Baby Siena Wines

One fall afternoon we decided to go wine tasting in Mendoza like true Slow Travelers, riding the bus.  From our maps, it deceivingly looked like all that would be required was a quick bus ride followed by a short stroll to reach Alta Vista, the winery producing some of our Argentine favorites.  We made an online reservation and headed out, toddler in tow.

We were running a bit behind, ended up on a local bus stopping every two blocks, and found that a short walk on the map wasn’t so short after all.  To make up time, I carried Siena as J strode ahead to verify whether we were even heading in the right direction as my navigational skills had been a bit off-kilter since jumping continents.  Meanwhile, dusk quickly enveloped us on a back country road in Mendoza’s wine country.

By the time we arrived at the guarded front gates, the only cars in the parking lot belonged to winery employees.  We explained to the guard that we had an appointment, and he then put us on the phone with the tasting room manager who explained that they were closed.  But, I explained, in Spanish, we have an appointment!  Incredulous, he came out to chat with us further and explain that the winery was actually closed.  However, as luck had it, he decided to open the doors to us so we could sample some wine and have a personally-lead tour.

Once we were inside the winery, we had the opportunity to chat with some nice people, watch home videos on our new friends’ cell phones, and sample some interesting wines.  I enjoyed that they had a tasting list, so that those more wine-savvy or adventurous visitors could purchase wines by the glass and taste wines which wouldn’t otherwise be poured.

Already familiar with both their Premium Torrontes, high-end Alto blend, and in love with their mid-tier Atemporal, I was excited to try something new.  Not wanting to take advantage of their kindness, and considering my familiarity with their product line, I limited my tasting to the Terroir Selection Malbec.   This classic Malbec is worth trying, and educational as well as the label shares with you the proportion of grapes from specific vineyards, with a schematic depiction and additional information about the vineyards on the back label.  In the tasting room itself, there are posters further describing the vineyards, their altitudes, and their soil characteristics, in both English and Spanish.

After the personalized winery tour, to our pleasant surprise, we were offered (and gladly accepted) a ride back into downtown Mendoza.  This reminded us, once again, how fortunate we felt to be living in South America.