Wine & Food Lovers Tour with Southern Exposure Tours

The first week of March in Mendoza, Argentina always signifies the beginning of the harvest festival. During this time, the usually laid-back city morphs into a crowded hubbub of parades and street fairs. La Vendimia is the symbol of the culmination of agricultural labour and effort it takes to produce a significant portion of Argentina's wine.  

Argentina may be best known for beef and tango, but few realize the quality of the country’s unique Malbec wine. While Malbec originated in France, it has truly found its home in Mendoza. The grapes flourish here in the perfect combination of growing conditions: high altitude, strong sunlight and protection from the Andes. So what better way to celebrate the success of this robust yet fruity red wine, than with a huge yearly party?

On festival evenings, the city’s plazas come alive with booths of handicrafts, wine, sangria and ethnic gastronomy. Artists sell their high-quality wares, ranging from bright pottery, jewellery, leather goods, hand-carved mate gourds, knitted and woven textiles and more. It’s easy to spend hours browsing and chatting with the friendly artists who even thank you just for looking.

A few weeks prior to the big event, every district within the Mendoza province elects a candidate to be the Vendimia Queen. The final Friday night begins with a big parade down San Martin Blvd, one of the main streets in Mendoza. The elegant float participants toss (sometimes throw) fruit into the crowd. No lollies, no stickers promoting whatever, nothing like that. Here are a few things that you can expect to have thrown, pitched, hurled or handed to you on a long pole: Flyers promoting the Vendimia with little gifts attached to them (boring), grapes (appropriate), carrots, plums, apples, pears, eggplants (eggplants!?), bottles of water, boxed wine, small bottles of wine, even honeydew melons (no, really!). The last float often hurls melons into the crowd which I’ve found can be handy as an improvised wine glass!

After the fruit throwing frenzy on Friday you can treat yourself to Saturday’s main event held in a Greek style amphitheatre. The glitzy lightshow, music and dancing with over 100 artists, culminates in the Harvest Queen being chosen, often to sold out crowds of over 25,000 people.

Along with all the fun of the festival, it’s also the ideal time to visit the vineyards and sample their exquisite wines. There are two main wine regions around Mendoza. Valle de Uco and Lujon de Cuyo. Both are worth visiting and you’ll get everything from organic wineries to an 11 course lunch matched with regional wines. Now, you may be wondering how you could possible eat so much. However the courses are small, the real question is how you’ll feel after 11 glasses of wine!

The entire experience is a must for wine lovers, foodies and anyone with a passion for Latin America. If you would like to find out more, there is a tour from New Zealand every March. Contact Silvana at Southern Exposure Tours email or phone 0800 874 748. If you would like a package from New Zealand that includes a side trip to the jaw dropping Iguassu Falls, then follow this link South American Wine Trails

For just the tour there is a full itinerary on the website.

See www.southernexposuretours.co.nz for more details on the tour.

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