What do you get in place where the sun shines for 300 days a year? Ideal conditions for growing Malbec grapes & some merry tourists imbibing the processed output.
Yes, we're in one of Argentina's famous wine regions, Mendoza. With a nod to the start of the journey, taking a cycling tour of some vineyards.
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| Carmeo Perri & the gang |
First stop, the home of Carmeo Perri, an Argentine of Italian descent he set up his own label in 1989 producing 7,000 bottles and now produces 50,000 and personally inspects every bottle before it goes out the door to ensure the quality. Kindly he opened a couple for us to try for free.
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| Lagarde - wine vats |
Next up Lagarde, one of the oldest vineyards in Mendoza, producing (only) 1million litres of wine each year. It´s a bit more of a professional operation with tours in the summer running all day from 9am and a few hundred people through the gates.
Final stop for a long lunch (bbq meat - what else in Argentina) at a Pulmary family vineyard and an expert tour from the only non family member, a guy from norwegian/french heritage who had worked in vineyards around the world.
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| Pulmary - tasting wine from the barrel |
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| Lagarde - bottles stored for 2 years before distribution |
Final stop another family shop to finish with various liquors & absinthe a stop dedicated to Rich & Jayne
Finally a couple of pics from crossing the Chilean alps on the coach between Santiago & Mendoza
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| Chilean Alps |
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| ´Super Moon´ from the Chile/Argentina border in the Alps |
(It doesn't look that super really...)
ReplyDeletenot sure my camera skills really gives it justice
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