Argentina’s wine capital
After two busy, nature based days in the Atacama desert we made out way back to Argentina, this time to Mendoza. In order to get there, we had to stop over at a customs airport, which in this case was the Chilean coastal town of Antofagasta. After a short flight, we landed in Antofagasta, fueled up, cleared our exit, and then made our way on the 1h45 flight to Mendoza.
We arrived at the hotel, quickly changed, and headed for lunch. We ended up at a roof top place that, even though it had a nice view of the city, was not very good. Subsequently, we took a small stroll around the city, visiting the Independence Plaza as well as the national theatre. The rest of the afternoon was spent at leisure, resting and recovering from the previously very busy days.
The next day we had the chance to sleep in, and started our tour at 1200. Feeling rested and ready, we drove 45min south of Mendoza, to visit one of the vineyards that the area is known for. We arrived at Decero, owned by Swiss Businessman Thomas Schmidheiny, and were greeted by one of the managers, Juan. The vineyard was opened in 2002 and has been selling the Decero brand since 2008 (with first vintage 2006). We started off the tour by visiting the sorting machine and fermentation tanks. The next step, we were taken to see the Barrels, where the wine is stored and aged. It was quite impressive to see the sheer size, and very interesting for me as learned a lot about the wine making process. The third stop was a wine tasting, where we had the chance to try a number of different grape varieties and vintages. As my first wine tasting, it was very enjoyable. We ended the afternoon with a lunch overlooking the vineyard, before heading back to Mendoza for some leisure time and an easy dinner.
Mendoza, officially the City of Mendoza is the capital of the province of Mendoza in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the 2010 census, Mendoza had a population of 115,041 with a metropolitan population of 1,055,679, making Greater Mendoza the fourth largest census metropolitan area in the country.
Ruta Nacional 7, the major road running between Buenos Aires and Santiago, runs through Mendoza. The city is a frequent stopover for climbers on their way to Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemispheres) and for adventure travellers interested in mountaineering, hiking, horse riding, rafting, and other sports. In the winter, skiers come to the city for easy access to the Andes.
Two of the main industries of the Mendoza area are olive oil production and Argentine wine. The region around Greater Mendoza is the largest wine-producing area in South America. As such, Mendoza is one of the eleven Great Wine Capitals, and the city is an emerging ecotourism destination and base for exploring the region’s hundreds of wineries located along the Argentina Wine Route.
Reference: Wikipedia.org under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendoza,_Argentina
Argentina is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), making it the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world by area. It is the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world. It shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south.
Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over a part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
The earliest recorded human presence in modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period. The Inca Empire expanded to the northwest of the country in Pre-Columbian times. The country has its roots in Spanish colonization of the region during the 16th century Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish overseas viceroyalty founded in 1776. The declaration and fight for independence (1810–1818) was followed by an extended civil war that lasted until 1861, culminating in the country’s reorganization as a federation. The country thereafter enjoyed relative peace and stability, with several waves of European immigration, mainly Italians and Spaniards, radically reshaping its cultural and demographic outlook; over 60% of the population has full or partial Italian ancestry, and Argentine culture has significant connections to Italian culture.
The almost-unparalleled increase in prosperity led to Argentina becoming the seventh-wealthiest nation in the world by the early 20th century. In 1896, Argentina’s GDP per capita surpassed that of the United States and was consistently in the top ten before at least 1920. Currently, it is ranked 71st in the world. Following the Great Depression in the 1930s, Argentina descended into political instability and economic decline that pushed it back into underdevelopment, although it remained among the fifteen richest countries for several decades. Following the death of President Juan Perón in 1974, his widow and vice president, Isabel Perón, ascended to the presidency, before being overthrown in 1976. The following military junta, which was supported by the United States, persecuted and murdered thousands of political critics, activists, and leftists in the Dirty War, a period of state terrorism and civil unrest that lasted until the election of Raúl Alfonsín as president in 1983.
Argentina is a regional power, and retains its historic status as a middle power in international affairs. Argentina is a developing country that ranks 46th in the Human Development Index, the second-highest in Latin America after Chile. It maintains the second-largest economy in South America, and is a member of G-15 and G20. Argentina is also a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, World Trade Organization, Mercosur, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Organization of Ibero-American States. Since January 2022 Argentina is an OECD candidate country.
Source: Wikipedia.org under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina
