Mr Hugo dropped some bikes around for us at lunchtime & we set off to check out a couple of local wineries & get something small for lunch (as we were going out to a swanky dinner later).
It was hot. Very hot. Dusty. And the roads are shocking. There IS a bike lane (which is a surprise I have to say) but it was in pretty bad condition and most of the time you had to go on the road or on to a dirt "footpath" to avoid the slabs of path that were missing - or the buses, trucks & lunatic drivers in their rusting (but still running!) vintage automobiles (we are talking old Fiats, Renaults, Peugeots and brightly painted Dodges).
This is real redneck territory here in Maipú which is a small town about 15 kms from Mendoza located in the high plains at the foot of the Andes.
Anyway, we managed to survive what by our standards should have been a short, routine bike ride to a small boutique winery, Mevi, where we had a small lunch & taste of wines & returned in the heat via Trapiche, a huge winery which we elected not to go in & visit as we have two days of wine touring lined up.
After a rest (and a swim in the pool for My Friend) we were dropped off into Mendoza about an hour and a half before dinner by the kindly Alexis who came back for us at a designated time & place to take us to the restaurant - & later also took us back home. We wandered mainly around Plaza Independencia & the small handicraft market there. We sat awhile at the big fountain and wondered at what a glorious place this must have been once but now seems somewhat down-at-heel. It is a bustling city with a number of universities.
The restaurant was 1884 Francis Mallman & meant to be one of the top 10 in Argentina. I have to say for us it was a mixed experience but part of this could be due to the fact that starting to eat at 9:00 p.m. is a tad late for us. But also I think it is trading on its reputation. The service was rushed and the meal way too large.
But the place has wonderful presence & the sommelier was excellent & when we said we wanted to try a bonarda because we had never had one before, she suggested El Enemigo 2010 which was wonderful (and her choice was affirmed by two other wineries we went to the next day plus it has been awarded 90 points by Robert Parker, the wine critic).
The restaurant is housed in the Bodega Escorihuela winery & I started my meal with a viognier from that winery & it was lovely.
The story of El Enemigo is wonderful. The girls in my wine buying group may be interested in this. The daughter of Nicolás Catena, one of the foremost winemakers in Mendoza, partnered up in 2009 with Alejandro Vigil who had been chief winemaker at Catena Zapata for 13 years. Previously, Adrianna had been doing a PhD at Oxford. The El Enemigo bonarda is sourced from Bonarda and Cabernet Franc grapes from the nearby wine area of Luján de Cuyo.
As you do, we bumped into the Australian Women's Hockey Team also going into dinner.
Later!! Sank into bed. Thank you Alexis for delivering us back.
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