Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Dispatches from the Pampas”...Day 12...Monday, February 17, 2014

Another day...another winery.

I have now settled into a comfortable morning routine...sleep late, make coffee, and sit in my doorway to enjoy my morning cigar. And, for the first time, on this morning I can sit outside at the little table in front of my cabina. It's cloudy, but not raining.
So...this morning, I relax and linger for three hours over coffee and a breakfast of yoghurt and leftover bread from yesterday's lunch.
Today, I am visiting the Catena Zapata Winery. I am looking forward to this because Catena was the first really “great” Malbec that I ever drank. I buy at least a case or two every year, and I have some bottles that are ten years old and still drinking beautifully.
At 11:00, I head out for the winery and my 12:00 appointment. The route is now familiar to me, as most of the places I have visited are near one another. With the route now familiar, I'm able to be in the correct lane for turns and roundabouts. And, I have noticed that, with the Garmin, the screen map is much more accurate than the verbal instructions.
My visit to Catena is mildly disappointing. They are having some sort of conference, so the restaurant is closed to “casual” visitors. The “tour” consists of a look into a fermentation area and a barrel area...that's it. And the tasting is mostly their low-end entry-level wines. Still, I drink these wines a lot, so I ask a lot of questions. Apparently, I ask too many questions because a woman from Boston seated next to me asks me how long I have been in the wine business.
I also meet a group of people who live in the French-speaking part of Switzerland...anfd they speak perfect English. So...we talk a little about wine, food, French politics...lots of things. They are visiting the same winery (O. Fournier) as I am tomorrow for a tour and lunch...so we agree to dine together. I buy two bottles of my favorite Malbec and head back to Mendoza for lunch.
I find the same street with all of the little cafes/restaurants, and I park around the corner. On that street, just a few doors down from the place where I had lunch yesterday, is a restaurant that comes highly recommended by my guidebooks...”Azafran”. I get a table outside and order the lunch “special” for 120 Pesos. Inside, there's a large wine cellar, so I ask the sommelier to pick me out a great Malbec...and she does. For lunch, I get two absolutely perfect Empanadas, a filet (perfectly rare) that could feed an army, a nice salad with really ripe tomatoes, and a big scoop of ice cream for dessert.
Most of the people that I have spoken here do not like the current government which describes itself as “Leftist-Peronista”. The current President is serving out the last two years of her second term, and her husband served two four-year terms before her. The government's relationship with the United States, while not hostile, can best be described as “cool”
My waiter at Azafran is an enthusiastic supporter of the government. Yes, he agrees, there is inflation...but he believes that the pace of “social progress” is ahead of the inflation. The inflation, he believes, is caused by the wealthy...the banks...foreign speculators. The government, he says, has been good for him and his family. His family is poor, but he is able to attend college. And, at school, he can get a good lunch (subsidized) for only 3 Pesos. The “Precios Cuidados” system means that his family can always afford food and never go hungry. I ask him if he worries about the effect of the high inflation on his savings. He replies that savings are for the wealthy, and it is their “speculation” which is causing the inflation. The restaurant will accept U.S. Dollars, but only at the official 4.5 Pesos to the Dollar rate...the restaurant , he says, does not “speculate”.
So...for me, a fascinating discussion. Before this trip, I studied the history and politics of Argentina just so that I could have such a discussion. I love discussing politics, whatever the view, and this has been discussion has been most interesting.
After lunch, an obligatory stop at my new favorite place for ice cream...three scoops this time. Then, a stop for gas (I opt for gasoline as opposed to diesel).
Back at camp, the usual “drill”...wine and a cigar outside at my little table...leftover pizza and salad from yesterday's lunch. And, to my great surprise, I discover that my tiny little campground up in the hills has Wi-Fi. The signal is weak and speed “snail-like”, but I am able to post a few photos and status updates to Facebook before bed.

No comments: