Malbec and Sauvignon; wine tasting travels through Argentina and Chile
Malbec and Sauvignon; wine tasting travels through Argentina and Chile
Latin America Sales Specialist, Sarah, traded her office desk chair for the saddle in South America on a journey across Chile and Argentina. Naturally, she had to sample the local produce along the way...
As the wheels bounced on the Tarmac, lifted up momentarily then came back down again, I felt a burst of excitement that I had landed in Santiago, Chile, nearly 10 years since my previous visit.
After a pleasant transfer to Chile’s wine producing region in the Central Valley, I arrived at La Casona. I was welcomed to this delightful country home and vineyard by the friendly staff who showed me to my room, aptly named Sauvignon Blanc.
One of the highlights of staying at La Casona and vineyard is the delicious food prepared by the local chef and the fantastic wine produced on the Matetic vineyard. After enjoying a scrumptious lunch, delicately paired to wine, I cycled to the vineyard for a wine tour. As you approach the vineyard you are blessed with the lush scenery of miles upon miles of grape vines. I was there in early April and they still had the Pinot Noir grapes on the vines but if you want to see the grape vines at their finest, before all of the grapes are harvested then February and March are the best months to visit because most of the harvesting is done in March.
Matetic vineyard is proud to be one of the few vineyards in the world that produces wine using biodynamic principles. On the wine tour you learn about the methods used to grow the organic grapes and visit the wine cellar where the wine is stored in French oak barrels until it's ready to be bottled up. Of course part of the tour is tasting the wine and after sampling 6 different wines I am still a big fan of the crisp, elegant and fresh flavour of Sauvignon Blanc but I also enjoyed the red plum and dried blackberry flavours of the award winning Syrah EQ.
With the neighbourly rivalry that goes on between Chile and Argentina’s wine production, I think it is only fair to make your own, judgement and this is what I decided to do. After a 40-minute flight I found myself in Mendoza, home to Malbec.
I must admit I hold a special love for Argentina and I keep getting drawn back to this wonderful country for its incredible, diverse landscapes, vibrant culture and food. The immense beauty of Mendoza and the surroundings did not disappoint me. Sitting at the foot of the snow-capped Andes mountain range is Uco Valley, with its perfect climate and fertile land it has become the place where the younger wine grapes are grown and now has a cluster of luxury hotels and vineyards that produce some of the country’s finest, award winning wine.
As well as sampling the sensational Malbec wine produced in Mendoza I went on a full day horse ride from Estancia La Quebrada del Condor, situated in the Cordon del Plata mountain range, a short drive from Uco Valley. I've been a keen horse rider all my life but riding in Argentina is a completely different style, firstly the Argentine saddle (gaucho saddle) is more like an arm chair with layers of sheepskin blankets piled on top of each other and secondly the horse responds to different rein signals. It didn't take me long to adjust to this more comfortable way of riding.
We set off up the mountain and within half an hour I noticed three condors effortlessly riding the thermals in the skies above, I find it fascinating how these huge birds take to the skies. In the distance we caught a glimpse of a herd of Guanacos grazing and we carried on further up the mountain and reached the highest point where we were blessed with a stunning views of mountainous scenery and the flat plains of Uco Valley in the distance.
Upon returning back to Estancia La Quebrada del Condor the chef had prepared a delicious asado (Argentine BBQ) of chorizos, morcillas (black pudding), sausage with grilled vegetables and salad - and of course accompanied by locally produced Malbec.
