From white water to red wine

Mendoza is a place most people visit for two reasons, adventure sports and wine. With some White water rafting and a cycle tour through the vineyards we put a tick in both of those boxes.

On Valentines day we jumped into a van early in the morning (well 9.30..) which would take us about an hour or so up into the Andes where there are grade 3 - 6 white water rapids. We can safely mention this now since we got out unharmed and it is unlikely our insurance agents will ever read this. At the basecamp we were kitted out with our wetsuits, life jackets, water resistant sweaters, helmets and anythign else you needed to look absolutely ridiculous but feel a bit more comfortable on/in the river which fed from melted glaciers in the mountains very high up in the Andes. The water up there is cold, very cold we noticed soon after our safety briefing. A briefing that surmounted to three pieces of simple advice

• dont fall out
• if you do, try to get back in the raft quickly
• if the safety kayaks try to save you, try not to flip them over, they will get wet and upset.

Which all sounds very sensible.

So after some exercises to make sure we'll not do something stupid we set out on the river,which seemed a bit calm for white water rafting. And in adition, the water looked very much more chocolatey than white. The water was a bit low and slow, but even so we did hit a few rapids that were quite interesting where we got completely soaked and nearly fell out. We kept in the raft all the way though, and we had loads of fun.





Since this was Valentines day we went out for dinner, traditional Argentinian parrillada, with some nice local wine. Dinner was followed by a nice 'death by chocolate' dessert accompanied by a chocolate Marguarita. All in all a nice way to spend Valentines day.







Next morning, almost as early, we were again picked up by a van - this time to be deposited in wine country, where we picked up our bikes and headed out among the vines. The Maipu Wineries maily focus on red wine and the most popular is Malbec, which is one of our favourite varieties so we had high hopes for this day. Though not as scenic as the Barossa valley or Marlborough, the wines certainly made up for it and some of the vineyards had stunnig views of the Andes and endless fields of grapes and olives. If you get a change to lay your hands on some Tempus Alba or Vina Maria, take it, they had some varieties that were fantastic. And true to our habits, we are now carrying some of Mendozas fines grape produce in our bags.

Winos of Cafayate

After we'd gotten off out high horses we took a morning bus to Cafayate, one of Argentina's wine regions and one that is not too well known.. At least we hadn't heard of it beforehand, but that might be because we do not really drink that much white wine and this region specialises in it. The vineyards here doesn't seem to export much either, which might also be a reason to why we hadn't heard about it. The ride to Cafayate from Salta via Quebrada de Cafayate was spectacular in itself, and apparently the route we didn't take there is equally stunning. The village is quite sleepy has a lot of character, nice sights and a nice central square where most of the artisanistas hang out seeking shade during the day. But as you might have guessed we were mainly there for the wine.

Eager to find out more about them we set out to visit as many as possible in the two days we had. Of course the first being a Sunday (and a very hot one, only llamas, cactuses and vines seemed to like the conditions) there were only two open. And after we'd taken our siesta the first one (Bodega Nanni) would not let us sample their wines, since we had missed the last tour of the day. We tried to tell them we could do withou the tour and offered to pay the A$5 for the samples, but to no success. Instead we went across the street to El Transito, where they did let us sample the fruits of their labor, and as a reward we promptly bought a bottle.

We'd also caught word of the local ice cream makers, famed for their wine-sorbets, and thought that after a long hard hot day, this was just the cure for us. So armed with a bucket containing white and red sorbet and of course some chocolate as well (everyone knows red wine and chocolate go well together) we went to the shaded park and indulged for a while. It was awesome, particularly the red, wonder how difficult it would be to make that at home??

The next day we returned , bright and early, to Nanni for a second attempt, but were refused again because at 9:30, we were too early. Sampling wine seems tricky in this country. Instead we wandered further on in the blistering heat and targeted a different cluster of bodegas. The first one, Vasija Secreta let us in to sample and visit their museum, though their wines were a bit average and nothing to write home about. So with our spirits raised a little we headed further on, only to be told that at the next one we'd have to wait about an hour to catch the next tour and then on to the samples. That seems to be the way they operate here. You need to take the guided tour of the vineyard where they tell you (in Spanish) how wonderful their wine is and how special their production method is. Only after that, when you are full of awe for the wine you can be allowed to sample it with the correct level of reverence. Now we are no wine making experts, but we have seen the insides of a fair few wineries on our trip, and since we can't really take in all the guides are saying (the accent in Argentina is particularly strong) we really just want to sample the wines, thankyouverymuch. A fact that seems lost or ignored by most guardians of wineries here.

So with a little resigntion we returned to the centre of town and the shaded park for a few hours waiting for the bus out of Cafayate, with only two wineries under our belts. A little failure. Though we did make up for it a little by returning a third time to Bodega Nanni, and were rewarded with a private tour in English. And it turned out these were the best wines we'd tried and they were a fully organic vineyard who seemed to have slightly unusual production methods, involving egg-whites...

It was now nearing the time where we had to call it a day, so with few bottles under our arms we left, got our bags and got ready for the 15 hour bus ride to Cordoba. There we'll meet up with Celeste again, our friend from Peru and Bolivia, and apparently its even warmer there. But we hear they have cinemas with air-conditioning and movies in English there...

Goodbye South Island

We're falling behind with our post writing and once you start, it's hard to catch up so I'll summarise what we've been up to in the week since you last heard from us at Lake Matheson, just along from the Fox Glacier.

Franz Joseph glacier
The next day, Saturday, we woke up to bright sunny skies and anticipation of the day that we had planned ahead of us. We were going to spend the day trekking on the Franz Joseph glacier!Apparently named after the beard of an Austrian emperor some time ago, this is one of only three glaciers in the world which end in a rain forest (one of the others is Fox which we saw yesterday). Our day started at 09:15 when we received our various vouchers for our shoes, jacket, hats and gloves for the day. After getting kitted out we jumped into an old Chinese manufactured bus and headed to the start of our walk to the glacier.

Franz Joseph is a bit more of a distance away to walk than Fox but we trudged on through the rainforest and then through the river bed until we reached the familiar yellow rope fence covered with warnings of a dire fate should we decide to cross. After a little chat, our guide helped us to climb over the fence and rounding a corner we stopped again to put on our crampons. Now crampons are neat spikes which are attached to your boots which make it very difficult to walk on normal terrain but are fantastic when walking on ice. Which was good, because for the next 5-6 hours, the ice became our best friend.

The climb up the many steps cut out of the side of the glacier ("steps are my friend") were sometimes steep, sometimes slippery and sometime treacherous but in the end the sense of achievement when we reached our turning point and the beauty of the age old ice was worth every minute. Our encounters with the local Kea's were just the icing on the cake. Not even the slight rain after our picnic lunch, which was served on the nice cold ice, could dampen our moods.

Pancake rocks
Sunday, after failing to find a church open (the local Anglican services operate bi-weekly, ie. next week) we noted the rubbish weather and decided to press straight on to our next stop in Nelson. The only major stop was made at the notable pancake rocks, an unexplained but beautiful geological phenomenal.

Abel Tasman
Admittedly we could have done our homework a bit better as we discovered once we'd reached that Nelson was still some way from Abel Tasman national park which was the next place that we wanted to spend some time. Still, we had booked a room in a local hostel complete with swimming pool and hot tub which we decided wasn't so bad and exhausted from the full day's driving we collapsed into bed.

The next morning we woke up and slowly made our way to Abel Tasman, stopping to pick up some delicious, locally grown cherries from a stall by the side of the road. We got to Motueka, the entrance to the park, just before noon which was a little late to catch the water taxi to do the half day walk that we'd planned. No problem, we weren't too late to rent a double sea kayak and paddle our way to the famous New Zealand icon, split apple rock.

Unfortunately the sea just wasn't playing ball that day and after half an hour of hard graft in the choppy seas, we managed to make it just a quarter of the way there. Disappointed and tired we pulled into a lovely little beach for a rest and to take stock of what we wanted to achieve. We agreed that though we were both quite tired from the last couple of days and wanted to get a bit of rest, we also wanted to see the NZ iconic rock. The guidebook provided and alternative, land-based, route to the rock so after braving the rough seas again to return the kayak we drove over the hills and took the short 15 min trek down to the bay to finally get a glimpse of the rock.

Nelson wasn't all wasted though, we did discover a lovely micro-brewery operating a few minutes walk from our hostel where you could buy some of their beer in unmarked two litre bottles which you can bring back for refills. Visions of bootlegging cross your mind when the bartender quietly hands you the bottle around the side of the bar so you quickly stuff it into your knapsack and walk off at a quick pace, hoping that no-one is following you...

Renwick
Pronounced Renwick by the locals, this lovely little village was only a couple of hours away from Nelson and our only destination the following day. We checked into the loveliest hostel so far where we decided to treat ourselves to an en suite double room and relaxed for the rest of the day in the twin hammock hanging up in the garden.

Renwick is also in the middle of the Marlborough wine country and so the next morning we procured a couple of bicycles, a map of the region and headed out to sample the regions wares. Now I've never been one for white wine but as that was the predominant offering I decided to try to figure out which white wines I actually liked.

My favourite cellar doors were:
Te Whare Ra - great blend called Toru
Villa Maria - best Sauvignon Blanc
River Falls (will need to check the name) - best Pinot Noir

and Johan discovered that he quite liked the wines with the German sounding grape - Gewurztraminer, and also the local micro brewery that tapped various interesting beer on actual glass bottles with a cap. Which means we will not have to explain to customs officials what kind of liquid are in the plastic 2-litre bottles. That is bound to make the entry into the U.S, much less eventful.

For dinner we stopped by a local butcher and picked up some lamb chops and some BBQ sauce and slapped them on the bar-b-que back at the hostel and chatted with the other travellers while drinking some micro brewery beer. A very lovely day.

Goodbye South Island
So now, Thursday, I'm writing this while swaying from side to side on the ferry carrying us and our car and a few hundred other passengers from the South Island at Picton to the warmer North Island at Wellington.

The South Island has been undescribably beautiful at times but to balance that the weather has been really rubbish on some days and the roads a little more windey than my stomach would like. Some of the experiences that we've had like the climb up Franz Joseph and the reflection of Mt Cook in a calm Lake Matheson will stand out for the rest of our lives while some, like the sandflies at Milford Sounds and bedbugs in Nelson, we will be happy to forget as soon as the itching stops.

As for me, I am now looking forward to taking a few days rest in Rotorua before we embark on our epic journey to Houston next week.

Barossa valley Wine tasting

Just north of Adelaide is the Barossa Valley, mainly famous for its fantastic red wines and also the fact that this is where Jacob's Creek and Wolf Blass wine come from. Now, we're not saying that these wines are bad, they make some fantastic wines there too, but they rarely gets shipped, and the ones that are are priced fairly comfortably inside the high-to-extortionate region. We chose to do an organised one day tour, based on our limited time in this huge country, but given more time it would have been fantastic to stay at bed and breakfasts in the valley and hop between them at a leisurely pace. But that does not mean we had a bad experience, quite the opposite, the organised tour features a very well informed driver who during the drive first gave a brief history of the settlement of Adelaide by the British. He then went on to the world wars and the influx of people from mainly Germany and Italy and how the Germans settled the Barossa valley and started to grow wine. This history lesson was great and not something you'd have easily picked up on your own by chatting to the locals.

The tour was scheduled to stop at four vineyards, the first one, "Kiels", the driver oddly labeled as a cafe where you could also try their wine in their cellar door. We prioritised the wine and while the others piled into the cafe for morning tea and a piece of cake we started chatting with the owner and judging by the newspaper clippings on display she was an award winning wine maker. We tried their reds on display and were very impressed by their three Sihraz wines but were blown away by their Ports (or fortified Wines they now have to label it). Obviously the locals are too, since when we were standing there sipping our samples a man and a woman came in to restock their port supply. They returned four two-litre empties and bought four new ones, at roughly $6.50 a litre. That is roughly 40 SEK or £3.50. And remember this was no cheap tasting plonk but some of the best port wine we have ever tasted. As we were standing there saying, 'now that is the way to buy wine, just go to the local award winning vineyard and get it straight from the casks' the owner and the customers were happily chatting away about how early summer has come and other little bits of local news. As they were about to leave she stuffed a bottle of their mid-range white into the bags and said something along the lines of 'stick this in the fridge as well, it will cool you down nicely'.
We need more vineyards and less strict alcohol regulations in Sweden I think...

After popping into the cafe to get our coffee and cake we got on the bus and headed to Langmeil vineyard, where we were met by a cousin of the family run vineyard with a history of over 120 years. Not the same family as when it started though. This visit started out with a little history about the vineyard itself and a 15 minute talk on what makes a great wine, which all boiled down to : its all in the vines. He was talking very enthusiastically about how the best quality wines come from grapes from old vines, and how the industrial sized production of the larger vineyards destroys the vines early, after only 30 years. In smaller scale vineyards on the other hand, where the vines are pruned manually they can last for hundreds of years, though they will yield less and less grapes as time passes. After a quick visit into the fields to see these old vines in the blazing sun, we headed inside to sample the goods, and it was truly amazing. They had a huge selection and we dove straight into the heavy reds section of the list, that is after all the reason we came to this particular area. They had a great Grenache wine and a couple of Grenache/Shiraz blends that were really really nice (all for around or under $15 a bottle). The masterpieces though were the Shiraz wines they make of their really old vines, we liked them so much we had to buy a bottle from the top shelf to consume in a few years time.

After our splurge we went on to a vineyard, who's name escapes us both, for a lunch of very tasty Kangaroo steak and Sticky Date (toffee) pudding, and some more wine of course. This one was nestled in a stunning setting with fields dropping off a hill and with the valley peaks far in the distance. Absolutely gorgeous, but you'll see that in the photo... The wines however, though very nice and incredibly drinkable, did not reach the heights of the previous two. They did had a sparkling red that was quite good though which some of the ladies on the tour were raving about, but that was as far as it went.



After that it was time to go to a big one the biggest actually - Wolf blass, who can bottle a staggering 26'000 bottles an hour apparently. This tasting was more organised and held at their large visitors centre, which obviously cater for a lot of visitors. There was a menu and the guy behind the counter was explaining each wine and each one was more 'delicious', 'beautiful', 'rich' and 'full-bodied' than the last. We were treated to a few of their upper ranges of wines though, the ones above the yellow and red labels, that doesn't make it across to Europe. Though these were quite good, we still preferred the small scale wines we tasted before lunch, though some of the people on the tour did pay a little extra to try a sample from the top ($150 a bottle) range and they claimed that it was the best of the bunch, all day. I do believe them, we seemed to have very similar taste throughout the day, but $150 a bottle is quite a steep price, no matter how nice it is, so I think on our budget we are better off without that temptation. Besides, we already had our splurge bottle safely tucked away in our bag.


The next day we spent roaming around the town in the morning and happened upon the finish of the Global Green challenge, where university students make and drive Solar-powered vehicles from Darwin to Adelaide, through the red Centre (on the very road we are driving on as I am typing this). We lounged around the area for a while and listened to their stories and as they explained to others in the know about how they had built their cars, which solar cells they are using, voltage etc, etc. It is really extraordinary what these guys are doing, they travelled from Darwin to Adelaide in three days, roughly the same time we'll make in our car and reached speeds of over 100 Km/hr and its all built by hand by undergrads. Though there were stories like 'are you using those batteries? Oh, we were going to but one exploded and nearly took our car with it, so we decided not to...', so while we might not go out and buy one tomorrow, it is certainly a thing of the near future. Once our inquisitive minds were at ease we hopped on a bus and went to Tennyson beach, which is a little bit out of the way and less populated. This was a Saturday after all, so we expected a minor invasion of the more accessible beaches. An added benefit of this beach is that it has a lot of sand dunes lining the back of it which makes it not only extremely beautiful but you can also find shelter from the wind, unless it is blowing straight in of course. The water was still cold but in the 30+ heat it was just perfect and it gave us a stunning sunset. We count this as another day well spent in Oz.

While on the beach we decided to hire a car and drive up to Uluru, since we have until next Sunday (a full week!!) until we fly out to Cairns. So at this moment, are driving to Pt Augusta through vast farmland which definitely reminds us that space is not something that Australia is lacking (the farms are huge, roughly the size of countries like, say Singapore!!). This will be a quick stopover and maybe a visit to the Wodlata outback centre in the morning, which apparently is a great Aboriginal culture experience.

Adelaide has treated us very well, but we are quite excited about our road-trip so we are leaving with a smile on our faces.