Mendoza

With only a few weeks left to check things off my South America bucket list, I have been busy planning and going on trips lately. Last weekend, I crossed off a really great trip from my list of places to visit before leaving the continent - Mendoza, Argentina.

O. Fournier Winery in the Uco Valley

Four girlfriends and I flew over the Andes on a short 45-minute flight to the lovely Argentine land of Malbec for the weekend. Saturday morning started with a drive through the miles and miles of vineyards to O. Fournier winery (http://www.ofournier.com/web/) in the La Consulta region of the Uco Valley. We toured the impressive estate and winery which has been designed to work with gravity to minimize the use of pumps. After touring the winery came the fun part - tasting! We tasted four of the vineyards top wines, including a great Malbec that made it home in my suitcase.

The view from lunch at Tupungato Divino

After our tour, we moved on to a small restaurant between several vineyards called Tupungato Divino. The restaurant and wine bodega is nestled at the base of the Andes among the vineyards of the Uco Valley. We all enjoyed a fabulous five-course meal of pumpkin ravioli and Argentina beef paired with amazing wine. Once we had finished eating, the owner of the place invited us to the area where he makes his own wine and offered us the chance to crush the grapes ourselves. I felt like Lucille Ball (minus the barefoot thing).

Making wine at Tupungato Divino

Once we got back to Mendoza, we continued the wine-drinking at a cute wine bar called The Vines of Mendoza. I tried the flight of whites, since I had been drinking mostly red all day and fell in love with the Pulenta Estate Pinot Gris. I highly recommend it if you ever come across it! Sadly, Argentine wines are hard to find in most of the world, because a very limited production is sold for export purposes. Sounds like the Argentines want to keep all the good stuff to themselves!

Flight of Whites at Vines of Mendoza

We enjoyed dinner at Francis Mallman 1884 (http://1884restaurante.com.ar/) which was so fantastic I bought the cookbook on my way out! I will be "Grilling the Argentine Way" all summer long in Houston. Since we had eaten such a large lunch, we ordered several salads and starters to share tapas-style. The warm camembert salad was to die for!

Sitting in the wine cellar at Azafran for Sunday lunch

Sunday morning, after a great night's sleep with full bellies drowzy on wine, we headed to the Park Hyatt Hotel for spa day. I had a heavenly 90 minute massage for just $50. Can't beat the prices in Argentina, despite the rising inflation. After a hot steam, some quiet reading in the lounge area, and a fancy shower, we headed to lunch at Azafran for our last indulgence before the perfect weekend came to an end.

Mendoza wine country