Heading towards Mendoza via the scenic route on the Andesmar Bus this morning. It started off cold and glummy as we arrived at the bus station in Santiago. As the bus rolled into the run down station, we got on board the double decker and sat in the best seats in the house. Up top in the front row yield a near unobstructed view of the open road and vast mountain ranges ahead. Luckily it didn't take long for the sun to start peaking through the thick clouds and provide the perfect lighting for our cameras to click away.
The next day was cold and rainy as we set to go on our wine tour of Lujan de Cuyo. The tour consisted of four stops with a lunch at one of the vineyards. Our first stop was Alta Vista, a French family owned winery in a historical bodega that was refurbished in 2003. It's specialty included small volume tanks that allowed them to produce their Alto line, a very limited wine crafted from a blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon produced from hand picked grapes. In addition the tour took us around the cellars before we sat down for our tasting. Amongst the sampling included the iconic Argentiean white Torrontes, the 2011 Terroir Selection Malbec, the Alizarine and their iconic Alto. All were good, with the Alto being exceptional. Our next stop was Cruzat the only producer of sparkling wine in the region. Though the various sampling were unmemorable we did get to bottle and label our own bottle of rosé. 
This was followed by a five course lunch with wine pairing at the famous Ruca Malen. The wine like the courses started off light with Torrontes and progressed on towards Malbec and Cabernet before ending with sparkling. Some of the unique dishes included a goat cheese ice-cream with tomatoes and braise pork with prune chutney. However the absolute star of the meal was the tenderloin steak with mixed grilled vegetables. The aroma of the dish was mouthwatering and the first bite into the succulent steak did not disappoint. The final stop on our tour was a small family owned winery called Mendel. The vineyard paled in comparison to the others in both size and quality of wine. In fact as a final stop it was a little disappointing. To end the day we dined at 1884, supposedly the best restaurant in Mendoza. With this reputation we went in with high expectations and expected to be blown away. The squid salad appetizer with potatoes and quail egg I ordered was good but fell short of exceptional, while the main ribeye course lacked seasoning in both the Chimichurri sauce and steak, though was cooked perfectly.
In short the meal was not quite to the caliber I expected, especially for the price tag. Our final day in Mendoza consisted of a winery tour to Uco Valley, one of the newer regions in the area to produce wine. Our first stop was Pulenta Estate, a beautiful winery situated on the border of Lujan and Uco valley. The winery had many similarities to Alta Vista like their small volume tanks and their massive cellars. In fact walking around the cold dimly lit cellars surrounded by hundreds of thousands of oak barrels was quite a sight. 
The following stop couldn't been any more different. La Azul was a small vineyard that specialized more in selling their grapes to other labels than producing their own. What little they did make ranged from table wine Malbec and Cab that were acidic and unbalanced due to never being aged in oak to a very very limited gran reserve. The gran reserve which we tasted straight out the barrel was surprisingly good and could only get better stored for the next decade. The final stop of the day was at O'Fournier where we had a late lunch. Again it was served as a multi course pairing designed to complement the wines. The wines were typical of the region nothing special, the food however were pretty good. As we finished our meal the sun shone through the thick blanket of clouds and for the first time in two days we saw the snow capped mountains in the background and got a glimpse of the true beauty of the land and imagined it at its fullest potential.
Atmosphere: The city of Mendoza was a lot bigger than I'd imagined and at times reminded me of the old districts in Shanghai. The outskirts of the city were surrounded by vine yards while some smaller bogedas blended into the various neighborhoods. All together the one thousand or so vineyards in the area provided a beautiful landscape as you drove into the city.
Food: Steak as Argentina is famously known for has been the core of my diet for the past few days. However it wasn't until now that I learned the locals take their steak well done, almost jerky like. Hence the constant problem of getting steak way over cooked. Though I've had a few dishes that were pretty good, most steaks so far has been slightly disappointing.
People: Having spent the majority of our time on vine yard tours we really didn't have many encounters with the local. The few wait staff or taxi drivers seemed friendly enough however.
Beauty: Despite the uncommon rainy weather we experienced in the past few days, the vineyards were still quite beautiful.
Cleanliness: Surpringly clean for a South American city. There were definitely parts of the city that were run down and covered with graffiti. However for the most part it was relatively clean as houses hung their garbage bags on trees for trash day.
Comments: Mendoza was a city I wouldn't have mind staying a few more days. However outside of wine tours I can imagine the city getting old quickly. Perhaps it's better to leave wanting more than the alternative.
Rating: 8
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