Argentina & Buenos Aires Gay Travel

Mendoza winery

If you consider yourself well traveled and enjoy the finer things in life, you probably enjoy visiting places before they become too popular. If you’ve not been, now is the time to visit the delightful center of Argentina’s wine country, Mendoza, before it gets too well known abroad. The number of American visitors has increased steadily in the past few years, and many have even started their own wineries there; people like Francis Ford Coppola and Ward Lay of Frito-Lay are two of the better known who have done this.

The province of Mendoza has more than a thousand wineries, referred to as bodegas, 300 alone in the immediate area of the capital city of the same name. Many of these have gourmet restaurants, provide wine tours, and some even provide very comfortable boutique accommodations. But the destination is about to go big time. In the last five years, Mendoza’s wine tourism has dramatically evolved, and this is the perfect time to visit. There is another reason not to delay; the prices are a fraction of what you’d pay in Europe or in the California wine country for similar accommodations, gourmet food and fine wines, and a romantic atmosphere. In Argentina, wines remain an incredible value, despite the country’s high, yet officially unacknowledged inflation rate.

While the Andean summer (December-March) is high season, the climate is mild enough to welcome visitors year round, and the range of accommodations is wide. Winter in Mendoza usually means sunny, crisp days, and nights in front of a cozy fire.  English is widely spoken, due to the touristic nature of the area, and Americans represent the largest group of international tourists, followed by Brazilians and Chileans. (Mendoza is closer to Santiago than Buenos Aires.) Some of the larger wineries are generally prepared to provide drop-in visitors with tours and tastings, but the majority, including many of the boutique wineries, will only do this by appointment, and virtually all require reservations for their gastronomic dining experiences. Most tastings and tours, however, are free, and guides attempt to personalize their narrative depending on the visitors’ level of wine experience and interest. You won’t find buses in the parking lot.

Mendoza naturally looks more Andean than European Buenos Aires, but the city is mainly flat with abundant desert palm and eucalyptus trees. An exception to this is the green Parque San Martin just outside of town, entered through ancient city gates, with the zoo, an amphitheatre, and at the top, Cerro de la Gloria, with a huge equestrian monument to the liberator General San Martin, of course. The view from here is quite dramatic, with condors flying overhead.

Mendoza is easy to navigate, even in a rental car, as opposed to the chaotic streets of Buenos Aires. There are plenty of sights in the central city, but the bodegas are all over the surrounding areas, and I strongly recommend you stop at The Vines of Mendoza at Espejo 567, just a block from the Park Hyatt, before you do anything. (www.vinesofmendoza.com) Open from 9 to 9 daily (with some seasonal variations), this unique information/tasting room was started by Americans Michael Evans and David Garrett and Argentine Pablo Gimenez-Rilili who could see the area’s potential for wine tourism. Just opened in March 2006, the helpful English-speaking young ladies are knowledgeable about all the bodegas and the wines. They offer free trip planning, reservations for visits, dining, guided tours, arrange transportation, and the adjacent tasting room features free samples of many boutique wines, nearly all averaging around $10US a bottle locally.  I especially enjoyed the Otello Malbec 2005 with its coffee and cherry aroma. There is a small charge for some specialized wines. The center does offer wines by the glass, but does not sell them by the bottle. Instead, they will take orders for cases (in Argentina a case is six bottles) for delivery to your home in the U.S. or Europe. If you fall in love with the area as many have, the Vines also will sell you your own vineyard land in the nearby Uco Valley, at $40,000 an acre (minimum two acres) and will help you get started.

There are too many reasons to visit this outstanding wine region. So put Mendoza on your list for a visit, but don’t wait long