Half past 9 in the evening in Córdoba: Maike, André, Christian and I can’t wait any longer! We are standing at the bus terminal and waiting for the bus to Mendoza. A short time later the bus arrives, we give up our luggage and get on the bus. We have dinner that isn’t too bad for fast food, and later on, we fall asleep during the movie. When I wake up, the rest of the group is already awake and a look out the window tells that we are not far from Mendoza. The barren landscape of the Sierras, which surrounds Córdoba, gives way to a desert landscape with vineyards and mountains in the background. Sounds crazy, right? Desert, wine and mountains; Where can you find something like that? Only in Mendoza!
As we arrive in Mendoza, we get ready for our first important stop: a wine tour through Maipú! Maipú is located about 20km from the city centre and is well known for its wine tours by bicycle. So to say the affordable backpacker version of a wine tasting.
After a never-ending bus ride and finally arriving in Maipú, we go to the bike rental and find out that all bicycles have already been rented. The owner of a winery, which is so nice to help us, recommends us a good winery nearby, called Trapiche and takes us straight there in his car! Immediately after arriving, the tour of the winery starts which comes to completion in a wine tasting! I may have to add at this point that we haven’t eaten anything at all since our arrival in Mendoza and that are drinking the 3 wines on an empty stomach. This is why Maike and I are a bit tipsy after the first wine tasting ;) The boys seem to be fine, or maybe they just do not let it show!
After a successful first wine tasting, * hicks *, it’s time to eat! We leave the winery, change go to the other side of the street and land in a hostel with a restaurant! And what a restaurant! If I think about it right now, my mouth is still watering. Freshly strengthened by the delicious food, we go back to the first winery, with the owner, who was so kind to help us. His winery is adorned with a large, purple bottle of wine at the entrance. From 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm there will be a happy hour, where you – yes, you are hearing right – can drink wine for an hour without having to pay a dime!
He, the owner of the winery, who, as we find out afterwards, is also called Christian. Whit his happy hours he draws customers for his house wine and gives everyone the possibility to leave him a tip. With us, he has found generous customers. The boys and I each buy one to two bottles of wine from the house wines he gave us to try. In the course of the evening, each of us drinks at least one complete bottle of wine – and that’s exactly how we feel afterwards: a bit tipsy, but happy! A great first day in Mendoza, that ends later on in a burger shop on the Avenida Arístides and at night, tired but satisfied, in our AirBnB!