Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina - Day 3

Friday, February 10, 2023

Today began at Tupungato Divino in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina. For the first time on this trip, all four of us got a great night of sleep. Also for the first time this week, we were able to clearly see the Andes Mountains in the distance. Andi grabbed the camera minutes after sunrise to capture the view.

At 8:30am, the four of us walked over to Tupungato Divino’s outdoor patio for breakfast. Our server brought us coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice, ham and cheese slices with fresh bread, jam, butter, and dulce de leche spreads, fruit, and alfajores (a traditional Argentine treat made with dulce de leche caramel sandwiched between two shortbread cookies, then rolled in coconut flakes). It’s always fun to try new foods when we’re traveling & alfajores was a food we’d read about in our studies before visiting here. The cookie is very popular in Argentina and sold everywhere from kioskos (convenience stores) to fancy restaurants. Tory and Aden weren’t big fans of the crumbly cookie, but I loved the texture and light lemon flavor. It’s easy to see why Argentines eat alfajores as part of breakfast or for an after-meal dessert.

We only planned to stay at Tupungato Divino one night, so after breakfast we returned to the room to pack our bags. Andi’s stomach was hurting him — he couldn’t decide if he caught Aden’s stomach bug or if he was just overstuffed from all the delicious food and wine we’ve been indulging in this past week. Andi wanted to lay down for a bit, so Tory, Aden and I spent some time journaling, then went to the pool to swim before our taxi arrived at Noon.

We’d hoped to have lunch and wine at Bodega La Azul, but we couldn’t get a reservation on short notice. That’s one recommendation I’d have for anyone visiting Mendoza — schedule winery tours a few days (or more) ahead of time. With over 1,000 vineyards in the Mendoza area, you can always find a winery tasting, but it may not be the exact place you have your heart set on visiting. Fortunately, we weren’t too picky about where we went (only that the bodegas were kid-friendly).

The owner of Tupungato Divino arranged for an English-speaking driver named George to pick us up at the hotel and take us to Finca Bandini, a winery in the neighboring Lujan Valley. We learned that George was born and raised in Mendoza, and spent 18 years living in the United States. We shared a camaraderie for American football and apple pie, and spent lots of time talking about family. George’s personality exuded happiness which made him an enjoyable person to spend the afternoon with.

George was treated like the mayor when we walked into Finca Bandini. He’s such a likable guy. He introduced us to a host and the sommelier of the winery who seated our family at a private table on the grassy lawn. Goodness, we felt like royalty! Rolling out the red carpet for the family of four from Wisconsin.

By now it was 2:00pm in the afternoon, so Andi and I opted to have lunch with our wine tasting. The sommelier poured the first tasting of wine, a Malbec rose, paired with homemade cheeses and salami. Next, we tried a young Malbec wine, followed by two darker, more full-bodied Malbecs with empanadas, stuffed chicken balls, and brie wrapped in phylo-dough topped with caramelized onions.

The server brought coloring sheets to keep the kids entertained during lunch while the sommelier shared information about their wines. I loved how different this experience was than our visit to Casarena yesterday. We very much enjoyed our tasting there as well; Finca Bandini was interesting and beautiful in its own ways.

The sommelier invited us on a golf cart ride through the vineyard so she could show us the Mendoza River running through the property, and the farm’s respective vineyards.

Finca Bandini is a unique vineyard in that it lies in the riverbed of the Mendoza River. Water from the Andes Mountains travels through the property leaving behind fresh water and rich minerals in the soil. Over several hundred years, the riverbed shifted leaving behind rocky terrain and fresh, clear water perfect for growing grapes.

After our tasting & tour at Finca Bandini, the four of us hopped back into the car with George who drove us to the next place we were staying in Mendoza called Lujan B&B. Andi read raving reviews about this B&B, so we were excited to check it out. Unfortunately, by this point in the day his stomach was still really hurting him. He’d put on a brave face at the winery to salvage the day’s activity, but was now looking forward to laying down in bed.

We checked into Lujan B&B’s family cabin which included two bedrooms (1 queen + 3 twin beds) and a bathroom. While Andi rested in the room, I took Aden to the pool to swim. Tory was doing her usual 5:00pm meltdown from heat exhaustion and insisted on sitting in the community room by the internet router to call her friend back home. I left her there to do so.

The wind picked up when Aden and I were at the pool and it felt like it could rain. As we were leaving Finca Bandini earlier this afternoon, we could hear faint boom sounds in the distance. The sommelier said the sound was government planes setting off “salt bombs” in the mountains to prevent hail from hitting the Mendoza area. The salt breaks up the hail before it ever touches the ground. We could definitely see it raining in the mountains, but no precipitation fell in Mendoza.

We planned to have dinner at Lujan B&B which began at 9:00pm. Andi decided to skip dinner, so Tory, Aden and I went together. We were seated at a big community table under the trees in the garden. It’s clear that the people are what make Lujan B&B so special. The kids and I were warmly greeted by a woman named Cloe who served us wine and water while we waited for the other hotel guests to arrive.

We met travelers from Seattle, Washington, Brazil, and Buenas Aires also staying on the property. Rich and Morina, the couple from WA, lived in both Lacrosse, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, so they were fun to talk to. I’m sure we could have played six degrees from separation and found lots of common people we knew. We also enjoyed speaking with both Arte (two guys, same name) and learning about their life and travels in Brazil.

Lujan B&B made a special milanese and French fries dinner for the kids. We are not big fans of the breaded and fried meat that Argentinians seems to love, but the accommodating gesture was appreciated. For my meal, I enjoyed a pasta salad with fresh vegetables and beef with red wine rice. By the time we ate dinner, it was already 10:30pm. Aden was falling asleep at the table and asked to be excused so he could go lay down. Tory hung on until 11:00pm for dessert — strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce.

I’m hoping Andi feels better tomorrow (wouldn’t it be lovely for all four of us to be healthy at once on this trip?!) as we’re planning to sightsee in downtown Mendoza.