Vendimia 2016

Last week, I made my annual journey to Mendoza, which is Argentina's wine capital. Every March, the city and province celebrate Vendimia, a yearly event to pay tribute to the people who harvest the grapes to make their wines. (Scroll down to see all the photos!)

Friday night, there was a traditional street parade featuring Argentine gauchos (cowboys), horses, beauty queens and, of course, wine.

On Saturday, I partook in my usual tradition of visiting three upscale bodegas (wineries) followed by a lunch at the third. The first, Bodega Diamandes, featured spectacular architecture in which the building interior mirrored that of a cut diamond. The second, Bodega Monteviejo, offered some of the best Malbecs I have ever tasted, along with a very detailed tour and explanation of the grapes and how they are grown. Finally, I ended my day with a five course meal/wine pairing at Bodega Gimenez Rilli.

Following a fairly long afternoon siesta to sleep off the wine, I headed to Mendoza's amphitheater, which holds up to 50,000 people, along with my closest friends from Mendoza, to watch a performance featuring 400+ participants, ending with the selection of the election the Queen of Vendimia 2016.

Finally on Sunday, I treated myself to full day spa at a thermal hot spring named Termas de Cacheuta, about an hour outside of the City of Mendoza, where I took my first ever mud bath, followed by a delicious asado (BBQ) at the house of my close friends.

Click here to see more pictures from this incredible experience.