Wine tasting in South America: Where to Go and What to Try

Outside of the well-known wine-producing countries of France, Italy and Spain, a quiet wine revolution is taking place in the southern cone. Down in South America, winemakers have been using European stock since the Jesuits arrived in the new world, to produce wines that are uncorked, poured, swirled, tasted, drunk, exported and lauded all over the planet.

Geography and climate dictate much of where good wine grapes will grow. Between the grape vines themselves, daily and yearly temperature fluctuations, the amount of rain and sunlight the grapes get, and even the amount of trace minerals in the soil, many factors determine the quality of the grape which vintners begin with, and the quality of the wine they can press and ferment from it. As a rule, grapes grow well at about 20-50 degrees north and south latitude. The climate that yields the best wine grapes is described as “Mediterranean,” with defined seasons.

In South America, Argentina and Chile lead the pack in production, and awards, with a few other countries, such as Uruguay, producing consistently well-reviewed wines for export, while Brazil’s sparkling wines win accolades.

Wine Tourism in South America

Wine tourism is taking hold in South America, and those from the northern hemisphere who are planning a trip should keep in mind that the seasons are reversed down in the southern cone, with the height of summer in January and February and wine harvests generally taking place in March and April.

Below you’ll find the main wine-producing, and thereby prime wine-tasting areas in South America, with a heavy focus on the big two, Argentina and Chile, a warning not to forget Uruguay, and information about wine in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and even Venezuela each of which are working to carve out a space for themselves in this growing industry.

Argentina

Argentina produced 2,900,000 metric tons of wine in 2007, which places it ahead of Chile in terms of production, though Argentina’s neighbor across the Andes actually exports more wine to other countries.

Visitors to Argentina will find that most wine tasting takes place in and around the city of Mendoza, which enjoys an extremely long spring and summer, and contributes to the health of the vines and the quality of the wines produced.

Argentina’s signature wine is Malbec, a red wine originally from the Bordeaux region of France. Argentina has been growing grapes for Malbec for over 150 years, but only in the last 20 has this wine truly taken off, and Argentina now produces more than 70% of the world’s Malbec. It is a dark red, and some people describe hints of blackberries and coffee beans but unless you’re a sommelier or have trained your nose with the Nez du Vin aroma set, you’ll probably just taste it and know if you like it or not, without identifying the underlying notes.

Entrepreneurial travelers and visitors to Mendoza can rent a car and fill it up with friends and strangers to visit the wineries on their own, (with a designated driver, please!), but more commonly, visitors to the area book day trips with travel agencies to take them amid the rolling hills of the wine region.

Booked-from-your home-country wine tours in Argentina generally consist of 4-and 5-star hotels and often pick up in Buenos Aires and include top-end everything, accommodations, wines and restaurants included. These tend to last from five to eight days and include the flight to Mendoza.

Wine lovers visiting the region Argentina may also like to visit areas other than Mendoza which produce excellent wines, such as Salta, to get a full picture of what Argentina has to offer. In addition to Malbec, Argentina also produces Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and also varieties such as Tempranillo, Bonarda, Barbera and Torrontés. Information on Argentine wines can be found on the Wines of Argentina website.

Chile

Just over the Andes from Argentina lies Chile, a diminutive strip of land sandwiched between the ocean and the cordillera, and which is exploiting its wine-growing regions to great advantage in recent years.

Chilean wines are popular exports, and its most fabled variety is Carménère, which has made a particularly big impact after the source vines Bordeaux suffered a blight and all but disappeared in their native France. In Chile the variety continues to be strong, and great efforts are made by the Chilean government to protect Chilean agriculture, including the wine industry.

Wine in Chile is not limited to Carménère, and the nation also produces prize-winning Cabernet Sauvingon, Merlot, Syrah and other varieties. As of this year, Chilean wine represents 40% of the wine imported to the United States, due both to its reputation and price-quality ratio. Chile is mainly known for its red wines, but it also produces quality white wines including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, and even a small quantity of Gewürtztraminer. Blends and sparkling wines are also taking hold in Chile.

Chilean wine tourism, or enoturismo has taken off in recent years, with multi-day trips offered by various outfitters, which mainly focus on the Colchagua, Maule and Maipo valleys, which are not far from Santiago, though valleys north and south of the capital city also receive visitors.

A “wine train” takes wine tourists to Santa Cruz wineries, and includes tastings on the train as well as folkloric dance and talks on Chilean history, if visitors wish. Multi-day trips can be arranged in groups or privately, on train, by vehicle, or even by bicycle through the various valleys, and several wineries are easy to get to by public transportation, including the mass market Concha y Toro, which is just a few minutes from the end of the Santiago metro line.

For a complete listing the nation’s wine-producing regions, see the Wines of Chile website.

Uruguay

Uruguay, like Chile and Argentina, has a history of wine-production tracing back to its European ancestors. The country is well situated (if a bit humid in places) to produce good wines, and its shining star is Tannat, for which this small, Atlantic nation is known.

Most wine production takes place in the Canelones region, near the capital city of Montevideo. While many amateur wine-lovers would not come to Uruguay for wine tasting on its own, it is not uncommon to take a day or two here after touring some of the more selective wineries in Chile and Argentina.

Visit Uruguay’s wine website for more information about Uruguayan wines, including where to find distributors closer to home.

Brazil

Brazil is perhaps better-known for cachaça, the grain-alcohol that forms the base of the minty-lemony caipirinha, but several states in this vast country produce wines, including Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Pernambuco and São Paulo, though the Serra Gaucha, north of Porto Alegre is one of the most commonly-visited.

Recently, Brazilian vintners have brought wines to tastings in Germany and California’s Sonoma. At a recent tasting held in Brazil, whites and sparkling wines were the best received, as the reds suffered from poor climatic conditions (excessive rain) that are typical of much of Brazil.

Wine tourism is doing well in Brazil, with multi-day tours and one-vineyard trips as the budget allows.

Peru

Just to the north of Chile and Argentina, where the Andes mountains grow even more soaring as they reach up into Peru, there are also several wine-producing areas where visitors can go wine-tasting.

Wine tourism in Peru is in its infancy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of a day tour, or organize your own to one of the wineries in the principal grape-growing regions near Lima, Ica and Arequipa.

And if it turns out you don’t love Peruvian wines, near Ica is also the famous region of Pisco, for which the main ingredient in Pisco Sour (Peru’s signature drink) is named.

Bolivia

Bolivia is not exactly world- renowned for its wine, but serious purveyors of the hard-to-find won’t want to miss wines produced in this nation, which dares to grow the fruit at 5,600 to 9,200 feet above sea level, when grapes in South America are normally grown between 2,000 and 3,000 feet.

Information on this wine high-altitude wine production is available on the vinosenlatura website, the name of which means “wines at altitude” in English. Near the municipality of Tarija, you can find wines produced by Campos de Solana, for example, whose offerings include Cabernet Sauvingon and Riesling.

As in Peru, much of the wine crop is destined to the national spirit, which in this case is Singani.

Ecuador

Ecuador actually imports quite a bit of wine from Chile, but it does produce its own as well, with grapes grown at 8,000 feet above sea level, where daytime temperatures are spring-like, and nighttime temperatures drop, which increases the grape’s sugar content, and makes for good wine.

At Estancia Chaupi, they produce Chardonnay, Palomino, Palomino Fino and Meritage wines. The vineyard is located about 6 miles south of the Equatorial line and in the foothills of the Andes in the Yaruqui valley. Ecuador also produces a sparkling wine and several fruit “wines” which are not technically wines since they are not made from grapes.

Colombia

Colombia may also surprise you with the presence of Ain Karim, a vineyard that produces wines under the brand name Marqués de Villa de Leyva, which started production in the 1980s, in the foothills near Sutamarchán. In a country which is largely tropical, and in a zone which is clearly outside of the prime grape-growing here the solution was also to grow grapes at an altitude, to fulfill the need for daily temperature fluctuation. This vineyard’s website proclaims that the vineyard was formed through a combination of inspiration and insanity. It produces Riesling, a German variety and Pinot Noir, originally from France.

Another Colombian wine agglomeration brings together 70 families from 16 communities in the Consorcio del sol de Oro, which together has more than 250,000 plantings, where European specifications are followed to produce Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvingon and Sauvingon Blanc wines, exported to Bogotá (the undisputed gastronomical capital of Colombia), as well as Europe.

Venezuela

A trip through all the wine-producers of South American would be remiss in not mentioning, Venezuela, which the uninformed might also assume is too close to the equator to be able to grow wine grapes. Again, altitude is the answer, and the favorable conditions include a grater-than-30 degree daily fluctuation in temperature and good soil drainage.

The area produces two harvests per year, in September and March. Bodegas Pomar, a subsidiary of the conglomerate Polar, which produces beer and other foodstuffs in Venezuela, has spent $20 million to help develop the Venezuelan wine industry in the last ten years, and represents a hefty chunk of the Venezuelan wine market.

Bodegas Pomar grows six varieties of red grapes and five of white grapes, with hopes to expand the market, to which tourism is essential, because though wine-drinking is increasing in Venezuela, hard alcohol is more commonly drunk.

Plan your own trip

South America has wine tasting for every budget, and in many nations. If a multi-day trip to the vineyards is not in the cards, consider a day trip. Or check out events surrounding the vendimia (wine harvest) or other wine tasting events held in cities and near vineyards.

Another option is to contact local wine and liquor stores or restaurants to see if they can host a wine tasting, and if all else fails, pack a corkscrew among your (packed) baggage, and be sure to (carefully) pack some wine for the way back home. Add some cheese, crackers, fruit or a nice meal and you can find the perfect maridaje (pairing) for your libations.

Read about author Eileen Smith and check out her other BootsnAll articles.

Photo credits:
Wine glass by Alan Heitz on Flickr, Argentina by Altos Las Hormigas, Chile by Santa Ema, Winery on horseback from San Pedro in Chile, Brazil by wines at Peterlongo, Tasting menu by bearshapedsphere on Flickr

10 of the World’s Most Unique Fountains

Many of us enjoy the rhythmic sound of water. Spraying water. Rushing water. Trickling water. The sound of water gently lapping at a shore or raindrops on the roof of our home. We have water features in our yards and spend time near lakes and the ocean. Maybe it’s because our own bodies are 66% water.

Whatever the reason, if you’re missing the melody of water, and find yourself inland or in the midst of urban sprawl, try searching out a fountain to get your fix.

Jet D’Eau – Lake Geneva, Switzerland

This fountain is located in Lake Geneva where the lake empties into the Rhone River and is one of the largest fountains in the world. It is so grand that you see it from everywhere in the city and from a distance of six miles in the air.

There is a stone jetty that you can walk out onto if you’d like to get a closer look but beware, the fountain pumps 132 gallons of water up in to the air each second. If the wind shifts, you are likely to get drenched.

Peterhof Palace Fountains – Saint Petersburg, Russia

There are many fountains located throughout this UNESCO World Heritage Site complex, with the most famous being the Grand Cascade on the northern side of the Grand Palace. It is a breathtaking sight made up of of 64 separate fountains, 200 statues and many other decorations, including an amazing bronze statue of Samson wrestling with a lion.

As you wander the grounds you’ll see many other water features including one that resembles a large chessboard, a pyramid fountain, and one shaped like a disk which shoots out water to resemble the sun’s rays.

Trevi Fountain – Rome, Italy

Rome is a city overflowing with fountains, but this one is the most famous. You’ve undoubtedly seen it at some point in a movie, or perhaps you’ve heard the legend about throwing a coin into the fountain? It’s supposed to guarantee you a trip back to Rome. Two coins? You’ll get a new romance. Three coins? Marriage or divorce, whichever your preference may be. I wouldn’t recommend throwing any more coins, you may go broke. I wonder who gets to clean out the fountain and keep all those coins?

The fountain is located at the end of an ancient aqueduct that was built in 19 BC. It was designed by Nicola Salvi and completed in 1762, and is an incredible work of art. The design is of Neptune riding a chariot pulled by two sea horses & Tritons. On either side you’ll see the two statues of Abundance and Salubrity.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic – Barcelona, Spain

When I visited Barcelona for the Olympics in 1992 I assumed that this fountain was a new modern marvel constructed specifically for the Olympics. Little did I know that it had been created years before for the Great Universal Exhibition of 1929.

It’s been putting on quite a show ever since and is a definite must-see if you find yourself visiting this city. The sprays of water in the 164’ x 213’ pool combine with music, vivid colors, lights and motion to make the fountain appear almost to be dancing.

Bethesda Fountain – New York City, United States

Located next to the lake and near the center of Central Park in New York, this fountain hosts hundreds of visitors everyday for a myriad of reasons. People come in the summer to relax and cool off, moviemakers love it as a backdrop (it’s been shown in many films) and romantics spend time near it being, well romantic.

It was sculpted in 1868 by Emma Stebbins, the first woman ever to be asked to design a major piece of art for New York City, and unveiled in 1873. If you look closely you’ll see that the winged female angel holds a lily in her hand, a symbol for the fresh water brought to New York City when the Croton Aqueduct was built in 1842.

Chocolate Fountain – Cologne, Germany

This is not your typical fountain, but being a chocolate lover it’s one of my personal favorites. Judging from the 5 million visitors the museum receives each year, I’m not the only one. Trust me, dipping a wafer into the stream of chocolate pouring from the fountain and then savoring it, is reason enough for a visit.

The fountain is located inside the Chocolate Museum in Cologne. In the museum you’ll find out everything you need to know about how chocolate is made, beginning with the bean right up to the delicious morsel you pop in your mouth. When you leave there is a museum that sells postcards, books, mugs for hot cocoa and of course, chocolate.

Dundas Square – Toronto, Canada

The Dundas Square splash fountains are the perfect place for urban dwellers to spend a warm afternoon. They are located in the center of Toronto, in what used to be an undesirable part of town, but thanks to a city revitalization project the area was improved and the fountains and square were built in 1998.

The fountains consist of two rows of ten fountains each that run through the main walkway of the square. They were designed with the intent that people splash around in them, so the water goes through a filtration system to keep it clean. If you’d rather not get wet, there is plenty of room to walk around and just enjoy that magical fountain sound.

Court of Neptune Fountain – Washington DC, United States

This elaborate fountain is located in Washington D.C. outside the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. It was created by the sculptor Roland Hinton Perry in 1897.

The fountain shows a scene from the court of the sea god Neptune. Neptune is huge, about 12 feet tall, and is surrounded by the lesser god Triton, sea nymphs and other sea creatures and monsters.

Palais Longchamp – Marseilles, France

The city of Marseilles used to have a serious water shortage and in 1835, after a deadly cholera outbreak, the inhabitants decided they needed a supply of fresh water. They undertook the enormous project of digging a 53-mile canal from the river Durance. To celebrate the arrival of the water, the magnificent Palais Longchamp and fountain were built.

The fountain is a brilliant creation. It consists of four bulls and three female figures. The women each represent something different: the Durance river, grapes and vines, and wheat and fertility. Water pours from these into a basin and then a pond, eventually coming out of 12 bronze fountains lining a cascading waterfall area.

Generalife – Granada, Spain

Generalife is part of the Alhambra palace complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building was the summer palace for the sultan rulers of Granada and was built by Muhammad lll in the 1300’s.

The summers were hot, so the gardens had alluring fountains in them to help cool the royal court. The most photographed is the long pool found in the Patio de la Acequia. It is surrounded by eye-catching, fragrant flowerbeds.

Read about author Deanna Hyland and check out her other BootsnAll articles.

Photo credits:
Jet D’Eau and Grand Cascade by stevesheriw on Flickr, Magic Fountain by colinjcampbell on Flickr, Bethesda by Photo Gallery on Flickr, Chocolate Fountain by The Voice Of Objective Truth on Flickr, Dundas Fountain by Kevin Steele on Flickr, Court of Nepture by wallyg on Flickr, Longchamp by orangejack on Flickr, Generalife by Marciela on Flickr, Trevi by khoogheem on Flickr

Gasometer in Oberhausen

View from halfway up the blast furnace at Landschaftpark Duisburg-Nord

Speeding through the Berchtesgaden salt mine on a miniature train

Mamma Mia! A Bicycling Tour on the Greek Island of Crete

Zakthunos memories

Each September I attempt to extend my New York summer by a week or two and  “get” more cycling miles in a warmer place. The venue should have beauty, culture, history and outstanding beaches. The experience would be enhanced if it is a place I haven’t previously visited. When I planned the September, 2009 trip earlier in the year, the economy was still in its sick state so keeping costs within moderate parameters was also an objective.

I had previously enjoyed a bicycle tour of the Greece mainland and one its islands, Zakynthos with Classic adventures.com in 1998 and noticed in their 2009 brochure they were running one on another of its  islands, Crete in September.

Crete had been on my mind since I had appreciated  the beauty of the Greek islands as settings for “ Momma Mia”, “Zorba,  the Greek” and other motion pictures.  The price of the ten day tour which included almost everything (the use of a Trek road bike, most meals, etc.)  was $3500 ($4100 for a single room.  Round trip airfare which was additional from New York to Crete was $830 via Delta, Air France and Aegean airlines. In my opinion, the price of $320 per night represented a real value for a bike tour—it was substantially less than most other bike tours.

The founder of Classic, Dale Hart is a retired college professor of Greek History and gave us many insights regarding the sites we cycled by.  The tour began in Crete’s largest city, Heraklion, and included such highlights as ancient Knossos, the Lassith and Omolos plateaus, the Minoan site of Karphi, the Potami River Valley, the Libyan Sea, the Plain of Messara, the Amari Valley, Palm Beach, Prevali Monastery, Souda Bay,, Samarian Gorge and the Harbor at Chiana. 

cycling into a very old place

Virtually all parts of the island were included in our biking and hiking itinerary. There were ten biking days.  The group was split into two sections.  The “Extreme” people rode about 60-70 miles daily, usually “climbing” about a mile each day. Cyclists could opt for a less demanding route in terms of both mileage and hills.  The two groups were reunited each evening and used the same restaurants and hotels..The less demanding  group was shuttled in a minibus over the
difficult stretches and could take advantage of cultural and historical attractions along the way while waiting to be reunited with the extreme group.

I was a member of the extreme group.  Another tour ran in May.  Bicycling Magazine called the Tour “one of the best 50 rides on the planet”.  Scenery included spectacular and stunning mountain, sea and canyon vistas,  vineyards and olive groves, donkeys, goats, cows, sheep and birds.  Some of the hotels had swimming pools and/or were easily accessible  to Crete’s famous beaches.   Dinners included Greek culinary specialties such as honey, yogurt, grilled seafood , feta cheese, olive oils, lamb tzatziki ( a succulent mix of yogurt, cucumber, garlic and olive oil). moussaka and baklava.  Breakfasts and almost all dinners (usually with wine) were included.

Classic’s support staff of 3 were all members of the Hart family, Dale, his wife Dianne and son Benton (the heir apparent)  They checked the mechanics of each bike daily. One day Benton discovered and repaired a mechanical flaw in my bike’s shifting mechanism which I had never noticed.  They also fixed flat tires and made emergency bike repairs on the road as needed. One of the hard working, capable and friendly Hart family members drove a minibus which carried cyclists’ luggage between hotels.  It was also used   to shuttle tired cyclists or those who had opted for the less demanding routes.

There also were two days with hiking options.  One (which I did) was a memorable 12 mile trek down Crete’s famous Samaran Gorge. The local Cretan population generally gave us a warm reception.  The condition of the roads was surprisingly good—comparable to those in my home county in New York state.  We were fortunate to have had good cycling weather—daily temps in the mid to upper 70’s and virtually no rain.  According to the historical climate data I checked, this is generally typical for Crete at this time of the year.

climbing along a guard rail

The fourteen members of our cycling group ranged in age from their forties to about 70 and included a mix of couples and solo travelers.  There was a couple from Calgary, Alberta and a solo American woman who has been living in Germany.  The remainder were from various U.SA. locations.

The level of restaurants and hotels was generally good but neither luxurious nor exceptional.

Facilities at this level simply did not exist along some of the outstanding bike routes we took and as I pointed out the price of the tour was by no means excessive.  However  I was never uncomfortable.

Although some of the hotels didn’t have a/c it didn’t seem to be hot in any of them (it may have been in midsummer)  Several times there seemed to be a hot water shortage, but in most cases we were able to get it by either running a the tap for a while or asking the desk to turn it on.

Our hotel for the last two nights was the Almyrida Residence, a modern and new Miami Beach style hotel with ground level and rooftop pools and an adjacent appealing Mediterranean beach.

On the only evening for which dinner was not provided by Classic, ten of us shared an hour long taxi ride to the cobbled streets of the old town of Rethymno for an unforgettable culinary experience—dinner at the wonderful AVLI restaurant, one of Greece’s best.   All of us greatly enjoyed our dinner selections and outstanding Greek wines served  outdoors in a lush garden.

The family support staff

To “work off” some of the excellent menu offerings, the “extreme” bike routes were very hilly and difficult  for most cyclists.  Some of the hills (I should say mountains)  were very steep and long.

There were as many as 15 switchbacks on the way up—at the end (turns) of the switchbacks it was sometimes very windy.  When we finally reached the summit and looked down the view resembled a panorama from an airplane—Our vantage point was so high.  I was impressed by the courage and effort of the cyclists.—all of them were not in the “supercyclist” category, age and genderwise.  Of course, all had the option of demoting themselves permanently or temporarily to the non extreme program (which I did on a very windy day!) They could also take a day off  from the grueling 10 days in a row cycling schedule. (which I also did—spending it with a book and writing this piece on a relaxing and gorgeous Cretan beach).

I still wound up biking about 440 mostly hilly miles in 8 days.  Of the 60+ multiday bike I tours I have done, this ranks among the 3 or 4 most difficult!.

switchbacks above the timberline