Sunday Special – Mendoza, Argentina

I’m going to get straight to the point – for this Sunday Special post, Mendoza = wine.

Wine, that delicious libation that is revered by millions. Now I am mainly a beer drinker and love me a decent craft beer to savour most anywhere, however, that does not mean I don’t enjoy wine. In fact, I drank wine more frequently than beer years ago. But as time went on wine decided to not like me. It chose to cause a great deal of congestion and discomfort in my sinuses. And not just a little. If I had more than 2 glasses of the sweet elixir I turned into a snotty-nosed mess for at least a 24-hour period and no amount of decongestants or antihistamines could help. It’s some sort of allergy I guess. So I turned to beer and found my drink (after tea). Now I have found some wine that I react to far less, if at all. Perhaps my allergy/mystery is changing (as some allergies do) or some wines do not contain the item(s) that command my sinuses to over react.  I don’t know but I am glad I have been able to enjoy wine now and again. Some of these “forgiving” wines are from Argentina, so let’s take at look at Mendoza!

The Argentinian province of Mendoza is located in the west-central part of the country along the Chilean border in the shadow of the Andes Mountains, near Mount Aconcagua. It is the most important wine region in the country (yay!) producing nearly two-thirds of all the wine produced in Argentina. Some of the varietals that are produced in the region include chardonnay, malbec, torrontés, tempranillo, syrah, and several more. The province’s capital city of the same name is filled with tasting rooms, (wine) tour operators, and restaurants that pair well with whichever wine you sip. 

Now to be fair, the region does offer much more than just wine and wineries. It is a great spot to enjoy the outdoors by way of hiking and trekking, cycling, ice climbing, skiing and snowboarding, and golfing. Adventure seekers can partake in kite surfing, hand-gliding, ziplining, paragliding, kayaking, rock climbing and rappelling, and more. Of course there are spas, hot springs, shopping, and museums. So any way you look at it, Mendoza seems to offer quite a bit and all with a glass of wine if you like.