After two days in the Villa, our host dropped us off in the middle of Mendoza City. After settling in, we were lucky enough to meet up with Bryan Driscoll, who Erin worked with during the Kerry-Edwards 2004 presidential campaign.
Bryan is a hard working man by U.S. standards and certainly by Argentinian standards. He´s the director of business development at a fledgling company called The Vines of Mendoza. If you’ve ever wanted to own your own vineyard but don’t have 50 million dollars lying around, the Vines of Mendoza gives you the option of buying into a vineyard collective. You buy 2 acres of land and you get to choose the grapes that are grown, the irrigation methods used, and what to do with the grapes. You can sell the grapes, give them to the Wines of Mendoza to make a collective wine, or bottle the wine yourself under your own label. Its really a cool business model. Bryan clearly believes in his product - or else he’s a very convincing salesman. We were ready to sign on the dotted line before we remembered that we didn’t have jobs.
The next night Bryan and his co-worker Emily took us to Don Mario’s. It’s a legendary paradilla (steak house) in Mendoza. The cab driver who took us to the restaurant said he’s been going to Don Mario’s with his father every Friday night for the last 20 years. It was a quite a treat to go out to dinner with two people who work for a wine company. Bryan and Emily brought 4 bottles of wine with us for dinner that paired perfectly with the HUGE steaks that Bryan ordered for us.
Jeff took the challenge of finishing his steak and ate the whole thing — and then got a mean introduction to the meat sweats. In Mendoza, you don’t wake in the middle of the night from too much wine, rather its from trying to process half a cow.
On our third night, we were walking around the city when it started to rain and then hail. We ducked into a nearby restaurant and had an amazing meal of steak and lamb. The hail let up after about 30 minutes and we didn´t think anything of it. But when we visited the wineries the next day, we were shocked to find out that the 30 minute hailstorm had destroyed hundreds of acres of grape fields. These pictures are from the destroyed fields at the Legarde Bodega. But our guide at Legarde told us not to worry, the bodega has another vineyard in another area. They will have plenty of grapes to make their fine wine.
The Mendoza region is famous for its Malbecs, and we tasted many different Malbecs from different price ranges. Although we both appreciate Malbecs, we agreed that we enjoyed the Mendocino wines that blended Malbecs with other grapes (usually Cabernet Savignon or Syrah). Our two favorite blends from Mendoza were the Gran Estirpe 2005 and Qaramy Finca 2005.
Click for more Mendoza Photos on Flickr
After a long bumpy yet beautiful drive through the peaks of the Andes Mountains we arrived in Mendoza - Argentina’s premier wine destination. Erin thought she found a great B&B just outside of Mendoza city. We expected that our host would be on-site. The B&B turned out to be a Villa, and we were the only people staying there. There were no other tourists, no host, no staff. Nobody.
We were excited about the solitude, but nervous about the isolation. Our host (a guy named Riyad) picked us up at the bus station, and asked which car rental place to take us to. When we told him we didn’t plan to rent a car, he asked “What do you plan to do for food?” We looked at each other with raised eyebrows. It turned out that the Villa was at the end of a dirt road 20 miles outside Mendoza City. Luckily, Riyad was nice enough to take us grocery shopping before dropping us off at the Villa to fend for ourselves.
The Villa itself was an unexpected surprise. When we arrived we were greeted by Homer, our dog for the weekend.
The villa was amazing. It had a soccer field, pool, fishing pond, authentic Argentinian asado (BBQ), an organic farm, and a hen house that came complete with two hens named Thelma & Louise.
We spent the weekend cooking and living off the land. Erin fed Thelma & Louise every morning and in return they provided the eggs for our breakfast.
HOMER THE STEAK THIEF. Argentina is famous not only for its wine but also its delicious steak cooked on wood-fired asados. As soon as we arrived, Jeff attacked the grill. The first night didn’t go so well — it was difficult to get the fire started, and then difficult to keep it going. For the first 45 minutes, the meat just sat on the grill being “warmed” by the smokey fire.
After Jeff labored over the grill for almost two hours, our steaks were finally ready . . . but so was the dog. Jeff plated the meat and turned his back to grab the pasta which was sitting on the stove. When he turned back around, Erin’s steak was gone! Our dog Homer had stolen Erin’s steak. NOOOO!!!!! HOMER, BAD DOG!!!!!! We shared Jeff’s steak that night.
The second night went much smoother. Jeff got the fire lit quickly, figured out how to maneuver around the asado, and kept a watchful eye on our steak-stealing pup. The steaks were cooked to perfection. Erin couldn’t stay mad at that cute dog (but Jeff could).
The Villa had a large 8-person dinner table with a gas-fired pit in the middle. When we set the table for just two, we REALLY missed our friends. This was the perfect place to through a killer party, but we had no one to share it with. We raised our glasses and toasted to all our friends and family we wish we could share the moment with.
YOU DOWN WITH D.O.C. (YEAH YOU KNOW ME). Being so far outside of Mendoza City had one advantage – we were surrounded by award-winning vineyards in the heart of Lujan de Cuyo (the premier wine region in Mendoza). Our next-door neighbor was the Nieto Senetiner bodega which started making wines in 1888. One afternoon we walked next door for a tasting – it was delicious.
The Mendoza region is famous for its Malbecs, and we learned about a new kind of wine “Malbec D.O.C.” The D.O.C. stands for Denominacion de Origin Controlada. You can only use the DOC designation if three conditions are met: (1) the grapes come from the Mendoza region; (2) the vineyard is more than 60 years old; and (3) the fields are irrigated in the “old method” – flood irrigation using the Mendocino aquaduct system. The DOC wine from Nieto Sentiento was the best DOC wine we tried in Argentina.
Several people had told us that Santiago wasn’t worth visiting, and so we planned to stay only one night before leaving for Argentina. But in our short time, we found Santiago to be a vibrant city with a lot of green space, interesting people, and cool nightlife - definitely worth visiting.
The best part about Santiago was hanging out with Rodrigo, a foreign exchange student who lived in Milwaukee for a year in high school and spent a lot of time with Mike Kodner.* Rodrigo took us to one of his favorite bars in Santiago – Bar Liguria.
He shared some funny stories from his high school days in Milwaukee, and we all wished that Mikey, Myles, and Danny were with us to share a glass of Pisco. Although it’s been more than a decade since Rodrigo lived in Wisconsin, he’s still a self-described Cheesehead (or, as he said in his Chilean accent, a Cheeeez-hed).
Walking back to our hostel from the bar, we stumbled across a water/light show in a downtown Santiago park. It was like the water/light show at the Belagio in Las Vegas minus the music. With a bottle of wine in hand we watched the show and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Santiago.
* You may remember Mike Kodner from such roles as Erin’s bride’s man in our wedding.
Click for more Santiago Photos on Flickr
The Elqui Valley is truly a magical place. In addition to the amazing sun and sky, the Elqui Valley is also famous for its mountains and, of course, its Pisco.
Because the mountains are so dry, the ground terrain was sometimes difficult to maneuver. We huffed and puffed and panted all the way up the mountain. We were more than a little embarrassed to learn that our guide Barbara – who ROCKED the hike – was four months pregnant. We have a lot more training to do!
PISCO: The town of Pisco Elqui , in the heart of the Elqui Valley , is the center of all things Pisco in Chile . Pisco is the National drink of Chile and they take great pride in their Pisco. They put Pisco in everything! The main drink is a Pisco Sour, but they serve Pisco with EVERYTHING - Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, and even Coke (called a Piscola). Erin´s new new favorite drink is the Pisco Pina made with fresh pineapple.
Not many people in the U.S. know about Pisco. We were introduced to Pisco about 18 months ago at the West End Bistro in Washington DC (22nd and M). Erin was scanning the drink list when the bartender suggested we try a Pisco Sour. It was delicious. After two Pisco Sours, Erin decided that she had found her new favorite drink. But there was a slight problem: they charged $14 per drink. Yikes! Pisco Sours quickly became a “special occasion” drink only.
A few weeks later, Jeff picked up a bottle of Pisco at our local liquor store and tracked down a recipe. Unfortunately, we didn’t start making Pisco Sours until after the 2008 summer BBQ season and so we weren’t able to share them with many people. We made them for Matt Slutsky and Patty Pina in October – talk to them for an unbiased review. For those who don’t need convincing, here’s our recipe for a Pisco Sour:
8 ice cubes
3 parts Pisco
1 part lemon juice
1 part sugar
1 egg white (optional)
Bitters or Cinnamin (optional)
Throw everything in a blender and blend for about 20 seconds. The Chileans do not use egg white or bitters when they serve Pisco Sours, but apparently the Peruvians do. We prefer the egg white – it creates a frothy goodness at the top of the drink. To make Erin’s new favorite drink (the Pisco Pina), substitute the lemon juice with fresh pineapple and leave out the egg white.
The Elqui Valley is where Chile produces most of its Muscato grapes, which are used to produce Pisco. We followed the ¨Route of the Pisco,¨ visiting several Pisco distilleries in the area. We visited the vineyards and learned that pisco is prepared a lot like wine except that it is distilled before being placed in barrels.
Important note: both Chile and Peru claim Pisco as their national drink. It’s actually a big fight that is waged everywhere — from bars in Chile and Peru to the halls of the World Trade Organization.
The Elqui Valley was an area of great contrasts: a crystal blue sky, dry red Andes mountains, and lush green valleys. At the heart of this valley is a beautiful small town called Pisco Elqui. We spent 3 nights there to enjoy the sky, the sun, the mountains, and the Pisco.
THE SKY: The Elqui Valley has a high elevation, only 30 days of rain per year, and no pollution. The confluence of these three factors makes it one of the best places in the world for star-gazing. Several major institutions including the Smithsonian have built observatories nearby to take advantage of these ideal conditions. The sky is so clear that you can see the moon any time of day – even in the middle of the afternoon. As our Chilean friend Barbara told us, “Siempre pueden ver la luna en Pisco Elqui.”
To fully experience the awesome Chilean sky in Pisco Elqui, we booked two nights in the Hotel Astronomico Elqui Domos. This hotel was made up of 7 separate geodesic domes placed on the hillside – each with their own balcony and telescope. Inside the domes, the beds were lofted so that we were closer to the sky. We felt a rush of excitement every time we climbed the ladder to our lofted beds. Lying on our backs in our geodesic domes, we fought sleep and tried to keep our eyes on the most amazing sky we’d ever seen.
We both agreed that the best part of staying in the domes was falling asleep staring at one constellation, and then waking up in the middle of the night to find yourself staring at a completely different constellation. The sky had moved!
[Note to our little nieces and nephews who may be reading this blog: we’re just kidding about the sky moving. Actually it’s the earth that is rotating which gives the appearance that the sky is moving. Check out www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html and ask your parents to buy you a telescope.]
After a few nights of gazing at the stars with our naked eyes, we visited the Mamalluca Observatory for a guided tour. In the southern hemisphere you can’t see the North Star or the Big Dipper, instead the Southern Cross lights up the night sky. It was comforting to know that, although we were half way across the world, our friends and family were all looking up at the same East-West constellations that we were seeing from 5000 miles away. The moon was almost full during our visit to Mamalluca. On the positive side, the moon was so bright that we didn’t need flashlights to walk around the grounds and we got some cool pictures of the moon’s craters. Unfortunately, the bright moon made it difficult to see the Milky Way. But we did see Venus, several constellations and the creators on the moon. This picture of the moon (below) was taken with our own camera!!
It was very humbling to look through the high powered telescopes and realize that our sun is just one star in a billion in our own galaxy, and that our galaxy is just one in a billion of other galaxies.
One interesting note: many people from around the world (our very knowledgeable guide at Mamalluca included) do not believe that the Neal Armstrong actually walked on the moon. The conspiracy theories abounded. According to our guide, China has started working on a moon landing project with the primary objective of finding the American flag.
THE SUN. The weather in the Elqui Valley is incredibly consistent: it is cool in the mornings and evenings, and the sun shines very hot in a cloudless sky during the day. When we heard about a restaurant that cooked all of their food using the power of the sun, of course we had to go.
We started to get a little worried during the drive out to the restaurant. Relying on some sketchy directions from the owner of our hostel, we followed a dirt road for several miles. We passed a guy on horseback. We were in the middle of NOWHERE. What on earth was this restaurant going to look like?
Surprisingly, the inside of the restaurant looked like most other restaurants we’d been to - with the obvious exception that Solar Elqui had about a dozen space-age looking boxes outside. The solar boxes were homemade and constructed to trap the heat from the sun. These boxes get hot enough to boil water, cook meat, and bake bread. Jeff had the goat – it was delicious.
THE ADVENURE BEGINS. After a fourteen hour journey from Chicago to Chile, plus another two hours clearing customs, we finally stepped out of the Santiago airport into the South American sun. Summer has come early this year and it feels good!!
We rented a car and headed 400 km north to the beach town of La Serena for a little rest and relaxation. Our car was manual transmission and so Erin took the wheel. Although Jeff claims to know how to drive stick, Erin has been the designated driver for manual cars since our honeymoon in New Zealand when Jeff tried to shift from fourth into reverse while going 55 mph on the highway.
It took us about six hours to make it from Santiago to La Serena — luckily the car had a CD player and so we were able to listen to the two amazing mixes that Sam gave us just before we left.
La Serena is a typical beach town with high-rises, bars and restaurants lining the coast. There aren’t many international tourists around -its more of a big weekend destination for Chileans.
La Serena Beach - Hey is that Barack Obama?
The Chileans have mastered the beach culture. Everyone we saw was either building a complicated sand castle or playing some sort of beach game. The most interesting game we saw was a mix between soccer and ping-pong. These two guys drew a court in the sand and applied soccer rules (you can use every part of your body except your hands) to ping pong rules (the ball can only bounce once on your side and you must clear the net). It was quite impressive.
La Serena was nice, but we did find it a little disconcerting that every restaurant we walked into was blasting American music from the 80s. After traveling more than 2000 miles to seek out new experiences and cultures, “Invisible Touch” by Phil Collins and “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick were unwelcome familiarities. No matter how far off the beach we ventured, this happened in every restaurant we went to. But Jeff did learn something new about Erin: she can lip-sync like a pro. When “Turn Around Bright Eyes” came on during dessert at one restaurant, the other patrons got quite a show.
Although we had planned to stay in La Serena for three nights, we decided to cut one night short and head to the main attraction in the area: the Elqui Valley.