Vines of Mendoza - Part 1

On Monday night, April 14 we discovered a gem of a wine bar near the Plaza Independencia in Mendoza. It is called The Vines of Mendoza, and it is a place that is worth returning to again and again and again, and I am not just saying this for some rhetorical effect. We visited this wine bar a total of 5 times over the course of two visits to Mendoza, but I get ahead of myself.

The Vines of Mendoza is owned by two North Americans (Yankees) and one Argentine (Mendocino) and their mission is to expose visitors to Mendoza to the more boutique and artesanal vineyards of the area. They have an extensive wine list and they have 3 events every week – a wine and cheese pairing, a talk and tasting with a winemaker and a sparkling wine tasting. In addition to this, you can walk into their bar any day of the week after 3 pm and have a guided tasting with different flights of wine. They do not sell any bottles from the bar but they do encourage all of their visitors to join their wine club, which means that they send you different bottles from the local vineyards 4 or 6 times a year. In short, the Vines is a wine marketing machine and they execute their mission with knowledgeable and honest staff, an eye for detail and excellence and a subtle flare of pride that they are the coolest wine bar in town (and, indeed, we think that they are!).

We began our daily Vines of Mendoza pilgrimage on Monday night, the Wine and Cheese pairing night. We had a wonderful time tasting the different wines and getting to know the two omnipresent servers – Pablo and Pedro. Sarah and Tara were effective in chatting up Pablo and Pedro and scored one or two extra – off the tasting menu – wines. By the 4th glass, I was ready to go find dinner somewhere but stuck it out for the 5th. Luckily for me, the 5th glass was a sweet, late harvest wine – my favorites! After spending 2 hours at the tasting, we headed out for a meal, alight with our wine buzz. We were smitten with this bar and not three steps out of their doorway, we decided that we would return again on Tuesday, the 15th.

Notes from the Wine and Cheese Pairing night:
*All of these notes were observed by Sarah, save for wine number 5. All of those comments come from yours truly.

Mounier
Torreontes 2007
Cafayate, Salta

Crisp, refreshing aroma. Citrus bite at the front of the tongue. Excellent for a hot summer night

Gimenez Rilli
Merlot 2006
Vinedos de Maipu, Mendoza

Chocolate, oaky, earthy, smoky aroma. Not much after taste; dry but not too dry. Nice and drinkable.

Cavas de Crianza
Malbec 2005
Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza

Velvety aroma, berries, almost sweet aroma. Rich flavor with tannins. A little spicy, peppery punch in the middle of the tongue.

Lorca Poetico
Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend 2006
Vista Flores, Uco Valley, Mendoza

Drier, spicier, not as fruity as Malbec. Sharp to begin with then smooth.
Paul: not gulgable.

Lancatay
Semillon 2005
Late Harvest
Barrancas, Maipú, Mendoza

Smells like lemon pie without the meringue, sweet and citrusy, orangey, sweet frontal attack, slightly dry.
“Why is it that Anglos kill natives then name cars and wines after them?”

The extra glass Sarah and Tara received during the middle of the set wine tasting:

Azul Reserva 2003
Blend Cabernet, Malbec and Merlot
Sarah: Sharp, slightly earthy aroma, full, hits the back of the throat dryly