Now, just having concluded our wonderful trip to Argentina, I've got a chance to write some reviews that have been awaiting.
Mendoza was our first stop in the country and the Wine tour that Ampora took us on was an amazing way to start! First off our tour host, Belen, was absolutely terrific. She was Informative, knowledgeable, charming and funny - could not have asked for anyone better. Our group was in total 7 people which was ideal. This made our interactions with our guide and the bodega hosts more intimate.
Our tour on a rainy Saturday was of the Uco Valley. It was a long drive out (90 minutes each way) there but it was a great way to see a different side of Argentina than just cities. The tour does start early (8:30) and takes all day (6:30 return). The tour van is very comfortable though. There were 3 vineyards (Bodegas) we visited along the way with the final stop also including a gourmet lunch. Bouquet, Solo Contigo and O'Fournier. All 3 bodegas were beautiful. The surprise was the quite modern design of each place. Beautiful. The wines were wonderful and captured the local terroir quite nicely. At the first two stops, the bodegas had set up a beautiful table for us to taste at. It made it so much better than bellying up to a bar.
At the last stop, the gourmet lunch was flat out fantastic. 4 courses with a finale of Osso bucco that was fantastic. Finally, we got to tour the O'Fournier barrel room. It had, in years past, won architectural design awards. Once there you can see why.
Truly a 5 star adventure! read more