Mendoza: You Can Have Your Steak and Drink Wine Too

6.29.08 -- I’m finally here with Ashley in what is the wine Mecca in Argentina: Mendoza. Known as the Napa Valley of Argentina, this is where we will find what we came here for – a new wine to introduce to the American market. A desert at the foot of the Andes, the Mendoza region’s over 500 wineries are watered by canal systems that collect and channel snow run-off from the mountains just in the distance. Without this liquid gold, Mendoza would be a wasteland. But with it, it's the perfect location to grow grapes: ideal soil conditions, lots of sunlight, extreme temperature swings during the night and day, and essentially no air pollution. Beautiful.

Yesterday was spent traveling from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Due to a flight delay I meet Ashley at the Mendoza airport to travel to the center together. What a joy to see her! Those few days seemed like months!

We took a taxi to town and headed out quickly in search of dinner. After a couple taxi rides and a bottle of wine (why not, right?), we found a fantastic steakhouse. We arrived at 10:30pm and told the waiter, Andrelito, about our business and how excited we were to be there. After making a wine recommendation, he told us he would take care of us. The steak we received was definitely not the one we ordered. We split a 16 oz steak that took about 45 minutes to arrive. We were told the wait was to smoked it rather than cooked it over a flame. It was the best steak I’d ever had, thick and incredibly juicy. Oh my god, it was delicious. The wine we had was a 60% Malbec/40% Bonarda blend that was rich enough to hold up to the dinner yet fruity enough to stand on its own. What a meal.

Incidentally, we left at about 12:30am, and people were still coming in for dinner!

Tastings:

Michel Rivier 60% Malbec/40% Bonarda: Fruity like a malbec but the bonarda gave it some oomph. Perfect with red meat.

Michel Rivier Malbec Rose: Light and refreshing like a traditional rose but the mablec gives it a fantastic fruitiness. Great for a warm day.

Siete Fincas Malbec, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon: All three offerings were in top form, with the cabernet being a favorite. Well worth the price.