MENDOZA, ARGENTINA -- On a warm summer day in March, the breeze from the Andes rustles the banners that hang between the trees on the main streets of Mendoza.
For this city at the heart of Argentina's thriving wine industry, the banners signal the coming of Vendimia, a popular festival that celebrates the end of the grape harvest. Despite Argentina's current financial instability, the local residents, known as Mendocineos, are in a mood to celebrate. And why not? With a population of almost one million, the city boasts a number of five-star hotels and restaurants, fantastic skiing in the nearby Andes mountains, wine-tasting tours and some of South America's most beautiful national parks, all within an hour's drive from its commercial centre.
Founded in 16th century as a base for early Spanish exploration across the rugged Andes Mountains, Mendoza is now Argentina's fourth largest city. But, despite its size, it retains the atmosphere of a much smaller and more intimate community. The city is crisscrossed with dozens of small riverbeds and irrigation canals, which provide water for Mendoza's parks and its five main city squares. The squares, named after important figures in Mendoza's past, serve as the focus for the Vendimia.
The festival, which runs each year in the first week of March, is a celebration of wine and the central role it plays in the local culture. Argentina is the world's fifth largest wine producer and more than 70 per cent of the vintages come from the Mendoza region. In the past, most of this wine was produced for local consumption but, after years of indifferent reviews from international critics, the Argentine wine industry has spent the decade improving the quality of its products. The results are evident on a tour through Mendoza.
One of the best places to sample Mendocinian wines is at the Enoteca Giol, close to the city's commercial centre. This complex of warehouses was once the site of the city's first school and, at the dawn of the 20th century, it served as Argentina's first school of viticulture, the study of winemaking and vineyard management. Now a museum, it traces the history of wine development in the region, including displays of early winemaking techniques.
Of course, such a visit would not be complete without the chance to sample some of the local vintages. While they are not generally well known in North America, it would be impossible for even the most determined critic to ignore the intense ruby colour of the cabernet, the personality of the chardonnay and the silky texture of the merlot. Those who want to sample something uniquely Argentine can opt for the malbec, a flavorful red wine that is winning growing acceptance around the world.
Pedro Marabini, director of the Enoteca Giol, says wine-tasting also offers tourists one of the best ways to see the city and its surrounding countryside.
"In recent years, Mendoza's winemakers have established Los Caminos del Vino [The Roads of Wine], which offers half-day and day-long touring circuits of the region's wineries," Marabini said. "Scheduled and guided tours are available, or tourists can simply follow the maps and drive themselves."
Wine and food are an inseparable combination for most Argentines and residents of Mendoza are no exception. The Vendimia festival offers the city's restaurants a chance to strut their stuff with special meals and wines to match.
A personal favourite is Bistro M, located at Mendoza's Park Hyatt Hotel. This restaurant, which features an open kitchen, offers local cuisine with a French twist, reflecting Argentina's mixed European heritage. During Vendimia, the restaurant offers different regional specialties, such as beef, chivito (goat), chicken or lamb, all for prices that will come as a pleasant surprise to Canadians. For example, a three-course dinner, including a glass of wine, costs 48 pesos, under $22.
Also recommended is the Park Bistro, which is under the capable direction of Matías Podestá, a young Mendocino chef. Here, the accent is on the strong connection between Italy and Argentina, with pasta and seafood dishes playing a major role in the menu.
But, since I am a lifelong resident of Mendoza, it is the simple foods that appeal most to me. Throughout the festival, I often linger at empanada stands in Mendoza's central district. These delightful Spanish meat pies are made with fillings of beef mixed with onions and all types of dressings.
But the highlight of the Vendimia comes on the final two days of the festival, when the city's main streets are given over to a wide variety of floats, dancers and costumed marchers. The parade, known as the Carrusel Vendimial, is a celebration of the people of the Mendoza region and the proud traditions of the wine industry in Argentina and attracts up to 200,000 people every year. Ornamental floats, featuring gigantic dolls resembling farm workers, plows, grapes of all kinds and colourful wine bottles, are part of the scene as are dancers and gauchos, the symbol of the hardy resourcefulness of the Argentine people.
Like cowboys, their North American counterparts, gauchos exist as both a myth and a reality. While the number of gauchos has declined in recent years, the songs, stories and poems about the lives of the gaucho remain an essential part of the country's experience.
As floats slowly move along the street, the crowds also cheer their favourite candidates among the beautiful young women vying for the title of Reina Nacional de la Vendimia, or Queen of the Festival. Beauty pageants remain a staple of South American festivals and the Vendimia is no exception. The crowning of the queen takes place later that evening in the city's spectacular outdoor amphitheatre.
After the last of the floats, dancers and gaucho groups fade into the distance, marking an end to this popular celebration. Residents of Mendoza will go back to their day-to-day life in a country struggling to cope with serious economic problems. But for me, and for thousands of my fellow citizens, memories of the festival will remain in my heart until next year.If you go
GETTING THERE
Mendoza, at an elevation of 2,590 metres, is located 1,037 kilometres west of Buenos Aires, close to the Chilean border and the Andes mountain range. Domestic airlines have daily flights to the city from Buenos Aires.
INFORMATION
For more information about Argentina, visit http://www.turism.gov.ar and http://www.argentina-tourism.com.
For more information about Mendoza and available accommodation, visit the following websites:
http://www.letsgoargentina.com/en/mendoza.php
http://www.argentinaturistica.com
2meniresenia.htm
http://www.argentinas-hotels.com
hotels_mendoza.htm
http://www.searchhotels.com/ar
mendoza
argentina/mendoza.htm
RECOMMENDED READING
The Argentina Reader: History, Culture, Society, edited by Gabriela Nouzeilles; Lonely Planet: Argentina, by W. Bernhardson.
