Before I left the UK I really wanted to do a horse riding tour of the vineyards, this soon got dicthed as the tour company needed at least 2 people to sign up before they would run it. I decided I would wait until I arrived and plan something. It turns out that I had two options for organised tours. The first was a half day tour only visiting 2 vineyards at a reasonable cost of around 65pesos (£11) the other was a full day tour that was in excess of £100 - however everywhere I looked this required a min 2 persons on the tours. It seems wine country does not favour the lone traveller.
I was about to give up, when an english couple on the High Andes tour yesterday told mee of a DIY option. Armed with the information I decided what the hell and I would give it a shot.
O M G...I am so pleased I did - what a great day I've had.
So the instructions...
- Get the the main bus station
- Get on the number 10 bus on one of three routes, the 171, 172 or 173
- Tell the bus driver you want Mr Hugos Bikes (About a half hour ride)
- Get a bike and a map
- Visit the vineyards
- Get back home
This seemed like an adventure, so this morning I set off and got to the bus station really easily, and managed to get the right bus. The bus journey was an experience, the driver was really happy and waved to everyone - an few times I felt like asking him to keep his eyes on the road! (Combined with one woman breast feeding her daughter who was clearly at 3 yrs old - it was different - however it was very cheap (See my tally at later!)
I got to Mr Hugos and was greeted by Mr Hugo himself. I paid, got a map and got a bike and off I went!
My first stop was the Wine Museum, I just missed the start of the tour so couldn't join it, but spent 10 mins poking around and seeing lots of machinery used for wine making from years gone by. Then I decided I would head to the furthest vineyard I wanted to visit first, then work my way back. So I set off on a good 5km ride heading for the "Bodega" Familia Di Tommaso. This dates back to 1869 and is the oldest bodega still in operation - not the oldest overall, just the oldest still producing wine. A very small family run vineyard I was given a short tour and then had the chance to taste 4 different wines. Delicious! I chose to have lunch here too - How could I resist Lasagne followed by "Grandma Tommasos special Tiramisu" - So nice and hey - I was on a bike so I could burn it all off!
My next stop was a boutique bodega call Mevi where I tried another 3 wines (Not much of a tour here - a very swanky modern winery though - with awesome views!). 3rd stop was Tempus Alba - a grand winery from a very large Italian family producing vast amounts of grape - however not actually using that many for their own wine. It seems a lot of wineries sell their grapes to smaller families that don't necessarily have the land.
10 wines in and I thought I should start aiming for my last stop, so I headed to Trapiche - this winery is the largest exporter from Argentina with 45% of Argentinian wine coming from this company. They do not have the largest vineyard in terms of hectares, but are the largest producers. The tour here was very in depth, we were even invited to pick some grapes to taste - I chose the Malbec grape and it actually tasted more like a blueberry! It ended with a tasting of 4 wines, however our guide was on the last tour of the day so we go a few more glasses than we should, and everyone left tipsy - including the guide. As we left, a french couple spotted in the comments book an entry saying "I'm so drunk..thank you..." from someone from the USA. I couldn't resist adding "Ah lightweights, 4 bodegas, 14 wines later, and I'm still sober! - Chris from the UK" to which the french girl added "Same here - France"
On the way back to Mr Hugos I was tempted by "Historias y Sabores" - a family run company that prided itself in Liquors, Chocolate and Jams - a perfect end to the day and I have to say, the Dolche de Leche liquor and the Pumpkin and Cinnamon Jam were something special!
I made it back to Mr Hugos, once more greeted by the very happy and smiley Mr Hugo himself who then proceeded to give me another glass of wine, it would be rude to say now right? I sat in the sun enjoying the wine when I was joined by 4 girls - two from Canada and 2 from Sweden - the afternoon soon descended into drunken laughter with Mr Hugo continually filling our glasses. We eventually managed to escape and get the bus home, by now our group consisting of at least 15, all after a full day of visiting vineyards and tasting wines. A truly fantastic day full of great wines and ending with some real belly aching laughter. So pleased I didn't succumb to the expensive guided tours, so here's how it compared:
Half Day tour with two wineries - 65 pesos (About £11)
Full day tour assuming two people, a couple of high end wineries and lunch - 700 pesos ( About £102)
My DIY Trip in pesos:
Return bus fare - 3.60
Bike Hire - 35
Familia di Tomasso tour - 20
Lunch - 80
Mevi Tasting - 25
Tempus Alba tasting - 25
Trapiche tour and tasing - 25
Historias y Sabores tasting - 25
Total: 238.60 pesos (About £35)
DIY trip wins hands down and anyone reading this thinking of a trip to Argentina - ask me for more specifics about this - it really was the most enjoyable way to see the wineries and meet some great people - all at the same time as getting a bit of exercise!
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