This week we hit the virtual road again with a trip to Argentina. A bunch
of awesome shout outs (you guys are the best!) and a quick story of my
childhood trauma of always being the male characters while belting out
the libretto of Evita (so my sister could be La Reina!) and we're off to the Southern Hemisphere!
Here's a link to the podcast: ARGENTINA
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| Source: Palm Bay International |
Here are the notes:
- We start with a review of the history of Argentinean wine and how it got to be the 5th largest wine producer in the world.
- Then we talk about the unique climate of the main growing regions, and I dork out on a few wine terms
- We take a jaunt around the wine regions of Argentina, focusing on Mendoza (because it's 70% of production! We talk about the sub-areas of Lujan, Maipú, and the Uco Valley) and the region of Salta (home of the highest vineyards in the world and some of the best Torrontés). Then we give an overview of La Rioja (different from the historic region in Spain), San Juan, Río Negro, and Neuquén.
- Malbec, Torrontés, Bonarda, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon are Argentina's main grapes and are covered in depth, including the grand dork out moment of the podcast -- when I talk about the Mendoza clone of Chardonnay, using the analogy of Dr. Evil and Mini-Me from Austin Powers.
- A quick wrap on pairing and then we're done!
If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment below, or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!
If you've got a question you want us to answer, post it on any of those places and we'll include it on the show!
Thanks for listening! We can't wait to hear from you!
Podcast music: "Café connection" by morgantj / CC BY 3.0, ©2009 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) Map: Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license
I've been listing to your podcast for about 3-4 months and you do a GREAT job!
ReplyDeleteI visited Mendoza last fall and it was one of the best vacations I have ever taken - period. The Mendoza portion was actually a last-minute add on to a trip to Uruguay and Buenos Aires, but it ended up being the highlight of my vacation.
The best bet is to book a day-long tour, and depending on the area around Mendoza you are visiting, you will visit 3 or 4 wineries. The tour company will pick you up at your hotel (on time!), you have a guide, and you visit the wineries at a relaxed pace. We had tastings of four wines at each location (VERY generous pours, I might add), and one of the afternoon wineries will provide a gourmet, four-course lunch that is included in the tour price. Then you are taken back to your hotel by about 5:00 pm. The transportation is very comfortable and they take great care to keep the group to 6-8 people max. The clientele was varied: I was the only American on both days, the other countries represented included Belgium, Austria, New Zealand, the UK, and even France.
I booked two day-long tours, here's where we visited:
Day 1:
Mendel
Dante Robino
Tapiz
Benegas
Day 2:
Catena Zapata
Azul
Salentien
Some experienced wine tourists, as well as highly independent travelers, may not like the idea of a highly organized tour. Just keep in mind that wine touring in Mendoza is not set up accommodate drop-ins or easy self-driving. Many wineries require a reservation, or are open to drop-ins just a few days a week. As for driving, the overall region is very large and when you get onto side roads, the wineries are not necessarily well-marked and road signs disappear. Mendoza gets tons of wine tourists, but it's done differently than say, Napa. When I was leaving Mendoza I met a young couple, on their way home. They were leaving disappointed because they had rented a car and were only able to visit two wineries in two days - and got lost in the process.
In no way is my post an advertisement for these companies, but it was a great set-up to meet people from all over the world and let someone else do the driving!
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI just realized I never replied to you! This is wonderful information. Thank you so much for sharing. When I make my trip to Mendoza, I'll definitely refer back to this!
Thanks for sharing with other normal wine people!
Take care,
Elizabeth