Suzy takes the reins as our horses Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon lead the way
Another typical morning in Mendoza - out and off to a winery by 9AM! We drove 20 minutes to Lujan de Cuyo, where the Tapiz vineyard is located. This was an entirely different experience from the Familia Zuccardi winery, where Zuccardi reaches 1,000 employees during the harvest, Tapiz maxes out at only 60 workers. Our fabulous guide, Juan, made the Mendoza wine tour both fun and highly informative, expanding our knowledge and appreciation for the intricacies of the wine-making process. He poured us glasses straight from the giant aluminum fermentation vats! Our first sample had just been put into the container the day before. No yeast had been added, so it was essentially grape juice. The murky, brown and yellow color did not look inviting, but the grapes are so sweet, almost like candy, that it was quite delicious. We then tasted the second stage, after yeast has been added and the fermentation process has begun. This stage is not so good, very bitter and acidic. Finally, we tasted the finished product, 8 months in the vat, now a real Sauvignon Blanc.
We finished the tour and Juan pulled us aside for a surprise - to my Mom’s delight, we got to ride in a horse-drawn carriage through the vineyard! The horses, named Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, were both a beautiful rich brown color, and pulled the carriage at a quick pace, allowing us to see the majority of the grounds in only 30 minutes.
Our Guide Juan taking us on a horse-drawn tour of the vineyards!
We left the Tapiz Winery and drove down the road, by chance stumbling upon the Bodega Melipal. The second we crossed through the gate, we knew we had entered the next level of luxury in Mendoza. The winery is only 10 years old, but the owners had set out to make an impression. The restaurant looks out over rows of grapes, swaying poplar trees, and the blue Montana Plata and Volcano Tupungato in the background. (Side story - Tupungato is the same mountain featured in the film “Alive”, depicting the true story of the Brazilian rugby team whose plane crashed on the mountain, leading to cannibalism and eventually their rescue. Cool!) We were seated on the deck, and enjoyed a completely ridiculous 5-course lunch along with wine pairings. Four hours later, we enjoyed a late harvest Malbec sorbet and finished the meal. John decided to start cataloging his steaks, perhaps the start of a carnivorous photo essay!
Fourth Course at Bodega Melipal and John's Inspiration for a future Steak Blog
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.