This 15 day itinerary includes tastings in wine making regions such as; Maipo, Cachapoal, Aconcagua and Casablanca Valleys.
Stay in four and five star hotels through to a luxury private rural retreat of Vina Tarapaca where one can horse ride around the estate, relax around the pool or stroll amongst the vines. The tour will take you to some of the best known of both big and small wineries of Chile and Argentina. Moving towards the coast to the Casablanca Valley one will discover such wine styles as Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays for which this cool coastal region is noted.

The tour will also take in the sights of the Chilean capital Santiago, the vibrant cultural city of Valparaiso and the beautiful resort area of Vina del Mar, which translates to ‘Vineyard by the Sea’.

As we depart Chile bound for Mendoza, the capital of the Argentine wine industry, we take a short one hour flight over the Andes and stay at the beautifully restored Hyatt Plaza Hotel situated in the middle of Mendoza opposite a magnificent park with gardens and fountains. From our base here in Mendoza we visit such wine regions as Maipu, Tupungato and Uco Valley and sample the world famous Argentinean red and white wines whilst also taking in a tour of the state capital of Mendoza. One of the highlights of this tour is a lunch and winery visit to Chandon, the birthplace of Bodegas Chandon, an off-shoot of the French Moet & Chandon, Robert Jean de Vogue’s first wine subsidiary outside of France. We will visit some boutique wineries as well as the biggest in Argentina – Trapiche.

From Mendoza we take a two hour flight to the nation’s capital Buenos Aires. We will stroll through the shopping mall of Avenue Florida which offers 10 blocks of shopping, take in the Italian districts of La Boca and Recoleta and visit the famous cemetery, home to the grave of Eva Peron. Your tour group will also visit the Presidential Palace and Palermo Park. The tour finishes with a tango show and dinner at one of Buenos Aries most famous tango halls, El Querandi Tango Club.

Priced from $10,590 per person twin share, the following is included: return economy airfares from Sydney with Lan Chile; 15 nights’ accommodation in 4 or 5 star hotels; all breakfasts, 9 lunches and 7 dinners, all offered with local wines in excellent restaurants & wineries; wine tastings in the most well-known wineries; cultural and sightseeing shows; all tipping (drivers/porters, waiters, concierge) and airport taxes. The reciprocity fee in Chile is also included in the price.

Your expert tour leader: Jim McMahon

Jim has been visiting Chile/Argentina for the past 15 years taking his first tour to these countries in 1997. Jim writes articles on wine for industry trade publications and is a commentator on Sydney Radio 2UE. Jim also consults to airlines, cruise lines and hotels in his field of speciality – wine. Jim travels Australia and the world as a national and international wine show judge.

__________________________________
SOURCE:
“An authentic taste of Chile and Argentina with Contours Travel boutique gourmet food and wine tour”
Thursday, 1 December 2011
http://www.etravelblackboard.com
http://www.etravelblackboard.com/article/126063/an-authentic-taste-of-chile-and-argentina-with-contours-travel-boutique-gourmet-food-and-wine-tour

It does seem to exist outside of normal geography. Buenos Aires is full of Belle Époque mansions and Haussmannesque boulevards built at the turn of the 20th century, when it was one of the world’s most glamorous cities. Yet it’s plonked between the vast, flat Rio de la Plata and the even vaster green plains of the pampas. Are we in Latin America or Western Europe? The 19th century or the 21st?

Buenos Aires’s richly mixed heritage and turbulent past seem to play into every facet of its culture, including its dark cinema, diverse (yet perpetually meat-heavy) cuisine, the wild street art that bedecks the neighborhoods of Palermo and Villa Crespo, a counterpoint to the graceful décor of the bars and eateries. The local dialect, with its Neapolitan cadences and sprinkling of lunfardo (B.A. slang), makes the locals hard to follow. But who cares what they’re saying? They look so good as they gesticulate passionately in the city’s overflowing cafés or file into its steakhouses, entire family in tow, for dinner at 10 p.m.

And even if you can’t understand Argentines, or their crazy history and even madder economics, you can do as the porteños do: Put on an impeccable outfit, head out into the streets and drink in the heady blend of old-world charm and emerging-economy brashness. These days, the city’s famous melancholy is cut with ample doses of optimism—and after all, it’s spring.

The Actor: Robert Duvall

Academy Award-winning actor; husband of Argentine actress Luciana Pedraza

Horseplay // Argentine Open Polo Championship. In the late spring, this event brings polo to the middle of the city. It’s quite nice, with a fashion parade and a cook-out and everything. Nov. 19 to Dec. 10, Campeonato Argentino Abierto, Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Dorrego; aapolo.com

Cozy Café // La Biela. I like to sit there late at night or early in the morning and talk, read or study. I order una lagrima—a teardrop—which you can only get in Argentina. It’s a drop of coffee in a small cup, topped off by hot milk. Avenida Presidente Manuel Quintana 600; labiela.com

Dance Studio // Carlos Copello tango school. In the Abasto area, right near the Carlos Gardel House museum. We go there and hang out. Copello is a great guy to talk to—he’s a real character, a fun-loving guy. He lays that accent on thick! Anchorena 575; carloscopello.com

Low-Key Digs// Etoile Hotel Buenos Aires. We stay at this little hotel right near La Biela. We’ve stayed all over that city, but La Etoile is very modest and very handy. Roberto M Ortiz 1835; etoile.com.ar

Classic Mall//Abasto Shopping. Abasto is one of my favorite neighborhoods—the people are very friendly. I go up in that shopping center, which used to be a food market, and get a cheap little asado. It’s phenomenal what they do with their meat in Argentina. Avenida Corrientes 3247; abasto-shopping.com.ar

The Foodie: Narda Lepes

Local chef, author and television personality

Major Spectacle// The Mataderos fair. On weekends you can see gauchos parading on their horses. It’s very popular but it’s very local. There’s craftsmanship on display as well—handmade knives, ponchos and things from the provinces. Avenida Lisandro de la Torre and Avenida de los Corrales; feriademataderos.com.ar

Modern Fare// Café San Juan. You can see the whole kitchen in this small, family-run place. The guy cooks from his heart—it’s very masculine cooking—and there’s a lot of flavor in what he does. I like the tapas. He always serves beef, and also game. Avenida San Juan 450; 11-4300-1112

Traditional Dishes // Oviedo. It’s a classic, upscale place with great cheese and the best wines in town. It’s Argentine food—the ingredients are very local—but you’ll see lots of Spanish recipes too. Beruti 2602; oviedoresto.com.ar

Best Beef// El Pobre Luis. I like different cuts in different places. But I go there for ojo de bife (rib-eye) and mollejas (veal sweetbreads). You have all this football paraphernalia around and you can see the parrilla, or grill, and watch how the guys work. Arribeños 2393; 11-4780-5847.

Groovy Glasses// Carla Di Sí. The best shops are in Palermo—I start at El Salvador and Armenia streets. This spectacle shop has a great collection, including designs that she makes herself from Italian materials. Gurruchaga 1677; carladisi.com.ar

The Music Man: Gustavo Santaolalla

Academy Award-winning composer, musician, producer and winemaker born in Buenos Aires

Live Music // La Trastienda Club. It’s a small enough place that you can really engage with whoever is playing. There’s a bar in the front where you can have a bite, and Monserrat is a great part of town. Go there to listen to under-the-radar acts. Balcarce 460; latrastienda.com

Grand Hotel// Alvear Palace Hotel. I like something that’s more traditional, and the service is amazing. It’s also very close to Centro Cultural Recoleta, a great place to see new art and photography. Avenida Alvear 1891; alvearpalace.com

I talian-Inspired Food// Pierino. It’s like an Italian cantina, full of tango memorabilia. They serve homemade Italian food, and there’s not really a menu—they just bring you stuff. It’s always packed. Lavalle 3499; 11-4864-5715

Tango Tunes// Torquato Tasso and La Catedral. I’m not very fond of the tango shows. I’d rather go to this bar to hear live tango music or to the real milongas to dance tango or to watch. Tuesday nights at Catedral, a very bohemian place in Almagro, are unbelievable. Torquato Tasso: Defensa 1575; torquatotasso.com.ar; La Catedral: Sarmiento 4006; 11-4342-4794

Record Store// Zivals. One of my favorite music stores. They have an incredible collection of Argentinian music, from tango to folk, rock and pop. Avenida Callao 395 and other locations; zivals.com

The Artist: Marta Minujín

Pop artist and Warhol collaborator

Caffeine Shot// Chez Pauline. I like to have coffee every morning with my friends there or at Le Pont, which is in my neighborhood and never closes. I love to go to the Florida Garden Café on Saturdays, when all the artists and painters of the city meet at midday. Chez Pauline: Juncal 1695; chezpauline.com.ar; Le Pont: Montevideo 1300; 11-4811-9163; Florida Garden: Florida 899; 11-4312-7902

Meat Treat// La Rambla. I don’t generally like restaurants, but I am fond of this spot at Ayacucho and Posadas streets in Recoleta. It’s a café-bar—not at all formal—and it has the city’s best steak sandwich. Posadas 1602; 11-4804-6958

Modern Art// Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. MALBA is my favorite museum, full of 20th century and contemporary art. I know all the people there, and they sell some of my things in the shop. I also go to their café to drink their marvelous fruit drinks. Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3415; malba.org.ar

Chic Shop// Min Agostini. Their clothes are very angular, industrial-looking. They make my overalls—I am always in overalls, and in black. Whenever I find black pants or shirts, I buy them. Libertad 1532; minagostini.com.ar

Fresh Gallery// Ruth Benzacar Galeria de Arte. You can buy the work of all the best young artists there. They have a few things of mine, as well. Florida 1000; ruthbenzacar.com

PLUS DON’T MISS

San Telmo Market | Browse this flea market for high-class bric-a-brac. mercadodesantelmo.com Recoleta Cemetery | Grand old families and military heroes lie entombed in mini pantheons of every imaginable architectural style. Patagonia Sur | Francis Mallmann’s restaurant showcases the flavorful produce of rural Argentina. restaurantepatagoniasur.com Street Art | Graffiti is the preferred medium of some of the city’s leading artists. Take a guided tour of the best walls with Graffiti Mundo. graffitimundo.com

Corrections & Amplifications

In Buenos Aires, the Mataderos fair is at Avenida Lisandro de la Torre and Avenida de los Corrales, and the store Min Agostini is at Libertad 1532. An earlier version of this article misspelled one of the fair’s cross streets as Avenida Lisandra de la Torre and misspelled the store’s street as Libertád.
______________________________
SOURCE:
“Buenos Aires”
Sarah Gilbert
OCTOBER 29, 2011
http://online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204644504576651081932691792.html

First wine-themed hotel in Buenos Aires, the 30-room Mio is owned by the Catena wine-producing family, with rooms starting at $269 (prices are given in U.S. dollars).

LOCATION

In leafy Recoleta, on exclusive Avenida Quintana, Mio is close to high-end shopping at designer boutiques and near Patio Bullrich mall and just blocks from Eva Perón’s tomb in Recoleta Cemetery.

THE ROOM

Rooms are large and theatrical, with a raised ledge on one side of the room leading to semi-open-format bathrooms. On that ledge, a carved wood bathtub made of caldén (a native Argentine wood) takes center-stage in front of floor-to-ceiling glass windows, with noisy electric-operated curtains opening onto balconies. The diverse décor features marble and glass; wine barrel woods; rich, deeply grained wood floors and cabinets; and polished gray concrete walls.

The sofas, chairs and throw rugs give punches of color. All rooms have iPod dock stations, free Wi-Fi, 32-inch televisions, DVD players and 80 HD cable channels. English or Spanish language newspapers are no extra charge. The mini-bar has liquor and specialty wine for sale, along with unlimited free house wine on tap, piped into rooms, and a free spigoted bottle of Argentine sparkling also available. The tap didn’t work on my visit, and the sparkling-wine bottle was empty. When replaced, the sparkling wine was rancid. I was ultimately given a bottle of bubbly in an old-fashioned ice bucket.

THE BATHROOM

Bathrooms are also on that raised ledge, made of highly polished marble, and are cut in two by the wooden tub, which can be something of an obstacle. The toilet and bidet have an area set apart by frosted glassed; the shower has a separate area, too. But the oversize sink and mirror are open to the room. (The Mio Suites have a second bathroom, and a private steambath.) A scale, slippers, robes and hairdryer are provided, as well as L’Occitane toiletries. One caution: a possibly dangerous but beautiful design issue. The polished stone ledge in conjunction with the sculptured bathtub leaves only a narrow passageway. It’s a precarious wet-foot situation, especially when rushing in the morning.

AMENITIES

Plenty for a small hotel, including the eighth-floor spa and gym, with its stone-lined whirlpool, wine treatment therapies and steam sauna withshower with head-to-toe pulsing water heads. The mezzanine houses a lounge and library, and a small conference center with Internet terminals. The lobby includes a restaurant, Tô, run by the chef Leandro Dimare, offering tapas with wine pairings, and a menu mixing Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, and wine-flavored desserts. In the morning, the same space serves breakfast and connects to a patio where giant sculptural insects play in a waterfall fountain. Breakfast is included in the room price: a generous buffet with pancakes, waffles, eggs and other made-to-order items.

BOTTOM LINE

With its dramatic design, the Mio is a welcome departure from Buenos Aires’s epidemic of bland boutique hotels. The location is ideal, and the multilingual staff, capable even in Russian, is friendly, skilled and accommodating. Still, like many design hotels, it values form over function, whether it is the bathtub dangerously dominating the bathroom wing or the troubled wine-tap system (the hotel’s signature gimmick, which one day might actually work). Doubles from $269 deluxe, $309 junior suite, $359 terrace suite, $749 mio suite.

Hotel Mio, Avenida Quintana 465; (54) 11-5295-8500; miobuenosaires.com.
___________________________
SOURCE:
“Hotel Review: Hotel Mio in Buenos Aires”
By MICHAEL T. LUONGO
Published: September 16, 201
http://travel.nytimes.com
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/travel/hotel-review-hotel-mio-in-buenos-aires.html

At the high end is the wine tasting room at La Bourgogne (Ayacucho 2027; 54-11-4805-3857; alvearpalace.com), a restaurant in the Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires‘s recoleta neighborhood, where for 310 pesos a person, about $75 at 4.12 pesos to the dollar, visitors can sample three or four wines with food pairings. Explanations are detailed, and despite the hotel’s gilded setting, Alejandro Barrientos, the head sommelier, said, “My wine tastings are very informal.”

For a more budget-friendly option, Thursday evening tastings at Lo de Joaquin Alberdi (Jorge Luis Borges 1772; 54-11-4832-5329; lodejoaquinalberdi.com.ar), a wine store in Palermo Soho, are 60 pesos. Visitors get four glasses of wine, accompanied by plates of ham and cheese. The store also offers private, personalized tastings at 150 pesos a person. “We can show you, for instance, how malbec is expressed across the country,” said Gaston Silva, the shop’s sommelier, “in Mendoza, in San Juan — or Torrontés, something new.”

Aldo’s Vinoteca, a new wine-centric restaurant in a hotel,
has nine sommeliers and a 42-page wine list.
Nicolas Goldberg for The New York Times

Indeed, part of the appeal of these tastings (and the challenge for their organizers) is the continual widening of the country’s wine spectrum. “Argentina is such a big country, with a range of climates,” said Martín Bruno, the sommelier at the Hotel Fierro’s Hernán Gipponi Restaurant (Soler 5862; 54-11-3220-6820; hgrestaurant.com.ar) in Palermo Hollywood. “It’s sad people only know us for malbec.” Tastings at the restaurant are 100 pesos a person, for four wines with food pairings.

Locals, tourists and expats alike gather for fun and festive events at 0800-VINO (Anchorena 695; 54-11-4966-2500; 0800-vino.com), a wine delivery and tasting company in Abasto, started by Nigel Tollerman, a British native. For 50 pesos, participants get up to eight glasses of different wines. “It’s nice to find people from all over the world here,” Yasmin Khan, a Londoner who recently moved to Buenos Aires, said during a recent tasting. “It’s striking because we also tasted white wines here, not something we usually think about for Argentina.” The place also offers private tastings of high-end wines for $500, which covers groups of 2 to 12 people.

Another spot to sample lesser-known local varietals is Experiencia Fin del Mundo (Honduras 5673; 54-11-4852-6661; bodegadelfindelmundo.com/Experiencia), which opened in May 2010 in Palermo Hollywood. The wine bar and restaurant is affiliated with Bodega Fin del Mundo, a winery in Neuquen Province in Patagonia. Sandra Castillo, the sommelier, explained that Patagonian varietals include cabernet franc, merlot and pinot noir, which she called “a special grape when planted in Patagonia.” Tastings, which usually include four glasses with small plates of food, are 90 to 450 pesos a person, available Monday to Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The newest, and perhaps most ambitious, wine-centric restaurant in Buenos Aires, is Aldo’s Vinoteca (Moreno 372; 54-11-5291-2380; aldosvinoteca.com), which opened in June at the Moreno Hotel in San Telmo, featuring a 42-page wine list. Aldo Graziani, the owner, is a former vice president of the Argentine Sommeliers Association and he has assembled a staff of nine sommeliers for his new spot, the most, he says, of any Argentine restaurant.

Tastings with three to four wines paired with tapas are 80 to 100 pesos, and can be ordered at any time. More instructional tastings on Thursday evenings, led by guest experts, are 100 pesos a person. “I learn more each time,” Mr. Graziani said. “With wine, you never finish learning.”

(For an even more immersive experience, see the review of Mio, at left, a new wine-themed hotel in the Recoleta neighborhood.)
_____________________________________
SOURCE:
“In Buenos Aires, Sips From All Over”
LATIN AMERICA 2011
By MICHAEL T. LUONGO
September 16, 2011
http://travel.nytimes.com
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/travel/in-buenos-aires-wine-tastings-from-all-over-argentina.html

At Italy’s Grand Hotel et de Milan the Don Carlos wine cellar features an old Roman wall which dates to 250 A.D. Composed of a conglomerate of shingles and brick fragments bound together by a very strong grout, the ruins are at the center of the room, surrounded by prestigious Italian and international wines. The wine list represents all of Italy with an emphasis on whites from Friuli and Alto Adige, and reds from Piemonte and Toscana. Available for private events for up to ten people, the cellar is also open so guests may come in and enjoy a pre-dinner glass of wine. On weekends from September to December 31, 2011, the hotel’s Gourmet Package, priced from EUR 891 double occupancy, includes two nights’ accommodation, buffet breakfast, a welcome bottle of Champagne, welcome gourmet gift, aperitif in the wine cellar, and a candlelight tasting dinner one evening, excluding beverages. Booking code is PX. www.LHW.com/ghmilan

It’s easy to see the hand of Philippe Starck in the design of the wine cellar at Faena Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina – with its brick walls and massive crystal chandelier. Set in the basement of El Porteño Building it houses the largest collection of wines in Argentina, and is one of the few cellars in the country to stock international wines, including selections from France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Chile, South Africa and California. The hotel even produced its own wine label: a Malbec – in 2009 that was awarded the 5th best Malbec in the world. This stylish venue is well-suited for wine tastings and private dinners for up to 16 guests. Special menus can be designed with wine pairings from the list, and pashminas can be provided for ladies to wear during the event and to take home afterward. Private affairs hosted here have included a wine tasting and dinner for Mick Jagger. www.LHW.com/faenahotel

Faena Hotel – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Wine cellars can be put to more uses than simply preserving fine vintages. And the cellars at Monaco’s Hotel de Paris and Hotel Hermitage stand as testament. Established in 1874, the cellars were the venue for the 20th wedding anniversary celebration of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier in 1976. During World War II, to protect the rarest vintages from the hands of looters, the rear section of the cellar was screened off with a mass of empty bottles piled up by the head cellar man. No one would guess that behind this dusty pile – which also concealed the hotel’s silverware and the belongings of a Russian prince – there lay prestigious bottles such as Château Bel Air Marquis d’Aligre 1850, Château Gruaud Larose 1865, Château Gruaud Larose 1874, Château d’Yquem 1890, Château Léonville Poyferré 1895. Covering 1500 square meters, the cellar houses 450,000 bottles, the oldest of which is an 1829 Margaux. Tours and tastings start at EUR 50 per person, while private dinners for up to 50 people can be organized starting at EUR 250 per person. www.LHW.com/hermitage or www.LHW.com/deparis

_________________________
SOURCE:
“Raise a Glass to The Leading Hotels of the World Wine Cellars”
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 17, 2011
http://www.sfgate.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/08/17/prweb8726225.DTL

Enjoy stays at exclusive boutique hotels and opportunities to dine at state-of-the-art wineries as you travel from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires to Mendoza, one of the most famous wine producing regions in South America before flying across the Andes to Santiago to soak up the splendid scenery of the Colchagua Valley, home to some of the best vineyards and boutique wineries in Chile.

The tour comes to an end in Chile’s spectacular Atacama Desert. Daily excursions explore the lunar landscapes, dunes, geysers, salt lakes and villages of the driest desert in the world.

Day 1 Buenos Aires

Upon arrival in Argentina’s capital, transfer to your boutique hotel in Buenos Aires at the lively district of Palermo where you will meet your guide and have time to review your itinerary before heading out into the city to start familiarising yourself with some country’s famous wines – a glass of Malbec or a Torrontes perhaps? The legendary steakhouse La Cabaña in Puerto Madero is our recommendation for dinner tonight.

Day 2 Buenos Aires

A morning tour will take you to some of the city’s most well known neighbourhoods including the arts district of San Telmo and upscale Recoleta with its famous cemetery. The rest of the day is yours to explore at your own pace before enjoying an evening of music and dance at one of Buenos Aires’ most authentic Tango venues (B,D).

Day 3 Mendoza

Fly to Mendoza, the heart of Argentina’s winemaking region. Visit Catena Zapata, a winery recognised for being the pioneer of quality wines in Argentina and for the architectural design of its bodega. Your accommodation for the next few nights will be at the Club Tapiz Lodge, a seven-bedroom lodge surrounded by 22-acres of vineyards (B).

Day 4 Mendoza – Central Valleys

This morning head to Belasco de Baquedano. With it’s unique Hall of Aromas, it is one of the most interesting wineries in the area. Continue to the Bodega Ruca Malen for a superb five-course wine pairing lunch. Evening at leisure. Your guide is on hand to make reservations at 1884, the signature restaurant of one of Argentina’s top chef’s, Francis Mallmann (B,L).

Day 5 Mendoza – Uco Valleys

The Uco Valley in the foothills of the Andes is known for its high altitidue vineyards and fine wineries including Clos de los Siete, Monteviejo and La Azul, a small boutique winery and producer of outstanding Malbecs. A stop will be made for lunch (at own expense) at Posada del Jamon, a family owned restaurant that specialises in all things pork (B).

Day 6 Santiago de Chile

Take a flight over the Andes to Chile’s capital, Santiago. Check-in to the Hotel Le Reve in the elegant Providencia district before embarking on a walking tour of the city’s main sites starting at the bustling Mercardo Central. Evening is at leisure for dinner at one of Santiago’s highly rated restaurants. Mestizo comes highly recommended – advance bookings are advised (B).

Day 7 Colchagua Wine Valley

Head south from Santiago to Santa Cruz at the centre of the Colchagua Valley, one of Chile’s most prominent wine regions. In the afternoon visit the Laura Hartwig, boutique winery. Transfer to your base for the next two nights, the Hotel Viña la Playa (B).

Day 8 Colchagua Wine Valley

This morning relax at the lodge or walk through the vineyards before visiting the elegant Montgras Winery where you will have an opportunity to create your own unique wine. Enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing to the Apalta Valley for tastings of highly rated premium wines at Casa Lapostolle (B,L).

Day 9 San Pedro de Atacama

Start the day at Casa Silva Winery one of the oldest vineyards in the Colchagua Valley. Enjoy tastings of superb Reserves & Whites followed by lunch (not included) and a transfer to the airport at Santiago for your flight north to Calama – gateway to the world’s driest desert. Upon arrival, a car will take you to the superb Tierra Atacama hotel in the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama (B,D).

Day 10-11 San Pedro de Atacama

Daily excursions explore the lunar landscapes, dunes, geysers, salt lakes and villages of the incredible Atacama Desert. All meals and activities are included (B,L,D).

Day 12 Santiago

Transfer back to the airport at Calama for your flight to Santiago

B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner

Prices from

Prices from: £5,265 – £5,795 per person (£4,995 – £5,595 if 4 people are travelling together)

Valid for travel: Until 30 April 2012.

Includes: 11 nights BV (BV = board varies) accommodation in superior – luxury boutique style hotels & meals as detailed in itinerary, expert wine guides during wine tasting activities, private transfers & excursions with English speaking guides, domestic and international flights.

Terms & Conditions: Prices are approximate based on low & high season and two people sharing a twin/double room. All accommodation is subject to availablity. For a tailored up-to-the-minute quotation, call one of our Latin America specialists today.

_____________________________
SOURCE:
“A gourmet’s tour across the Andes”
Wine & adventure in Argentina and Chile
Wexas
August 19, 2011
http://www.wexas.com
http://www.wexas.com/argentina-holidays/offer/wine–adventure-in-argentina-and-chile-102427.html

The Canadian dollar is flexing its muscle against the U.S. dollar, as is the Australian dollar. And nations as diverse as Brazil, South Africa and Taiwan have all seen their currencies gain against the greenback, curbing the spending power of American visitors.

Here are a few popular destinations where travelers may face some currency curveballs:

Canada:

Americans venturing across the northern border will encounter more than a bruiser of a Canadian dollar. The strengthening economy is also prompting hotel prices to rise. One bright spot: Vancouver, British Columbia. The city and its surrounding area got more than half a dozen fancy new hotels to accommodate the Winter Olympics crowds last year. But now that the throngs have gone home, many of the properties are offering deals.

Australia:

With the Australian dollar hitting its highest mark against the U.S. dollar since 1983, many travel agents recommend a strategy savvy travelers have long used in Europe: booking a tour or other type of inclusive travel package. Not only do companies have the mass buying power to keep rates reasonable, but the trips are typically priced in dollars and often lag the latest exchange rates.

South America:

Some southern-hemisphere vacation favorites have been getting pricier. The daily rate for a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, spiked 23% last year. Argentina, though, has stayed steadily affordable in large part because the Argentine peso is now worth only an American quarter — even as the country is growing into a tourism hot spot.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Travelers seeking low-cost luxury digs may want to keep an eye on new developments in Buenos Aires and in popular wine-tourism regions like Mendoza.

Iceland:

Iceland will never be an inexpensive destination. But with the krona down 50% against the dollar since its 2008 collapse, it’s about as close as it gets. Hotel prices in the capital, Reykjavik, were down 10% last year, according to STR Global. And airfares are expected to drop now that Delta Air Lines has become the first American carrier to start flying to the island, putting some pricing pressure on Icelandair.

One big caveat: In the wake of the economic crisis, which hit Iceland particularly hard, the country upped its value-added tax; the levy applies to everything from lodging to souvenirs and can now be as high as 25%.

__________________________________________
SOURCE:
“Where Your Vacation Dollars Will Fall Short”
by CRISTINA LOUROSA-RICARDO
JUNE 19, 2011
http://online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304451504576394060035244094.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

And this past March as part of my 11 day trip to Chile and Argentina, I had the opportunity to experience one of the world’s most impressive and very young still wine regions, the Mendoza of Argentina. An hour flight west of Buenos Aires at the eastern foot of the Andes, Mendoza is a rugged, dry region, perfect for the full bodied red grapes it produces, making some of the world’s most coveted red wines of all price ranges. It almost seems like fate that Argentina happens to produce some of the world’s finest cattle for beef and red wine grapes. A bottle of malbec and a slab of ojo de bife with chimichurri…it doesn’t get much better.

Argentina’s more temperate northern region of Salta produces the country’s majority of whites, including the torrontes varietal which is starting to gain more respect as a dryer white wine rival to sauvignon blanc. Yet the heart and soul of Argentina’s wine culture is the over 370,000 acres of Uco Valley, Lujan and Maipu regions in the Mendoza province, creating more than 70% of Argentina’s wines. Within those areas of the province are several other appellations that put Mendoza on par with many of the world’s top wine producers for quality and quantity of its product. Argentina is now the world’s 6th largest producer of wine.

Mendoza has had vineyards since the Spanish arrived back in the 1500′s to Argentina, but its wines were not even thought of on a global scale until Nicolás Catena set out to bring the winemaking techniques of well known vineyards in France and Napa (including Napa’s famed winemaker Paul Hobbs who now has a vineyard in Mendoza, Viña Cobos) to Mendoza and blended them with the perfect terroir for vineyard growing, creating a world class winemaking region. Much of Argentina is too hot year round for wine growing, so the vineyards had to be built in cooler areas such as the Mendoza at a high elevation near the Andes. It took until 2002 for the Argentine peso to devalue enough for international exports of wines to be profitable and since then exports have shot through the roof the past decade, while Argentina still also enjoys a great number of its wines still at home. Foreign giants such as Moet et Chandon have stamped their place in Argentina much like they did in Napa when it emerged in the 1960′s, yet Argentina’s wine industry still is very much a homegrown, local enterprise, as much a piece of life local life in the country as soccer and parillas.

Malbec grapes are the specialty of Mendoza without a doubt, a spectacular product of the dry, high elevation that perfectly compliments beef at a parilla. What I find most wonderful about malbec is that it has the complexity and richness of a cabernet sauvignon to masterfully match with red meat, but is not so overpowering to be excessive when sampled alone without food. Many malbecs can be refreshing even in a way during those hot days in Mendoza.

Each winery I visited featured a very strong malbec, in particular a stand out 2008 vintage from Achaval Ferrer’s “Finca Bella Vista” vineyard. Achaval Ferrer is a truly spectacular bodega, in part for its beautiful grounds perfect for a picnic with a panoramic view of the Andes on a clear day, and for the quality of its wines. A few of their vintages in fact are available right here in Claremont at Packinghouse Wine Merchants (not cheap but still worth it!). Our visit happened to coincide with production day at the winery, an exciting experience to see the grapes going through the press and to see in the tank room red stained walls from a pipe malfunction. There’s nothing like walking through wine. The only knock is that tastings are guided, a system I’m not a huge fan of where mostly experience wine tasters are told what to taste and how to taste the glasses. The tour itself though is one of Mendoza’s best.

Trapiche is certainly one of the largest Mendoza winemakers with a very elaborate vineyard complete with its train transportation system. Yet it still produce some stand out wines of all price ranges and the tours manage to still be very small and personal. The highlight is the glass floor of the tasting room where you sit above the barrel room storing the wines that will eventually be sampled upstairs. Trapiche is available all throughout the U.S. including at Upland’s very own Tango Baires (see last week’s print edition review for more on there).

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Trapiche are the tiny boutique wineries Carmello Patti and Carinae. Patti is one of two employees at this vineyard with two buildings: where the wine is made and where the wine is stored. Robert Mondavi or Moet et Chandon this is not. No tourbus would fit in the sliver of a parking lot here. Patti’s red only wines are all very rich, with his oldest vintage of malbec being of legendary status. All visits are hosted by Patti, though an interpreter would be very helpful (luckily we had one) as he does not speak English. You can speak French if you want over at Carinae, owned by Philippe and Brigitte Subra from France. Carinae’s malbec is again top notch, but as is the Prestige blend red and even an extremely nuanced, crisp torrontes. The winery has a fascinating bodega with stunning stained glass windows in the design of various astrology signs, a recurring theme at the winery including the name.

The most stunning vineyard to visit, a must do on everybody’s list is Catena Zapata, owned by the aformentioned Catena family. Nicolás Catena’s daughter Laura now runs the show, one of Argentina’s most influential wine figures, a graduate of Harvard and Stanford, and the author of a mandatory book on Argentina’s wine industry, culture, and history Vino Argentino, many thanks to the L.A. Times’ S. Irene Virbila for so graciously sending me this fascinating book. The wine tasting at Catena Zapata almost seems secondary to the bodega’s mesmerizing design, a Mayan pyramid with a captivating staircase rising through center of the structure to the summit where breathtaking views of the vineyards and beyond await. Oh, yeah, the wine is some of Mendoza’s premier level wines too. The entire building, not just the exterior architecture is just captivating. The tour however was the briefest and least informative of all our visits, very much just a tour through the script. A video of a vineyard’s history is also not such a good idea…wine tasting and dark rooms with 10 minute long videos are a recipe for a siesta any time of day.

We were scheduled to visit Tempus Alba too but overstayed our time at one vineyard, but I’ve heard fantastic things about there. The same with Ruca Malen (where you can get an elaborate 5 course lunch to expedite the siesta process), along with a host of other wineries of all shapes and sizes. Like with Napa and any other major wine region, the hardest part of a visit is choosing which wineries to taste at.

Mendoza the city is still trying to match up to the levels of wine the region produces. Downtown now has a top notch hotel (Park Hyatt) which also boasts a fantastic tasting room run by the Vines of Mendoza, an enterprise created to help tourists figure out how best to tour and taste the region’s wines. Mendoza is not exactly the Napa Valley when it comes to dining, Yountville itself with more destination restaurants than all of the Mendoza region. Yet there is some exciting cuisine to be found at the wine shop/tapas bar Azafran and the tiny new bistro Florentino.We enjoyed a dinner at the local’s favorite parilla Don Mario, certainly the only Americans there and the amazingly wonderful and comedic waiter knew that and loved that. He noticed my camera and asked to take a before and after picture of the sizzling plate of our beef. Looking at them now, the results are startling, forcing a few miles of running after each glance. The beef was indeed very enjoyable but not top notch tender on a Las Lilas level, the flanksteak cut a tad tough compared to the short ribs and juicy bife de chorizo (NY Steak). A flan with dulce de leche for dessert is stellar.

The standout restaurant comes from Francis Mallmann, the Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali celebrity chef o Argentina. Located in Mendoza City’s oldest winery Bodegas Escoihuela Gascón, 1884 (named for the winery’s founding year) is an elaborate, not too formal room that borders on corporate but manages to stay relaxed. Mallmann’s mud oven produces the house specialties and the results were some of the most enjoyable bites of the trip that added up to our best restaurant experience in either Argentina or Chile. The mud oven creates masterpiece empanadas and an impeccable, buttery langoustines that melt when touched by a fork, accompanied by crisp bacon and silky potatoes. If possible, the oven yields an even better wood roasted lamb sirloin, bursting with a subtle game flavor, atop a pea risotto as green as Ireland. The wood roasted goat is simply toched with a few sprigs of thyme, yet immensely juicy and flavorful, even better than the famed version at L.A.’s El Parian. The pièce de résistance is at the end, the “chocolate for chocoholics” that is every bit of what it sounds. There is chocoate mousse, a moist chocolate cake, a robust chocolate ice cream, and a chocolate truffle heart. The components add up to pure bliss of what Charlie must have experienced at Willy Wonka’s factory (the dessert makes you feel more like Augustus Gloop afterwards). 1884 is the opposite of Don Mario when it comes to locals and tourists in the room, but hey, we’re tourists after all, and 1884 is in no way touristy restaurant quality with its service and top notch cuisine.

I was fascinated by how much of my youthful generation visited the Mendoza regions, most on long South America tours between destinations Buenos Aires and Santiago. You never see in Napa or the Loire Valley college aged kids who are on the South American equivalent of a Eurotrip. They’re all here to bike around the flat areas of vineyards. It’s a perfect activity for getting around the area, yet of course the more you taste…

Driving in Argentina is pretty much a contact sport, being even more intense over in Buenos Aires. A 2 lane road is really a 4 lane road. Don’t you see that middle line? So driving after tasting while navigating the complicated maps of the area is highly unrecommended. There are tours of all shapes and sizes, but it doesn’t get any better than our driver, host, guide, and now good friend Gustavo Delucchi. Gustavo’s story from running away from his family in Buenos Aires to Mendoza and how has single-handedly learned as much about not just Argentina’s wines, the wine-making process, and just the world at large is absolutely inspiring, and would fool anybody into thinking he has a Ph. D from Harvard. Driving in his truck around the wineries where he is truly a best friend of every employee at every winery, horseback riding with him one morning, and enjoying a picnic lunch at Achaval Ferrer and lunch at the place to go for heavy but enjoyable local Mendozan cuisine Casa Campos, are the most enduring and rewarding memories of this incredible trip. I am sure Gustavo’s one man company will soon become a much larger enterprise that will be used by nearly everyone in the region but we were lucky to be guided by him, just my family, and a fantastic man, and wine guide. Here’s his website, no doubt the perfect guide to make your trip to Mendoza extraordinary.

All of this wine talk makes me want some malbec now…I’m sure it would help my thesis writing.
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SOURCE:
“Malbec, Malbec, Malbec!: Wine Tasting Thru Argentina’s Mendoza Wine Region”
By Trevor Felch
April 18, 2011
http://tsl.pomona.edu
http://tsl.pomona.edu/new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1897:trevor-felch&catid=105:food&Itemid=155

Mendoza Wine Region is located in the desert Cuyo, in western Argentina. It is the mainstay of Argentinean wine industry. The wines made in this region are renowned around the world. Enjoying guided and private tours to any of the numerous wineries located in the region is a popular activity.

Tourists have the option of enjoying wine at almost endless numbers of vineyards here. Maipu happens to be situated closest to Mendoza city as compared to other options. Wine produced in this region remains highly popular among all and sundry. Guided tours to the wineries on bike can be availed by making a payment of few dollars to the tour operators.

Tourists can enjoy vineyard tours at pretty cheap rates here. In addition to that, they may even buy tasty wine at relatively cheap rates as compared to elsewhere. An ideal tour is composed of visit to four or five wineries in a day. One may reach here by flight or by bus from most major Argentinean and nearby South American cities.

Among other wine producing regions here, Salta is a prominent one. Though numerous such regions can be found, Cafayate accounts for a big chunk of wine produced here. Tourists get an added bonanza in the form of extremely beautiful landscape of this region. A number of vineyards dot the region of Calchaqui Valley.

Use of technology coupled with some smart planning has ensured production of wines with great taste. Guided tours to the wineries in this region are available at pretty inexpensive rates. Cafayate is known for a numerous wine varieties including Torrontes and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. While Torrontes is a variety of white wine, Cabernet Sauvignon is a prominent red wine.

The region is full of vineyards that are spread across its beautiful landscape. Salta is well connected with most other cities here. Popular ways of reaching here include catching a flight and travelling by bus.

The discussion about wine producing regions in Argentina is incomplete without reference to Cordoba. One may find countless vineyards in this province where fine quality wine can be enjoyed. Prominent wine producing regions in this province include Rio Negro and Montilla.

Quite amusingly, vineyards at Rio Negro may remind everyone of vineyards in Spain. This similarity is mainly attributed to climate of this region and way things are organized here. Rio Negro is credited for being home to world famous Malbec variety of wine. Make full use of this Argentina travel advice to the core and enjoy your trip here to the maximum.

I am generally on the look out for new movies and hubs of info . I not long ago identified a supply of travel advice videos there is a amazing one for Argentina travel advice
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SOURCE:
“Argentina: Useful Travel Advice For Wine Lovers”
February 7, 2011
By Derik Simpson
http://eva-news.com
http://eva-news.com/travel/travel/argentina-useful-travel-advice-for-wine-lovers/23861851/

One of the challenges facing countries like Argentina is that its international image is defined largely by what it exports. So for most of us here in Quebec, Argentina is malbec – mostly inexpensive wines, ripe and alcoholic. There is a smattering of cabernet sauvignon and torrontes, but that’s about it. I bet most people couldn’t name which region the wines came from within the country. It is simply an Argentine wine.

As I wrote in last week’s column, Argentina’s vineyards cover a range of more than 2,000 kilometres, from the northernmost region of Salta to the southernmost, Patagonia. Within this great expanse are numerous regions, sub-regions and much more than malbec.

While I tasted wines from the entire country, we decided to limit our visit to two regions – the most important region in terms of quantity and exports, Mendoza, and the smallest, Patagonia.

As our trip began there, let’s start with Patagonia.

Patagonia: big skies, lots of wind and really good wine

For those of you have spent a lot of time watching too many nature shows, mention Patagonia and your head is filled with images of snowcapped mountains, penguins and other cold-loving things. While that might be a certain Patagonia, the northern part of the region, where one finds the vineyards, is extremely flat. The climate is almost desert-like, receiving a mere 180 mm of rainfall a year. It is cooler than the rest of the country, and has large shifts between day and night temperatures.

What they also have in Patagonia is wind. Alamos trees are planted everywhere, acting as a windbreak against the near-constant wind that can blow up to 100 km/h. But the skies are clear, providing long, sun-filled days that, when combined with the cooler temperatures, provide an ideal climate for growing grape vines. And while Patagonia produces a mere two per cent of Argentina’s total production, the wines were some of the most interesting that I tasted on my trip.

There were once more than 100 wineries operating in the region, but during the ’70s, wineries began shutting down, in part because of the expense of producing wine in such a remote region. Today, thanks to the Bodega del Fin del Mundo, there are 15 wineries.

If I had notions before leaving that Patagonia was all about my style of wines – higher natural acidities, more floral aromatics – they were confirmed. And aside from malbec and torrontes, there is a lot to get excited about.

We visited seven wineries and each one was producing wines that I would love to see here in Quebec. Inexpensive pinot noirs that were some of the highest quality wines relative to their price that I have ever tasted. The malbecs showed more floral aromatics. The torrontes wines were fresher and much less perfumed than the Salta versions from up north.

The shocker grape was sau­vignon blanc. Quite simply, they made some of the best and unique wines that I have tasted. Perhaps because of the mix of long, sunlit days and cooler temperatures, Patagonian sauvignon blanc somehow shows all the classic citrus flavours without having overly green notes, a problem with most sauvignon blancs from around the world. With quality like this, they could blow away many of the cheaper wines on the market from places like New Zealand, Chile and South Africa.

We need more Patagonian wines here, as their style is better suited to the Quebec palate than many of the heavier, riper wines of Mendoza.

Mendoza: the winemaker difference

Located near the foothills of the Andes, with close to 150,000 hectares of vineyards, Mendoza is the heart of the Argentine wine industry, producing more than 60 per cent of the nation’s wines.

But while the wines all say Mendoza on the label, where they come from in Mendoza, and who made them, can make quite a difference.

Soils are pretty well uniform, so the big difference from one sub-region to the next tends to be altitude. The low-lying plains of the eastern part are where much of the bulk wine production comes from.

But as you move west, and closer to the Andes, elevations increase and one finds some of the highest altitude vineyards in the world. And it is in these areas that some of Argentina’s best wines are being made, in sub-regions with names like Luján de Cuyo, Maipù and Uco Valley.

While they have some wind problems like in Patagonia, the two biggest natural hazards are hail and heat. Vines throughout the region are wrapped in netting to protect against violent hail storms. But the bigger hazard seems to be too much heat, which is why many wineries are looking to regions with higher altitudes like the Uco Valley. Here, large swings between day and night temperatures allow for the grapes to maintain their acidities and avoid becoming over-ripened.

I tasted some very good cabernet franc from Montequieto, tempranillo from O’Fournier, and petit verdot and chenin blanc from Finca Agostino.

But malbec is king. And while there are subtle differences between the malbecs from many of the different sub-regions of Mendoza, they were difficult, unfortunately, to discern at times because of the winemaking.

What I saw most in Argentina was a young industry that is starting to define itself. On the negative side, there was a lot of “formulaic” winemaking going on – too ripe grapes and way too much oak, which does little to highlight the uniqueness of each terroir.

There is the nonsense of making “icon” wines, which, as opposed to defining a unique terroir, are more often than not simply overly concentrated, highly acidified wines that are then slammed into new oak barrels. While these behemoths might please certain U.S. wine critics, I found most undrinkable. There is also far too much reliance on foreign winemaking consultants, which tends to create a uniformity of style.

Argentina is not unique in its desire to make wines to please foreign markets and, as the industry gains confidence, we should start to see wines that reflect Argentina’s terroir as opposed to what other markets expect in an Argentinian wine.

Still, there are a lot of positives. Wineries are exploring new growing areas and testing new grapes, and there are a number of talented winemakers taking risks and exploring what this diverse terroir can offer.

There are also many world-class wines being made. We tasted single vineyard chardonnays made by Catena and Salentein, grown in the Uco Valley that are on par with some of the best I’ve tasted from anywhere in the world.

Hans Vinding-Diers’s work with old-vine pinot noir and malbec at both Bodgea Noemie and Chacra in Patagonia is inspired.

And the wines of Montequieto, Mendel, Andeluna, Humberto Canale are fantastic, mid-priced, terroir-focused wines.

May I suggest an Argentinian wine?

Malbec 2008, Barrel Select, Mendoza, Bodega Norton, Argentina red, $13.95, SAQ # 860429. If you are into more of a restrained, European styled Malbec, like me, this is it. Sure the fruit is very ripe, but this never gets heavy, or relies too much on the oak for complexity. Solid tannins, a touch of black cherry, perfect acidity. Drink now-2014. Food pairing: chicken with barbecue sauce.

Pinot Gris 2010, Finca Las Higueras, Mendoza, Lurton, Argentina white, $14.95, SAQ # 556746. Let’s call this a pinot “gris-gio” as it walks the perfect line between the two styles: the freshness of the pinot grigio and just enough fat of pinot gris. The result is a mandarine and lemon elixir, with great length, surprising depth and richness on the finish. Really excellent. Drink now. Food pairing: Apéritif, seafood pasta.

Syrah 2009, Mendoza, Alamos Les Vins de Catena $15.60, SAQ # 10961024. While the oak gets in the way a bit, there is enough good character here to give it some identity. The fruit is dark, typical of warmer climates, but there is good freshness, with a touch of peppercorn on the finish. Drink now. Food pairing: chicken teriyaki.

Pinot noir 2008, Reserva, Neuquen, Patagonia, Universo de Los Andes, Argentina red, $18.35, SAQ # 11271164. Delicate and ripe, very finessed with soft tannins and a very fresh acidity. Tastes youthful, reserved but with cherry, redder berries, fine little mineral note. Very classy and fun to drink. A touch of alcohol on the finish but a great effort for under $20. Drink now. Food pairing: grilled salmon.

Malbec 2008, Reserva, Patagonia, Del Fin del Mundo, Argentina red, $18.55, SAQ # 11156810. Has cabernet sauvignon elegance, but with a enough earthiness and black licorice to make it not cab. This is much more interesting. Such elegance, finesse, judicious use of barrel. Uncreamy, unique, and dare I say it? Sensual wine. Drink now-2012. Food pairing: steak on the grill.

Malbec 2009, Mendoza, Achaval Ferrer, Argentina red, $23.50, SAQ # 10690025. Quite powerful but shows the floral quality that one finds in Argentina’s better malbecs. Sweet flowers, almost orange blossom, juicy red fruit, moving toward a gamier expression on the finish. For you New World lovers, as the oak and alcohol bring a certain sweetness to the palate. Drink now-2015. Food pairing: duck à l’orange.

Clos des Andes 2006, Mendoza, Bodega Poesia, Argentina red, $29, SAQ # 10689921. Brings Argentine malbec to another level. This is not Cahors, but not that inexpensive Argentine malbec, either. Has those pretty floral notes you get from the best Argentinian wines, but with very dark fruits, that earthy animal note and minerality one associates with the malbec wines from France’s southwest. Finesse to spare. Drink now-2014. Food pairing: lamb and other flavourful meats.

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SOURCE:
“Windy Patagonia makes our kind of wine”
By Bill Zacharkiw, Gazette Wine Critic January 19, 2011
http://www.montrealgazette.com
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Patagonia+makes+kind+wine/4109886/story.html