Visiting Top Wine Estates in Mendoza

Being invited to the Festival Nacional De La Vendimia 2013 – Argentina’s largest annual wine event in the city of Mendoza – I was literally over the moon with happiness when the final confirmation came in. Four days of wine tastings at top-notch bodegas, red carpet access to the parade of “Las Reinas” (Wine Queens) as well as an invitation to experience the final concert of the Mendoza wine harvest festival: Together with 60 TV journalists, international media representatives and bloggers from more than 10 countries in Latin America and Europe, me and my group of friends have literally been treated “a cuerpo de rey”, or bathed in warm-hearted, genuine Argentinian hospitality as they say. Wow!

Winesome Welcome: Bodegas Cheval Des Andes & Renacer

A sign with my name on it, a luxurious black limousine and my personal chauffeur welcoming me at Mendoza Airport: Normally travelling Argentina with my backpack, I could easily get used to more of this 😉 . At the very same day of arriving in Argentina’s wine capital city, Mendoza, we are taken to visit two exclusive wine estates at the foothills of the Cordillera de los Andes: Cheval Des Andes and Bodega Renacer.

Here, the respective owner together with their professional staff make sure we are totally engulfed in our experience of the splendour of Argentine wineries, complete with tapas, tastings & famous “asado” (BBQ). To me, it is all very much New World: Large gardens, never-ending rows of vineyards, huge reception halls and state-of-the-art technology. A wonderful and very interesting experience: As a wine traveller hailing from some of Austria’s top wine regions, it appears to me like a true heaven on earth!

At the Wine Estate Renacer, we are being served delicious local food, almost like a cold platter in Austrian wine regions I know – lovely! 😉

Delicious entertainment: The owner of the wine estate tells us all we need to know about his quality wine production.

Our group of journalists and bloggers take to relaxing with music and good wine … sometimes, it really is a hard life …

Bodegas Atamisque, Trapiche & Las Marujitas: A Kingdom, A Story and A Dream

During the following three days, we are invited to visit three more excellent and outstanding wine estates in Mendoza province, including Tango shows, horseback riding & olive oil tasting. (Research) work & pleasure mix to the point where it all becomes one amazing experience: Everybody is enormously friendly and busy to ensure all questions get answered, our group of international bloggers & journalists is a wonderful backdrop for constant interaction and if that was not enough, Latin American mentality is there to spice it all up – just in case. Hours of delay and constant warm-hearted cheek-kissing with everyone: Welcome to “la pura vida” of South-American blog / press trips, I’d say. Great 😀

Beautiful too not having to organise it all myself, relax and lean back during these few days: very nice indeed.

First group picture, taken right before going on horseback at Atamisque Wine Estate.

Food is what we are being spoilt to all over … Mendoza Wine Estates literally have it all, you won’t starve here for sure.

At Atamisque Wine Estate, we enjoy a “cabalgata”, or horseback ride whose properties are owned by a Belgian family, turning 1.000 hectares into vineyards, fruit plantations and land used for activities such as kayaking, cycling, golfing or horseback riding. At the reception we are invited to, we can see the family loves to entertain – kingdom-style, clearly!

Our guide takes us out to hidden corners and up on scenic hills in order to enjoy the magnificent wine landscape of this private property – a true kingdom spreading out over 1.000 hectares!

As part of our tasting experience, we are offered to try the different varieties of the estate, such as Malbec, Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Alongside many international (VIP) guests who were invited on the occasion of the formal opening of parts of the estate, we enjoy being spoilt at Atamisque Wine Estate!

Furthermore, we visit Trapiche Wine Estate, an estate full of history dating back to the 1880s: The first of several train lines to Buenos Aires was built here and can still be seen walking around the winery. Viticulture runs along the lines of biodynamic growth as only one in four in the whole of Argentina, steeped in the philosophy of Austrian pioneer Rudolf Steiner. The size though is what makes a visit to this beautiful estate literally mind-blowing: Almost 1.000 hectares yield a total of 35 million litres of wine per year – dimensions incomparable to average-sized Austrian wine estates with a size of “just” 25 hectares …

Malbec Cabernet is especially worthwhile tasting here, but their white wine – Torrontés is equally stunning: A Must-Do when visiting the wine growing area of Mendoza.

My blogging & photographer friend from Japan prefers red wine, clearly!

Fish risotto and small hamburgers filled with juicy tomatoes, dried plums and delicious asado meat just taste wonderfully in this estate garden filled with an olive grove …

A view of Bodega Trapiche complete with its old railway tracks. Photo: Bodega Trapiche

Last but not least, we are being invited to spend half a day at “Las Marujitas“, a family wine estate combining olive trees, vineyards and boutique farm stays with a top-notch organic gourmet restaurant. The family house dates back to the arrival of some of the first settlers to Mendoza (1865) and has carefully been restored – stunning just to visit. Everything here is designed to relax and enjoy, each morning the owners meditate together with their employees – a very interesting concept!

We explore “Las Marujitas” on foot and are welcomed with small snacks and delicious sparkling wine at this bar house!

Fernan, “el dueno”, fills us in on all things “Las Marujitas” and tells us some interesting facts about the buildings, the history of the settlers and his very own life story.

The family house is very interesting for its history and should be visited on any occasion of travelling to Mendoza and its wine regions.

All visitors arriving at “Las Marujitas” are invited to a delicious olive oil tasting learning about the virtues of extra virgin olive oil, including fresh products from the local, organic farm that are served to us in the restaurant.

At the end of our trip, I would like to seize the opportunity to introduce you to three amazing bloggers I got to know during this trip. Buenos Aires based Aldana & Dino literally make “Magia En El Camino” as they travel the world: As a professional magician, Dino entertains children and adults around the world with pure magic, his wife Aldana films, documents and writes: www.magiaenelcamino.com.ar. Lucina aka „Mochila Cult“ (Cult Backpack) was born to a family of Argentinian emigrants living in Brazil writing and editing her blog and travel videos in Portuguese. Check out both blogs and Mendoza wine estates: All are definitely worth the trip!

We really enjoy our unique olive oil tasting experience here in Mendoza: First of all, we heat up our tasting cups to about 28 degrees for allowing all aromas to unfold and perfectly hit our nose and taste buds.

As a group of friends towards the end of our four days together, we really enjoy sharing wonderful moments at “Las Marujitas” restaurant and bar.

This entrée made up of sun-kissed tomatoes, local ham and dried olive chutney is a stunner: Definitely try while you are around “Las Marujitas” in Mendoza!

Last but not least, my very own recommendation as I did enjoy the taste: Ice cream spiced up with pepper and home-made, extra virgin olive oil … A wonderful combination for all the adventurous sweet teeth out there!

Disclaimer: I have been invited by the city of Mendoza tourism marketing on this trip to experience the national harvest festival as well as all the above-mentioned wine estates: Thank you so much everybody for your support! All opinions are my own.