Mendoza Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Last Day in Mendoza with Visit to Achaval Ferrer

Farewell Argentina BBQ (March 22, 2014) It was difficult to wake up after the huge Argentine BBQ at Alejandro’s house that didn’t end until 2:30am. Everyone ate so much meat and drank so much red wine that it was difficult to move. Luckily his friends came with guitars and we sang many Argentine songs late into the night. A truly wonderful last evening in Mendoza. After packing for the long flight home and checking out of the hotel, Alejandro picked me up at noon and we drove to Achaval Ferrer Wineryin Lujan where we had a 12:30 appointment. Neither one [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:20:33-08:00July 16, 2014|

Flying Back to Mendoza & Visiting Bodega Catena Zapata

Catena Zapata Winery in Mendoza, Argentina (March 20 – 21, 2014) – The next day was devoted to travel, in that we left Cafayate at 9:30 and to arrive at the Salta Airport around noon. Our 2:30 flight was delayed until 3:30 so we didn’t arrive back at the Mendoza Sheraton until around 6pm. That evening was a quiet one of hitting the gym and having a light meal. At 11am the next morning, a driver and car from Bodega Catena Zapata arrived to escort me to their winery in Lujan de Cuyo, about a 25 minute drive south of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:21:08-08:00July 8, 2014|

Delightful Day Long Visit to Zuccardi Family Winery – Mendoza, Argentina

Hours of Operation at Zuccardi Winery After more workshops and lectures the previous day, I was treated to a full day visiting the very hospitable Zuccardi Family Winery. It is located in the Maipu appellation about 20 minutes from the city of Mendoza in the Santa Rosa area. We were greeted by Julia Zuccardi, Director of Hospitality, who gave us an excellent tour beginning with the history of the estate. She said her grandfather had started a business in 1963 selling irrigation pipe to vineyards. To assist with sales, he planted a vineyard to demonstrate how it the equipment worked. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:23:52-08:00June 2, 2014|

Trapiche Winery – Amazing History & Focus on Sustainability in Mendoza, Argentina

Entrance to Trapiche Winery We received an unexpected invitation to visit Trapiche Winery in the morning before my first seminar, so we were delighted to accept because Trapiche is one of the largest and most famous brands in Argentina. The winery is located on the outskirts of Mendoza in an industrial area near the old railroad. Established in 1883, Trapiche was the first winery to ship their wine to Buenas Aires. The original brick winery buildings have been lovingly renovated, and now include a wine museum, the original concrete tanks in the cellar, and a beautiful tasting room on the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:24:28-08:00May 29, 2014|

Visiting the Town of Chakras and Carinae Winery in Mendoza, Argentina

Malbec Vine in Mendoza Vineyard On Monday after a visit to the University of Cuyo in Lujan and a meeting with the Dean and other wine economics professors, we visited the charming “wine village” of Chakras. It is situated in the middle of the vineyards and wineries, and just a short 20-minute drive from downtown Mendoza. Filled with shops and restaurants, I thought this would be an ideal place in the future for wineries to establish mini-tasting rooms, similar to the town of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. We had an excellent lunch at the Chakras at Tea & Company where [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:25:29-08:00May 23, 2014|

Wine Tourism Healthy in Mendoza, Argentina

Vineyards of Mendoza with Andes Mountains Ironically Malbec is not the best pairing with empanadas – the small meat and cheese filled turnovers of Argentina. Instead most locals recommend Torrontes wine as a better match. This is just one of the tips wine tourists learn when they visit the fifth largest wine producing country in the world. Wine tourism in Argentina is on the rise, spurred on by the devalued peso that has recently dropped 30% against the US dollar. This makes visiting Argentina attractive not only to Americans, but to many Brazilians as well who find excellent deals on [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:37:26-08:00May 18, 2014|