El vino

I feel sort of lame that we haven’t written a specific blog entry about wine, it being such a huge part of tourism and the local image of the area. Mendoza: Tierra del sol y vino. I just never felt that I had enough knowledge on the subject to do it justice. I still don’t really know doodly-squat about vitiviniculture, but after having done a few winery tours, gone to a wine tasting with professional guides, having talked about wine with people in the industry, and having drunk from a bottle or two (hundred), I feel I can tell a little bit of what I know.

Mendoza (province) is the undisputed wine capital of Argentina. Other regions, Patagonia for instance, also have their wines, but I don’t think their production is anything like here. I’m told that there are around 1200 wineries, read: places that turn grapes into sweet, sweet vino, in this province alone. Some of them have their own vineyards, others buy from grape-growers, or a combo of the two. The white varieties I can remember having tried are sauvingnon blanc, chardonnay, torrontés, pinot grigio, a very sweet chenin and champagnes, pink and rosé. There are also some only-slightly bubly wines under the name Frizzé that are also drunk cold and have flavors like peach and pineapple. Of course the majority of the wine is red (tinto). Off the top of my head, I can think of having tried malbec, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, syrah rosé, tempranillo, sangiovese, bonarda, borgoña, patero, varietal combinations of some of the above, and some unpedigreed boxed “vino tinto.” I hope your image of me hasn’t changed having read that long list of wines. “When does he have time to teach English?” I’m a little surprised too. Many of them were only samples. Of all these varieties, malbec is the boss, or as Lou’s student Pepe put it “The Man of the House.” The name malbec comes from the French word (or words maybe) meaning “nasty tasting.” I guess it didn’t do too well on french soil. But the environment here has been good for the little grape.

The vino is sold in the 750 ml bottles we are used to, as well as much larger damajuanas of 5- or, I think, 10-liter jugs. Boxed wine is popular for those who are looking more for the destination than the ride, but they are much easier to tote around down or take camping. I think a lot of people drink a glass of wine with meals here. Local legend is that it “decreases the fat in beef.” (We also met a group of people who are convinced that eating the hard, outer part of a baguette is better for one’s health. So they don’t eat the soft middle.) One thing I thought odd when I first saw it was when people mixed their wine with soda water, about half and half I think. Ice is also added. I thought it was just to water it down, make the wine go further without getting wasted. Some people have told me that a fine wine is improved by a squirt of soda. Soda water is a big business here. There are trucks full of soda jugs that take away empties and deliver new ones like the milk man of yore, or Simon Delivers at Sean and Regina’s house.

Wine is generally drunk in the home. If you look at the people eating at sidewalk restaurants or bars, they are mostly drinking 1) coca cola or 2) beer. Argentine beer (which is nothing to write a blog about) is still cheaper than wine (unless you buy boxed venom), especially in a restaurant. If you see a bottle of wine on a table, there is a good chance that the patrons are tourists, especially if there isn’t also a bucket of ice and some soda on the table. Wine growing has been going on here for a long time but Argentine wines have always been comsumed before they had a chance to leave the country. I don’t know if it was that they couldn’t compete with other international wines in terms of quality or if they simply weren’t marketed abroad. Nowadays they are getting some respect, especially for the price, and exporting more and more to South America, Europe and USA. But it is still pretty small when one looks at the potential. I was told that the Chilean winemaker Concha y Toro exports more wine than all of Argentina.

Oh, and I don’t think we’ve ever paid more than $5 or $6 for a retail bottle of wine. For under a dollar you can get an unambitious boxed tinto with notes of chewed sugarcane, PVC and an acidy mouthfeel. Or you can just drink that forgotten bottle of red vinegar that’s been in the back of your cupboard for five years ago. Don’t forget the soda water.