THE WINE HARVEST FESTIVAL
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA 2009

[Click here for photos of the Wine Harvest Festival by Dave Roberts]

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ITINERARY

(updated 5 June 2008) 

Sun. Mar. 1:            Welcome to Mendoza!  It is the time of the Vendimia, The Wine harvest Festival!  The province has over 2,000 wineries.  The elegant restaurants are considered some of the finest on the continent.  Almost half of this delightful resort city is park:  lakes dotted with small boats, clubhouses, paths, and roads for horse carriages.  Over 100 years ago the river was diverted into small canals and maple trees were planted.  Every neighborhood is shady and green.  It is early Autumn; the weather is mild.  The main streets are lined with café tables.  It is a delight to sit on the terrace of the small casino overlooking the park.  Our hotel is one of the finest in town.  Each suite has a bedroom, living room, dining area and full kitchen.  The best of Mendoza is a short walk away.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Mon. Mar. 2:            A buffet breakfast will be provided every morning.  Today you can explore the town at your leisure.  This evening an unlimited dinner from the menu of “Mi Tierra” restaurant will be provided.  It begins with a guided tour.  Each dining room is a showcase for some of the famous bodegas (wineries) of the region: Norton, Catena Zapata, Chandon, Terrazas and others.  The menu includes Mi Terra Platter: Goat and gouda cheeses, smoked salmon venison, wild boar, pheasant, mashed smoked venison, seasonal grapes, a variety of dried fruits, green leaves and olives.  Another treat is the Beef Loin Roll filled with smoked pheasant and tybo cheese served with wine sauce on rosemary mashed potatoes.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Tue. Mar. 3:            Today private transport, tours and tastings will be provided to 4 famous bodegas in the Luján de Cuyo area: Terrazas, Norton, Chandon and Tapiz.  We will also have an unlimited lunch from the menu at the rustic “Casa de Campo” restaurant.  One favorite is an order of 10 tapas (proscuitto, cheese with olive oil and oregano, capricoli, prepared dry sausage, mild sausage sobresada, pickled eggplant, head cheese, Greek olives, sun dried tomatoes with olive oil, and pork pate) accompanied with homebaked bread.  Their signature meal is Mud Oven Baked Suckling Pig (accompanied with peppers, onions and eggplant).  The owners, Jorge and Juan, will give us lavish attention.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Wed. Mar. 4:            This morning you can visit the elegant shops of Mendoza and browse for fine leather jackets, belts, knives and buckles of typical gaucho designs.  This afternoon, private transport, tours and tastings will be provided at the Navarro Correas bodega.  Later, we will tour Bodega Escorihuela, one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in the country; then, an unlimited dinner from the menu of the their famous “1884” restaurant.  They list 352 wines.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Thur. Mar. 5:            A day to relax by the pool, shop, or explore the galleries and museums.  Most evenings there is dancing, inexpensive wine and food (of gourmet quality) in the many small parks such as Plaza Italiana.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Fri. Mar. 6:              The wine growers of the 18 provinces each sponsor a candidate for Queen of the Harvest.  There are professional photo portraits of each one all around the town.  Tonight is the Via Blanca de las Reina Parade, one of the highlights of the festival, with the floats of the queens meandering through the streets for hours.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Sat. Mar. 7:             This morning there is the Carousel Parade with floats, gauchos, and even a mobile asado (barbeque).  Watch out for flying melons and rocketing cartons of wine!  Tonight is the grandest event: The Vendimia Acto Central, drawing forty thousand spectators under the stars in a natural amphitheater in the foothills of the Andes.  Tickets are as treasured as those for the Super Bowl  (we have reserved and will provide yours).  It is a lavishly presented stage show with singing, dancing; all culminating in the coronation of the Harvest Queen.  It closes with a spectacular fireworks display.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

Sun. Mar. 8:              12:30 AM; the new Queen is serenaded by local musicians at her balcony.  Sleep until noon, have a late breakfast (a corner café serves strawberry smoothies with cognac) and shop for olive oil, and that special bottle of wine that they do not export.
HOTEL: (MENDOZA)

ˇBuen Provecho!

Note: Schedule of activities and events in Mendoza will vary.