It’s the end of day 4 in Mendoza, and there’s so much new information coming at me that I’m feeling rather overwhelmed by it all and am having trouble writing about any of it. All in all it’s not a bad thing, though – overwhelmed at the beginning means that I’ll never be bored here!
Today I got out of the office and spent most of the day in the Uco Valley, at what is affectionately referred to around The Vines of Mendoza as ‘the Property:’ a large plot of land that was purchased a year or so ago by The Vines and is being sold in lots of 3-10 acres as part of the Private Vineyard Estates program (PVE). The Uco Valley contains some of the best and last virgin wine-growing land in the world, as well as the most majestic views in Mendoza…(see above) The Property contains 100 hectares - 250 acres - with an option on the adjoining 100 hectares; so far 77 of them have been sold and planted.
As for PVE, each parcel is planted with varietals chosen by the owner and tended by our local vineyard managers. Once the vines have been in the ground for 3 years the winemaking process will begin, carried out by a partnership between the owner of the lot and our enological team, led by Santiago Achaval, one of Argentina’s leading winemakers. One of my companions today was an owner of one of the Private Vineyard Estates – a wonderful man who was absolutely thrilled to see his land with vines in the ground for the first time. It was pretty exciting for me as well.
First we toured some of the planted land in the company pickups; we stopped at the irrigation reservoir, which comes from the same underground aquifer as Eco de los Andes - the best known Argentine brand of mineral water, bottled in nearby Tunuyan – and went to take a look at some of the baby vines. Here’s one for your viewing pleasure: 
Then the real fun began, as we left the trucks and got on horseback to check out the land that is still in its natural state. I don’t know when the last time I got on a horse was – I can’t have been any older than 13. Let’s just say that my cowboy boots are truly broken in now, as am I… they ain’t just city slickers anymore! While we were riding, the ubiquitous Argentine asado was being prepared, and this was definitely one of the best I’ve had yet.
As diverting as this all was, however, the most fascinating part for me, and that which most belongs on here (as it is, after all, a ‘wineblog’) was the experience of watching new vines being planted. I’ve come full circle - it was only 2 months ago that I was in France picking grape clusters off 30 year old vines, and here I am now in a different hemisphere where the growing season has only recently begun, and we’re putting infant vines in the ground! After a month in Buenos Aires as nothing more than a vino-consumer, I am once again in my element, surrounded by constant reminders of the complexity of the world of wine, and the many steps involved in each process. Rootstock to fruit, grape to bottle… I’m not even going to get into what I’m learning about getting that bottle from one country to another, and then to your table. It is, after all, that which is now consuming most of my waking hours, and it’s far more complicated than even I knew… but that’s not what this blog is about.
As I get busier with work and my posts become less regular, I am more committed than ever to keeping my blog alive (even if slightly less consistent), if for no other reason than my own mental balance. I’ve come to depend on this outlet, and the more I work the more I think I’ll have a need to take some time every now and then to go off on these tangents. I do hope you’ll bear with me. If you ever lose patience between posts, I hope you’ll take advantage of some of the links down below; I’ve recently changed the format of my blogroll and I plan to keep updating it at least semi-regularly, so that you’ll never be at a loss for something to read on here. And if you liked the photos, I’ll be adding more to my Picasa page whenever possible.
Having said that, I’m going to hit the sack so that I can get up early tomorrow and spend some more quality time with my new frienemy, Microsoft Excel. I never really thought that learning the ropes would be easy…