Argentina Wine Tours

From Santiago, one can enjoy the 6 to 7-hour drive by car over the Andes to Mendoza, or take the one hour flight and view the snow-capped Andes from above. Mendoza is a man-made oasis built on a desert, and the heart and soul of Argentina’s wine production.
 
Visiting downtown Mendoza this May, in fall season, was to be engulfed by an amazing vista of trees overhanging the boulevards. Over 500 kilmetres of channels run through the city providing irrigation to green spaces, including five charming squares within the city, popular as a gathering spot, particularly for young couples.

Where else can you find a Modern Art Museum built below the main fountain of the city's main square? The other four squares are equidistant from Independence Square, with Spain Square noterworthy for its colorful tiled benches and fountains. The colorful pedestrian street, Peatonal Sarmiento, is full of shops, cafes and more fountains.  Certainly one of the joys of the city of Mendoza is to stroll its boulevards and enjoy its squares.

The Park Hyatt is on the edge of Independence Square, providing an excellent location with shopping and restaurants close by. Once the Plaza Hotel, the Park Hyatt sports the original neoclassical façade, but was otherwise mostly gutted and rebuilt as a contemporary and hip resort, with a casino attached. Service was top notch throughout: geniuine and attentive. Rooms are contemporary and comfortable, with large marble bathrooms and wonderful amenities including the wine-based shampoos (both white and red). For dining there's Q Grill, offering traditional Argentinian asado, and perhaps the best empanadas; or M Bistro, offering international cuisine. A wine bar offers indoor and outdoor seating, and an extensive collection of local wines by the glass or bottle. The fitness area was small but very adequate, and an outdoor pool completes a city resort at which one can be totally comfortable in.

There are about 800 wineries in Mendoza, I'm told, and over 1,000 in Argentina. Since the 2000's, and with many of the owners from abroad, there's been a concerted focus on quality. That's obvious when you sample the wines. Here Malbec reigns, though production includes Cabarnet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a other varietals. Given the scarcity of water in what was a barren desert, irrigation has to be carefully managed. Though it was interesting to note the extensive netting covering the vines, to protect them from the huge hail storms that can occur in January/February. Some of the wineries have their own restaurants on premises, and it was delightful touring a few like LaGarde, one of the oldest, Norton, one of the largest, and Sottalo, a smaller boutique winery.  

There's more to the region than wine, however, and options for ziplining, horsebackriding, river rafting are all within an hour or two's drive from Mendoza.

Travel shouldn’t be about chasing the latest “hot” destination, but about finding personally enriching travel experiences that meet your needs.  Sometimes traveling away from “what’s hot” makes as much, if not more sense.  Be that as it may, we’re often asked what we see as the hot destinations for the new year.  So I’ll put on my Karnak hat and venture  some thoughts on the topic.

Going back several years, there’s no question there were often one or two hot-spots on the planet attracting huge tourism interest.  In the last couple of years, it seems travelers are venturing out everywhere, such that it’s harder to pick any one or two destinations as being overly compelling. Certainly given the recession, there’s a greater focus on where travelers can find the best value. In that category here are a couple of options:

Iceland
Iceland was hit hard by an economic crises and still hasn’t recovered. (It’s only a couple of years ago a friend of mine returned complaining about the $85 simple, bare bones dinner he had.) With its devalued currency, and being a small, remote and off-the-beaten path destination, it seems it would fit the bill. With 10,000 waterfalls, its geo-thermal pools , and  a fascinating music scene (any Sigur Ros fans?), it has much to offer. Also,  low-cost carrier,Iceland Express debuts seasonal service this year between New York, Reykjavik, and about two dozen European cities in June.

Russia
It wasn’t but a year or so ago Moscow was rated the most expensive city in the world. Upscale hotels have opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg , including Ritz Carlton and Kempinski, with a Four Seasons in the works. But since then, Russia has been hit hard by the recession, and it’s now offering much better value.  In terms of cultural riches, it’s hard  to beat musuem like the Hermitage or Russia’s cathedrals. Having led tours in Russia in the early ’70′s, and recalling the lack of food selection, when I was back last year I was amazed by all the sushi bars and top-notch cuisine available. For younger folk who want to tap into the hip subsculture, it’ll take some work to find it, but it’s there. Either way, traveling with a personal guide will cost a bit more but pay off in spades.

Turkey
Turkey also continues to be a “hot” destination, and probably the ever increasing cruise traffic to Istanbul and Kusadasi/Ephesus helps whet people’s appetites to explore further. And there’s much worth exploring.  In 2009 we saw a growing interest in travel to Turkey, and our hand-picked guides do a phenomenal job for us there. In 2010 Istanbul kicks off the year as a European Capital of Culture, with a years worth of planned events. Some restaurants in the Beyoglu district will even have special permits that allow extended hours for alcohol sales, and the likes of Eric Clapton, U2 and Pina Bausch will be performing. (Speaking of hand-picked guides, certainly we encourage travelers to consider having us set up privately guided excursions through our on-site contacts during their travels for more enriching and personalized experiences.)

Egypt
Egypt was “hot” in 2009, and my guess is it will continue to be. With estimates that maybe half of its archeological treasures have been uncovered, and with new discoveries made each year, Egypt’s past continues to be a draw for good reason: the more you learn about its past, the more ‘mind-blowing’ it is.  A new Egyptian Musuem is being built near the Pyramids, and is bound to provide a far more compelling experience than the current location does. (If you go, I highly recommend you invest in The Teaching Company’s DVD lectures on ancient Egypt to better appreciate what you’re in for, or take a college class somewhere.) Uniworld introduces its brand new river boat which offers a compelling and comfortable way to tackle the desert heat. I recently returned and was very impressed with their operations all around. (For those that love bargaining, you’ll hardly find a more worthy place for it.)

Africa
Further south on the African continent, Southern Africa and Eastern Africa are pretty much on every traveler’s dream list, and with recessionary times, the last couple of years has seen a bit of a drought. There’s pent-up demand, and we’re seeing an increased interest in Africa again. While it’s a hefty investment, there’s no question Africa delivers incredibly enriching and unique experiences, and as such,  always delivers fine value.

Vietnam & Cambodia
Several years ago travel to Vietnam was all the rage, and then it subsided. Interest is back at a high point, especially combined with visiting neighbor Cambodia. While cruise ships visiting souteast Asia often call on ports in Vietnam, one new “hot” product is the Mekong River Cruise.  There are now several companies offering river cruises on the Mekong River between the two countries, including new, more luxury boats. With the imense popularity of European river cruises, we’re expecting to see those travelers exploring other waterways.

Peru
South America offers travelers incredible experiences. Argentina, and Buenos Aires in particular, has been and remains a popular getaway, with the dollar stretching a long way. Chile, Brazil and Patagonia have also been drawing an increase in visitors.  Travel to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador have been very robust. Certainly visiting the Galapagos should be on the list of top-5 destinations on any world traveler’s list. But Peru seems to be the strongest destination standing on its own, and worthy of a two-week trip. We’re seeing growing interest and predict it will be a “hot” spot. We encourage those that haven’t been to consider 10- to 14-days here.

Canada
At least for those of us in California, and while it’s perhaps far less exotic, I’m always intrigued we haven’t seen far more interest in Canada than we do. This year’s Winter Olympics will focus more attention on this desirable destination, and no doubt, travelers will follow. Canada seems to offer everything a Californian wants: nature and gorgeous scenery, lots of green space, fresh air, outdoor adventuring, good food and wine, and friendly people.  Vancouver and Toronto remain highly invigorating cities with great restaurants, museums and nightlife.

As I close, I know as soon as I publish this post, I’ll think of other exciting destinations I may have mentioned. Whatever your travel dreams, our travel experts are able to make them come true.  Happy traveling in 2010, and welcome your feedback on what you think will be hot this year.

Dan Ilves
dan.i@travelstoreusa.com