern with newest technology.
Let's just say that the machines looked like something out of a James Bond movie. You know, where the bad guy pushes you into a pit with a running grinder that can chop you into pieces... I wouldn't want to fall into this thing by accident.
To make sure our hosts didn't get the wrong idea, we tried to make ourselves useful - Max by helping with the harvest and Sylvia by moving the barrels into place (they just didn't tell her it wasn't the small ones she'd be dealing with!).
It got a little easier at the modern winery. You just push a few buttons and voila!, you have a wonderful wine. Just kidding, not quite that easy, but the process certainly seems to have improved over the decades.
We tasted some great wines at both places. And Sylvia didn't even want to leave without bringing a few barrels back home, but no luck. At least she tried! :)
Now reading this you might think that all we were doing that week is indulge in the local specialties. Not so!
We took a day-trip to the Andes, right up to the border with Chile. This route is also known as the Alta Montana tour. Beautiful scenery! Reminded us of a mix between the Alps, the Rocky Mountains, and Iceland. But the pictures best speak for themselves....
If some of the scenery looks familiar, it might be because Brad Pitt filmed "Seven Years in Tibet" here.
We also encountered ancient trading routes...
... and the famous Puente del Incas (the "Inca's Bridge"), which was actually available to walk across until 2005. The yellow stuff is sulfur, naturally mixed with sandstone.
Last but not least, we climbed another 1km in elevation over just 8km of narrow winding dirt roads up to the crest of the mountains. Right up to the boarder with Chile. There was a long dispute between the two countries about where the border should exactly be, so once they settled, they sealed the deal by placing a statue of Christ the Redeemer right on the border, where it still stays today.
Brrrrrr..... it's cold!
That little white bus is the kind we were traveling around with. And the speck of blue/red in the distance of the valley is the village (if you can call 4 houses that) where we had lunch. Makes you feel rather small and insignificant, doesn't it?
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