Second Wine Tour

Monday, April 7 – Day 112

Today is the second wine tour with Ampora. We went to Lujan de Cuyo, and toured three wineries, and had another fabulous lunch at a fourth. Bodega Sottano was started by an Italian immigrant in the 1890’s. It’s run by three brothers that are descendents of the founder, and the wife of one of the brothers hosted our tasting on the patio of the small rose-collered house.

Bodega Pulenta Estate is brand new. This family just sold their extensive holdings to one of the largest producers in Argentina, and besides getting a gazillion dollars; they carved out some of the best vines to keep for their own little project. We did this tasting in a beautiful room with glass walls, and it’s set right in the middle of the cellar.

Lunch was at Ruca Malen. We didn’t tour the facility, but tasted 6 different wines. One with each course of the meal.

We finished with Clos de Chacras, which was first built in 1921. The place is still family-run, and they have recently won several national and international awards.

All of these places were just gorgeous, and the wines were incredible. The best part is that none of them cost more that US$10.00 or $20.00. I bought a few bottles to drink along the way, but I’m not geared up to take anything back to the States. I’ve still got over a month of travelling to do, and it’s too expensive to ship.