When I first began talking about going to South America, the first country that I really wanted to visit was Argentina. Being somewhat of a wine aficionado, I couldn't even fathom planning a trip to Argentina without paying a visit to Mendoza, which is often referred to as the "Napa of South America." My friend Amy was also urging me to visit Mendoza; she had spent a semester here living with a family when she was in school and enjoyed it immensely. (Amy also loves to travel and recently took a fantastic trip to Ireland with her mom. You can read all about it on her blog, A Yankee's Travelin' Blog.)
So Mendoza just had to be on the itinerary! My dad wasn't that excited to spend a few days in wine country ("Aren't all wineries the same?"), but somehow my mom convinced him that it would be a good break from our visits to the big cities.
Antique Cars
Mendoza is known as the Tierra del Sol y del Buen Vino (Land of Sunshine and Good Wine). Located on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains, the land is arid and dry. This is the high desert. Yet the city has the dramatic backdrop of the snow capped peaks of the Andes and the sun is said to shine an average of 330 days a year. Since we had been staying in the middle of the cities everywhere we went, in Mendoza we opted for a more rural experience, making our home base the suburbs around Luján de Cuyo, which happens to be the center of the wine making industry in Mendoza.
Mural in Chacras de Coria
We stayed in a lovely, leafy suburb called Chacras de Coria, which had several upmarket inns, a number of outdoor parillas, bars, and nightclubs. Chacras is convenient to both the city center (20 min. away by taxi) and to visiting the bodegas (even closer), which is the real reason why I wanted to visit Mendoza. This is an excellent base for those who are looking to get away from the hustle of downtown Mendoza.
Church on Chacras Main Square
A few restaurants, stores and wine shops are found around the main square of Chacras. On weekends, artisans gather in the square to sell their wares. Unfortunately, we visited during the week, so we missed out on this activity.
Monument at Plaza de Chacras
One striking feature of Mendoza is that the streets are lined with irrigation ditches. Apparently, there are over 500km of acequias in the province, some dating back to the Incan era. These acequias deliver snow-melted water from the Andes to the dry valley.
Irrigation Gate for Controlling the Waters
Acequias Along the Road
The first night we arrived in Mendoza was my dad's birthday. Having just eaten a ton of beef in Buenos Aires, we really wanted to have fish for dinner. The staff at our hotel recommended that we go to Mar & Monte for dinner. Inspired by the fusion of two kitchens, Mar & Monte features the cuisine of the mountains with the food from the sea, both Argentinian and Chilean. This being the middle of the continent, the fresh fish options were limited. Despite this, we had a great salmon dinner (each of us getting a different preparation).
Inside the Dining Room
Wall of Spoons
Salmon Wrapped in a Tin Foil Bird
Salmon Prepared Two Other Ways
We decided to split a piece of cake for dessert, but the restaurant had other intentions. Our waitress returned back to our table with this enormous plate featuring a number of their creations, including ice cream, mousse and red fruits. I'm sure that our hotel told them that we celebrating my dad's birthday when they made our reservations...the dessert was on the house!
Dessert Sampler
On our second night, we walked into Chacras for a gelato at Ferruccio Soppelsa, which has been scooping out what is probably the finest gelato outside of Italy since 1927. This local chain features more than 50 different flavors. I had one of the most amazing ice cream cones with two flavors, ducle de leche with brownies and chocolate-cherry gelato. Amazing! Ferruccio Soppelsa is an absolute must stop when visiting Mendoza.
Ferruccio Soppelsa
Chacras also has a small, well-stocked grocery store and a number of small wine bars and shops. We visited a few of them to compare prices, which were all really inexpensive. With well stocked wine bars and the best gelato in Argentina, Chacras is definitely my type of vacation spot!
Go Bar...They Even Deliver!
Wine for Sale
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