(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XIV - Argentine Wine Extravaganza continues...

Up and at em!  945am Diego showed up to take us on our tour for the day…we were hitting both Lujan de Coyo and the Uco Valley.

We would begin things at Catena Zapata – one of the most acclaimed vineyards in Argentina and the only one who decided to have their bodega emulate the Mayan Pyramids.

The wine was excellent.  No surprise as I had brought home several bottles of theirs from the BA airport my last trip to Argentina years before.  So it was fun to see where they were made and hear more about the story.  The vineyard had been in the family for over 100 years.  The Malbec, not surprisingly, was excellent.  We only opted for the most basic tasting – after all it was 10:30am!

From the roof of Catena Zapata's Faux Mayan Temple...

From there we visited Belasco de Baquedano. 

(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XIII - Wine Country! Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza!  We made it!  Normally not a big fan of major chain hotels, we were very happy to be in a real city in a real hotel with amenities and English speaking staff.  It was only one night in PA and one night on a LAN flight since our last luxe stop but those 48 hours felt like an eternity.

We checked in to the Park Hyatt Mendoza around noon and passed out.  Slept the day away in a great way.  Awoke at 4p and went downstairs for a snack and I went for a swim – they had an excellent outdoor pool.

For dinner, we visited Ciao Cuoco at the recommendation of our chef friends at Casa Felix.  A restaurant recommendation from a great chef seems a sure bet.  Well, not so much....