Last weekend The Vines of Mendoza was one of the sponsors for the Masters of Food & Wine at the Park Hyatt here in Mendoza.

It was an incredible evening filled with amazing food created by chefs from all over the world, incredible wine and some of the best tango I’ve seen yet!

French Macarons… yum!  Why don’t mine ever look like this!?

Pablo Gimenez Riili and the Queens!

To read a bit more about the Masters of Food & Wine and an awesome interview with one of the Iron Chefs, check out Amanda’s recent blog here!

  Alex Chalkley is a Professional Photographer from Washington, D.C. who was in foodie heaven at Masters of Food & Wine and almost cried with happiness when she saw pistachio french macarons on the dessert table!

Sometimes it is really nice to indulge in a bit of ‘high  culture’ from time to time, and the upcoming Musica Clasica por los Caminos del Vino event is possibly Mendoza’s most cultured festival.

Two weeks of a great range of classical music concerts (from philaharmonic to outlandishly modern) held in gorgeous wineries and accompanied by a glass of fizz, this is an event not to be missed for wine and music lovers.

Beginning this Thursday, a series of over 50 free concerts will be held over the Mendoza region in wineries, art galleries and theatres. Tickets are redeemed by bringing a packet of milk powder for a local charity. Concerts usually end with a cocktail party.

Here’s a round-up of some of the anticipated highlights this year:

Bodegas Tapiz, Thursday 5^th April, 4pm. Ruta 60 in Maipú

Tapiz always host a great classical music event in their stunning events space with a gorgeous painted mural and champagne house as the backdrop. Their performers are always more quirky and unique and this year it is the Duo Fredes Conti, and wind percussionists Martín Conti and Valeria Larroques.

Bodega Diamandes, Friday 6^th April, 12.30pm. Vista Flores, Tunuyán

In the Clos de Siete grounds, Diamondes is hosting Latin American-Russian duo Marianna Kononenko and Tatiana Tchijova. This concert follows a neighbouring one at Monteviejo at 11am. Coming out to the stunning Uco valley for a morning of music and wine is well worth the drive.

Bodegas López, Friday 6^th April, 8pm. Maipú

Lopez always throws one of the biggest parties for this event, this year with Quartet Gianneo of Buenos Aires. The performance is held in their champagnerie, and after the show the bubbles flow for well into the night!

Bodega Dante Robino, Saturday 7th April, 5pm. Lujan

Dante Robino always go for a very ‘period’ feel to their concert which is held in the atmospheric cellar. This year the Orfeus Quartet of Mendoza will be playing Mozart and Mendelssohn.

Teatro Independencia, Sunday 8^th April, 8pm. Plaza Independencia.

This is the big closing bash. The Orchestra Cámara Caminos del Vino do a special performance to end the series of classical concerts with a real bang. No wine at this one, but superb music!

The full agenda is available on here (in Spanish) or here (in English).

For details on tickets, visit here.

Amanda Barnes is a British journalist living in Mendoza who just can’t get enough of listening to Brahms while drinking bubbles…

Last weekend the Park Hyatt’s Masters Food and Wine rolled into town bringing with it a real food and wine lovers festival, top chefs from around the world and some serious hangovers. This year The Vines of Mendoza was a sponsor of the event, and so I caught up with one of the invited chefs from the US: Lee Hillson (an Iron Chef no less).

What have you found interesting and enjoyed the most about Argentine cuisine while being here?

The flavor profiles. I’ve really enjoyed the BBQ here – its so different from home, it has a more distinctive flavor.

What is your best pairing for Argentine Malbec?

Probably what I cooked for the dinner at Bistro M: braised beef ribs with Porcini mushroom, black pudding risotto cake, baby carrots and onion tempura. It shows itself as a very rich dish, which really compliments the wine nicely.

You battled it out in Iron Chef. If you were to pick another of the invited chefs here at Masters to go head to head with in another Iron Chef battle, who would it be and why?

Hmmm – probably Carlos Garcia. He is a mole God! He makes mole to die for. He is very passionate about food and he respects it like I do – we both don’t like any fluff! I really respect and admire him.

You are on deathrow, what would you pick as your last meal?

Pizza. Pepperoni and Mushroom pizza!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Fly, definitely!

Ok, I give you the power to fly… where are you going to spread your wings and head off to right now?

I’d go to Thailand. I have always wanted to go there – I’m interested in the culture and the cuisine.

Lee Hillson is a British born chef who has lived in the States for the past 14 years where he has built a stellar reputation as Executive Chef of T Cooks Dining in Royal Palms, Arizona, and as an Iron Chef on the popular TV show. He cooked on Saturday night at Bistro M, with pairings of Luigi Bosca.

Amanda Barnes is a British journalist living in Mendoza and although she is by no means an Iron Chef of any kind. That said, if she were to go head to head with another chef it would be the late Keith Floyd, reason being that – like Floyd – she believes in always cooking with a glass of wine in hand!

I’ve been here two years and had some awesome experiences, but I think last weekend was one of my best weekends in Mendoza. Two days of horse riding in the Andes, sleeping under the stars and learning the tricks of the trade with a hoard of rowdy gauchos…

Very near The Vines’ own vineyard in the Uco Valley lies the Manzano Historico – a mountain crossing to Chile made famous because it was here where General San Martin rallied up his troops to liberate Argentina. Tunuyan’s council recently decided to increase the area of the nature reserve and to celebrate they invited a few hardy journalists out to explore the area on the back of a horse with a few people from the council and around 30 gauchos to lead the pack.

I have to admit from the beginning that I am terrible on horseback- a complete novice- so two days horse trekking, tripping over large rocks and jumping across rivers was quite a baptism by fire (and my butt has been reminding me ever since). But the rump ache is totally worth every last twitch as the experience of riding through the Andes is once in a lifetime.

The Andes are just so rugged. The myriad of colors on these bare rocks are fascinating – they change with every passing hour, km and change in cloud pattern. All along the Ruta San Martin (San Martin route) you are accompanied by a gushing snowmelt river which adds to the gorgeous scenery.

In Mendoza, the other great thing is the endless sky and usually very sunny weather. Our trek started out that way, but as we approached the border with Chile, clouds began to cover the horizon and before long we were in the middle of a storm.

Arriving at base camp (around 3800m in altitude) we were all a bit soggy and fortunately the local army (who were used to this quick change in weather) had set up a couple large tents for us to huddle under and pull out our waterproof gear. So with just rain and big hailstone storms outside at 5pm, we were left with very little else to do than to start drinking…. And that is when the real fun began.

Gauchos don’t only look cool on horses, but they are masters of a good knees up: guitar playing, lung bursting singing, wine drinking from the damajuana (5 litre bottle), ridiculous amounts of BBQ-ed meat and lots of dancing.

The morning after was surprisingly fine: a quick splash of water in the face from the glacier-melt river, a slug of mate and a stunning sky – with the moon on one side, the sun on the other and mountains inbetween – were enough to clear away any hangover blues.

Clambering up with the horses to the new boundary of the nature reserve, we all arrived at well over 4000m to El Portillo (the gate). This is the gateway to Chile and the orange lunar landscape certainly looks like you are stepping into a different world. Scattered along the route are faded cow carcusses. This used to be a cattle trading route to Chile, and one of the handsome gauchos shared an old game they used to play with me: cow running. To pass away some of the long journey crossing the Andes with hundreds of cows, the gauchos would play a game involving teams of two gauchos upon horses and a cow in between with a ball either side of the cow. The aim of the game was to see which team could run the furthest while maintaining the cow and balls in the middle. There was no time for cow running for us though, after raising a flag and revealing a monument on the mountain sides we had to head back down the mountains.

Trundling back down is a much quicker process but the route still leaves plenty of time to work on perfecting that gaucho cry ‘aaaaaiiiii oooo’. Something like that.

**You can hire horses and a gaucho guide from numerous gauchos in the Manzano Historico. A full day horseriding will cost around $250 pesos. Buses to Manzano Historico can be taken from the main bus station in Mendoza and take an hour and a half.

Amanda Barnes is a British journalist living in Mendoza and felt a little bit disgusted but rather proud of the color of the water in her bathtub after two days on the road with a bunch of gauchos. Aaaaaiiiiii ooooo!

Last week I began a series of posts on our current Cellar Rats, David and Richard from Louisiana.  Today we find out how they ended up at The Vines of Mendoza and learn a little about their travels in South America!  Here’s what they had to say:

How did you here about The Vines and what made you want to do this?

Richard: It’s kind of a funny story, we were in Southern Chile and we were staying at a place called Tierra Patagonia, which is a really cool hotel down there.  The last day we were there we ended up hiking up to the base of the towers. 

David: We went on a hike with this couple and we got to know them really well along the hike. Their next step on the trip was to come up here to The Vines of Mendoza. We mentioned that we’ve been looking for work in interesting places, voluntary stuff to  gain experience and learn how to do different things whether in other types of agriculture or in winemaking.  We ended up keeping in touch with them and as a result they got us in touch with Michael. We talked with him and the rest is history!  It was really quite lucky on our part.

Richard: Yeah, we feel really lucky to be a part of this.  And everybody, of course, is so awesome here and so nice.

David: We were immediately accepted, everyone was like “when can you come out? Do whatever you want to do, we’re here to help you learn” and it’s been really cool.

Have you had other experiences in volunteer work similar to this?

David: I worked as an agriculture and bee-keeping volunteer in Southern Paraguay.  I did that for two years and just finished in December.  I was able to learn a lot about basic agricultural practices, community gardens and soil health, soil recuperation.  But nothing really exactly like this, or on this kind of scale.  The greatest part about it was you get to work with these bees and watch them produce this product and at the end, you harvest your own honey and it is delicious.

A: It’s like making wine!

David: Exactly!  From the start to finished process, it is really similar.

David on the bottling truck filling boxes with wine ready to be labeled

  Alex Chalkley is a Professional Photographer from Washington, D.C. who is helping to document the harvest season on The Vines of Mendoza Private Vineyard Estates

With Harvest Season kicking into full gear at The Vines of Mendoza, we need a lot of helping hands!  Our Cellar Rat program is a special opportunity for those who are interested in winemaking to spend time at our vineyard and participate in all aspects of the wine production process. Currently we have two brothers from Shriveport, Louisiana, David and Richard, participating.  I sat down with them for a little Q & A session to see how their experience is going so far.

Can you guys tell me a little about what the Cellar Rat program is from your perspective?

David: People come for from a few weeks to several months to learn about the process of making wine and to have the opportunity to work at a quality winery in Mendoza.

Richard: It’s a voluntary program where we’ve been able to see everything from harvesting the grapes in the morning to sorting the grapes and then moving them from tanks to fermentation tanks to barrels. For the next couple of days we’ll be bottling. You really get to experience the whole process.

What kinds of things have you been doing so far?

Richard: Well today we joined the rest of the group out there harvesting. They give you some gloves and some shears and we cut down the grapes.

David: We were harvesting Merlot this morning, but we were processing Torrontes this afternoon.  And then, really anything you can think of – from cleaning the barrels in the bodega to helping to circulate the wines in the tanks to taking laboratory samples. As much as you can do in the bodega, we’ve been able to be a part of it and learn a ton. Anything Walter can find for us to do, we’re on it.

Wondering what Richard and David will be up to next? Keep following my blog …

David sorting Torrontés grapes

Richard helping Mariano move wine to a new fermentation tank

David collecting barrel samples to test in the laboratory

 Alex Chalkley is a Professional Photographer from Washington, D.C. documenting the harvest season at The Vines of Mendoza.

Periodically, Winemaker’s Night steps it up a notch with food pairings along with the wines – and last night was one of those special nights. Terrazas de los Andes was the winery of the evening and we tasted four of their fine wines with special tapas food pairings.

We spoke to senior winemaker Adrian Meyer after the talk to find out a bit more about his experience as a winemaker and in Mendoza:

What made you want to be a winemaker?

I was born in Mendoza! When I was 10 my father had a small winery and I worked there with him during the holidays and it was very interesting…. I worked there for 8 years, it was a very small winery but it was an amazing experience for me. I studied here in Mendoza to make wine and then I went to France for two years for a masters degree. And now this is my passion.

How do you think the 2012 harvest will be with all the colder, cloudier and rainier weather?

Its good for the Chardonnay in Mendoza, but maybe the Torrontes in Cafayate might be a problem. They might be a bit less concentrated and so there could be a risk of botrytis. But we will do our best to pick the best grapes and make the right selection. The reds are still very healthy; they look good in the vineyards. It is not too cold though, we are actually harvesting earlier for the reds.

Terrazas is owned by a French company, do you think that you can make a ‘French wine’ in Argentina?

It is not possible to make a French wine in Argentina–as the wine always reflects the terroir–along with the varietal and the human being that is working with it. Even the French winemakers here are not making French wines. It is not possible and it is not logical.

I am not sure if there is a unique Argentine style, there are lots… but I think the most important part of Argentine wine is the passion of all winemakers to make the best wine every vintage. We are a young country producing really high quality wines. It’s a challenge to every winemaker to make the best wine of every kind.

The winery is owned by the same group as Louis Vuitton … do you own anything ‘designer’? Or have you ever bought fake designer garb?

I am not a Luis Vuitton guy really. I am very simple as a person, I don’t care too much about my image, my car, or whatever. I am very simple and grounded. To me it is just the passion for winemaking. But yes, some events organized by the winery are very glamorous and I have to dress up.

You work for ‘Terrazas de los Andes”, what has been your most memorable experience in the Andes?

I used to climb mountains, although now I am a bit out of shape! But I still love the mountains. I love mountain biking and fly fishing – those are my hobbies that I hope to begin to do again and enjoy nature. The Andes are huge – they are not just Aconcagua or the fashionable places, there are so many places to discover. Mendocineans look at the Andes, but sadly they are not able to discover every corner of them.

What we tasted:

Torrontes Reserva, 2011: This was a concentrated and elegant Torrontes with good body for this usually lighter varietal. Classical spicy fruits, flowers and citrus in the nose were a nice compliment to the garlicky prawn crostini. Adrian said that he found Torrontes to be a good pairing for Asian inspired dishes with stronger flavors like chilli, ginger and garlic.

Chardonnay Reserva 2010: This Valle de Uco Chardonnay was rich in butter, banana and hazlenuts with a good minerality and a nice acidity. The wine was 100% fermented in oak barrels (from France and the US) giving it a creaminess and helping it hold up to stronger food flavors. Paired with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato, and pesto, the fresh flavors highlighted the crisp nature of the wine and its palate cleansing acidity.

Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009: Rich berries, a bit of leather and tobacco make this a wine to chew and mull over for a little bit. Paired with a traditional meat empanada the more tannic qualities of the cabernet worked well with the juicy and fatty meat.

Afincado Malbec 2007: This wine focuses on the concept of single vineyard, and comes from Las Compuertas where you get a very concentrated fruity wine. As their oldest vines 1929 (ungrafted) this is their icon wine, and deservedly so. Intense, rich and still with an abundance of feminine floral and light fruit qualities that balance it out, this is a fab wine. Matched with a Patagonian lamb stew, this slightly spicy and richer dish sat really nicely with the juicy Malbec. A gorgeous pairing.

Amanda Barnes is a British journalist who has lived Mendoza for two years and whose most memorable experiences in the Andes include losing all sensation in her toes while ice climbing, seeing condors glide below while rock climbing, getting dirty while riding horses with gauchos, splashing about in hot springs, falling over a thousand times while trekking, screaming her lungs out while sky diving, making lots of weird cooing noises while paragliding, getting wet windsurfing, giving her friend (and owner of the car) a panic attack while off road driving, condemning the unflattering nature of wetsuits while rafting and waterboarding, and over eating at numerous asados. This winter she winter she wants to have a go at skiing, or at least a bit of ‘culipatin’ (butt skiing in translation).