Bikes and wine a good fit
Jodi Yeats likes wine and bikes, so what could possibly go wrong with a bike tour of Mendoza’s vineyards in Argentina?
As I pedal my chopper-style bicycle furiously along the dusty shoulder of a busy, cityfringe road in 32 degrees Celsius heat, I question the wisdom of my choice. I like cycling and wine, so the chance to bring them together in Argentina’s Mendoza sounded ideal. However, the map the good people at Baccus Biking, in Chacras de Coria, gave me doesn’t show half of the streets and isn’t to scale. Anyway, try reading a map while you are cycling. Consequently, I cycle past the first winery and find myself back in Lujan de Cuyo, where I am staying, before I realise I must be lost.
I double back and wonder how I missed the grand entrance to the rambling sandstone buildings of Lagarde, one of the original vineyards in the Maipu village, which is now more like a leafy outer suburb of Mendoza city.
I have arrived too late for the English language tour, so trail around with a Spanish tour trying to get the gist. Outside, however, I give up on trying to grasp the complexities of grafting and irrigation. I take some time to regret not doing more homework from my Spanish night class, while enjoying a classic Mendoza view of long rows of vines streaming out from the snowy Andes mountains beyond.
At the end of the tour, I head into the tasting room. A pair of fellow Baccus bikers, from Argentina, evidently did their English homework – it is taught in most schools – and are happy for the tasting to be conducted in English. A cool breeze wafts around us as the beautiful Veronica pours wine tastings and describes each one in poetic language.
The region is famous for its malbec and the ones we try are divine, with strong berry and plum flavours, along with chocolate, spice and tannins.
Veronica tells us that two sisters run Lagarde. They took over when the male heirs ran out. Lagarde’s history is typical of the region’s older vineyards. It was planted in 1897 by a family who had emigrated from Portugal.
The Pescamonas originally grew large volumes of grapes to make table wine for household use. However, as a zeitgeist raised quaffing standards around the world in the 1970s and 80s, the vineyard started producing smaller volumes of high-quality wine.
After the tasting, I have revived enough to get back on my bike for a visit to Mendoza’s most famous and beloved garagista, Carmelo Patti.
A garagista buys grapes and makes wine in a very large garage. Carmelo’s family emigrated from southern Italy when he was 1. He is about 152 centimetres tall and speaks only Spanish, but slowly and with such expression it is easy to understand him.
After a free tasting of his delicious wines, I join up with another pair of Bacchanalian bikers, this time from France. This is lucky as it is a long stretch to the next vineyard, along busy roads and, between us, we manage not to get lost.
Nieto Senitiner is another of the original vineyards and was planted by an Italian family in 1900. In addition to the usual malbec blends, we taste a white wine called Emelia, a blend of chardonnay and viognier. It is known as ‘‘the liar’’, because its sublime tropical bouquet belies a very dry, crisp white wine.
By now, the accumulation of wine
tastings is taking a toll. I have separated from the French couple and quickly get lost. I grind to a halt on a small, not very steep hill that turns out to be a kind of on-ramp. At the top, I check my map and realise I must be on the route marked with crosses indicating ‘‘cycling forbidden here’’. I figure that I will be able to exit after a short, unpleasant, stretch on the busy highway. Soon, I am back on familiar rural roads, hurtling back to Baccus Bikes in an effort to get there by closing time at 6pm.
I just make it and taxi back to my luxurious home, Lujan de Cuyo BnB,
feeling shattered from the heat-andalcohol combo.
A French traveller working there sets a small table near the lounger I have collapsed onto and produces salad and empanadas for two Canadian guests and myself. The three of us have a wonderful night sitting outside and talking about politics, books and travel.
If you love wine, mountains and bicycles – and don’t mind getting lost – I recommend a visit to Mendoza.
❚ The writer travelled on her own dime, but was a guest of Lujan de Cuyo BnB.