I love a good picnic. Maybe it’s something inherently English in me, but checkered blankets, wicker baskets and specially designed crockery send little shivers down my spine.
And Mendoza is the perfect place for a picnic – stunning mountain scenery, 350 sunny days a year and loads of great bottles to crack open upon your comfy picnic rug. How better to spend an afternoon than sipping cool Torrontes under olive trees and looking at the snow dusted Cordon del Plata? This might be my English picnic sentimentality creeping in here again… but here are some top spots for picnics in Mendoza:
Picnic in the Park
With a park the same size as the city, Parque San Martin is the quintessential picnic spot for Mendoza. I particular love to unroll my mat on the island in the middle of the lake – a nice shady spot, and not to mention that the strapping, handsome rowing team circling the lake make good viewing. The upcoming evening Jazz on the Lake (10 – 12 Feb) concerts are just begging to be accompanied by smoked salmon bagels and espumante…
Winery picnics: Alta Vista
The latest winery to add gourmet picnics to their offerings, this fab French winery now provides kitsch picnic sets with bento boxes filled with gourmet nibbles such as caramelized onion and mushroom puff pastry slices; eggplant, goat’s cheese and olive oil focaccia; and roast beef ciabatta. All in miniature size you can pick your way through three appetizers, three salads, three sandwiches and finally three desserts while accompanied by a couple glasses of Alta Vista wine. The view of the mountain range is just the icing on the cake! ** Alta Vista, Alzaga 3972, www.altavistawines.com $300 pesos for two people.
Potrerillos
This dam is pretty stunning. A sparkling big blue lake set against a mountain backdrop is idyllic for a picnic. Make sure you bring cushions and a wind breaker as the rocks are pretty hard and the wind picks up quite a bit in the afternoon making it quite the dining ‘al fresco’ experience. When the wind does get going, you can catch a few wind and kite surfers on the water.
Sausage rolls in the hot springs
Sitting in thermal springs with a glass of red and a picnic by your side is a pretty cool way to go. About an hour from Mendoza, Cachueta is a beautiful ravine with thermal springs running through it. Surrounded by the rugged Andes mountains you can park up on the road and scramble down the hillsides to have a picnic by the springs. The walk down is a pretty hair raising experience, but hot relaxing water awaits below, and hopefully the obligatory bottle of Malbec will give you some Dutch courage to get back up again!
Amanda Barnes is a British journalist living in Mendoza and content to find any excuse to bring out her cheese and ham sarnies for dining al fresco.
