Vino y Cena = Wine & Dine

Day two started with a quick breakfast at the Park Hyatt before hopping into our hired car for another day of drinking, and more meat. Yay, calories!

The drive from Mendoza City to Luján de Cuyo is a short 30 minute ride once you hit the highway. It’s a stunning ride through crops and side streets that ultimately lead you to some of the oldest and most respected vineyards in all of Argentina’s wine region.

Luján de Cuyo is known by locals as the home of Malbec. It is in this area where the variety first started showing potential and where some of the most notable tastes still live today. There are now more than 50 bodegas in this region, with luxury resorts and restaurants sprinkled throughout.

Our first stop of the day was at the well-known Terrazas, one of the largest producers in Mendoza and member of LVMH. We absolutely loved our tour of this facility, which was purchased from it’s original owners in 1989 and has since been restored with a gorgeous arches, stainless steal tanks and a tasting room complete with all modern fixings. Our two guides were as pleasant as could be, and extremely knowledgeable about the wine industry in Argentina. Ironically, Argentina (unlike Chile) exports more wine each year than it consumers, so they are truly struggling to sell more locally. It’s obvious to visitors as some of the best bottles are less than $15USD – even in restaurants. We felt that it was our duty (right?!) to help support the local market, so we picked up a few more bottles for home. Our favorites included the Rose and the bold Cab Sauv for Patrick. Plus, of course, the Malbec.

The next stop was to the well-known Achaval Ferrer, which made its name on a single variety of Malbec. It’s know owned by a Russian family, who has expanded their production slightly to include a Pinot Noir, a blend, and a Cab Sauv, among a few others. Each of their wines is bold, expressive and highly regarded (especially by locals). While we enjoyed our tasting, we ultimately decided to saved ourselves for the final stop at ReNacer. The views from Achaval Ferrer are worth a stop if you’re nearby!

• 

• 

• 

Lunch at ReNacer received rave reviews, so we prepared ourselves for another massive meal filled with Argentinian wines and meats, and multiple deep breathing exercises. We arrived at the property and were immediately transported to a secret garden filled with cascading willow trees, a pond filled with ducks, a swing overlooking the vineyards and birds chirping in the branches above. It’s like Cinderella invited her cast of magical animals and they all joined us onsite at ReNacer. We did a brief tour of the grounds and then sat down to enjoy our six course meal and wine pairings. We were not disappointed with a single thing. Liquid or solid. It was all delicious! Our favorites were the Trout and Filet; along with the Rose Reserve and the Malbec Reserve.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We continued living our best lives later that afternoon at the Park Hyatt, where we enjoyed some pampering at the spa. With the conversion between Argentinian Pesos and the USD, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity for some deep tissue massages. We relaxed, rejuvenated and packed for our adventure back to Buenos Aires the following day, before heading to dinner at Azafran. We won’t bore you with more photos of meat and wine – but it’s important to note this was perhaps one of our best steaks in all of Argentina. If you’re in Mendoza, this restaurant is a MUST! And be prepared to select your own wine from their cellar; it’s an adventure and you’ll enjoy every second of it.

More on our last excursion in Mendoza – Parque San Martín – before we head back to Buenos Aires for the final leg of our trip.