My parents met us in Auckland on October 1 to spend a whirlwind three weeks together traversing New Zealand's north and south islands. If there were to be an official theme for this leg of the trip, it would undoubtedly be wine and adventure.

We visited over 40 wineries across six regions and tried many other wines at restaurants. It was a thorough (and thoroughly enjoyable) crash course in New Zealand wine. The Kiwis have made a big name for themselves in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and most wine drinkers are familiar with big exported labels like Nobilo, Monkey Bay, and Kim Crawford. The scope of New Zealand wine goes well beyond those in terms of variety and quality.

I learned A LOT about viticulture and wine production, as well as how varietals vary in various climates (alliteration intended). Sauvignon Blanc from Martinborough on the North Island is consistently grassy, fuller-bodied and herby, which I prefer. In Marlborough on the South Island, it is more often citrusy, tart, and refreshing - the style that Lindsay prefers. In addition to the expected Pinot Noir and Sauv Blanc, NZ produces some incredible Syrah, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. We shipped home 15 bottles of wine, and it was tough to narrow down the competition to fill that case. We focused on sending home wine that isn't available in the U.S. Luckily, many of these producers export at least a few of their styles to the States.

Below are my overall favorites, then read on for a regional run-down of the wineries we visited. For a broader view of our time in New Zealand, check out our Oceania blog.

All Stars

Craggy Range
Craggy Range has it all. This internationally-respected winery produces some of NZ's best French varietals. We visited twice! After a delicious dinner at Terroir, their on-site restaurant, we returned the next day for a full-range tasting. This winery was our favorite in the Hawke's Bay region. We brought home three bottles: a 2014 Avery Sauvignon Blanc, a 2013 Le Sol Syrah, and a 2013 Aroha Te Muna Road Pinot Noir.

Felton Road
The Felton Road Block 5 is the best Pinot Noir in the world. That's an outlandish statement to make by a man with an amateur's palate and no formal wine education. But I dare you to find a bottle of Pinot that is more fine, balanced, and smooth as this one. This winery is tucked back off a gravel road outside of Queenstown and is worth going out of your way to visit. It's also worth scouring the internet to see if you can procure a bottle of this very limited release wine. If not, good luck waiting on the mailing list for years to acquire it.

Quartz Reef
Tucked into an industrial park, this unassuming tasting room and wine production facility exceeds expectations. Owned by an Austrian transplant, this New World wine has Old World character. They create very good Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir, although their top prize is a vintage Methode Traditionelle (champagne). It's one of the best bottles of bubbly I've ever had. Sadly, we couldn't bring any back to the States, but they do have a distributor in Colorado.

Highfield/Terravin
Highfield Estate winery, in the western Marlborough town of Renwick, sits atop a small hill overlooking the Wairau Valley. This lovely winery also has an on-site cafe, a sun-soaked patio, and a three-story faux-Tuscan tower overlooking the vineyards. Highfield has merged with TerraVin, and both line-ups are available for tasting here. Each label was impressive and had their own standouts. The TerraVin "J" Merlot blend was phenomenal: rich body, smooth tannins, and full of fruits. The Highfield Riesling is a semi-sweet delight on a warm day, as well as a perfect accompaniment to Thai food.

Schubert
Schubert's winery in Martinborough is located next door to Ata Rangi, one of the most consistently high-rated Pinot Noir producers in New Zealand. Frankly, I enjoyed Schubert's offerings much more. Their Pinots are perfectly balanced, fruity, and interesting. I brought home a bottle of their 2013 Marion's Vineyard Pinot. We also loved their Dolce desert wine, a sweet white blend with low 9% ABV, and bought one of those, too.

Waiheke Island
A quick day-trip from Auckland by ferry, Waiheke Island is a semi-secluded place reminiscent of New England vacation spots like Martha's Vineyard.

Wild on Waiheke - This is a party spot, with a focus on fun more than quality wine. It's worth a stop for lunch, like we did. They've got tons of outdoor family fun, like archery, horseshoes, and digital trap shooting. Yes, digital trap shooting with fake shotguns and sensor-equipped clay pigeons; it's like single-player laser tag and looks just as dumb. Not only are they a winery, but also a microbrewery. The wine nor the beer are outstanding, but there are some refreshing options like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Ginger Beer and Wheat Beer for a warm day. The gourmet food is excellent: venison salami pizza, fresh oysters, and charcuterie are perfect for sharing. The views aren't anything to brag about, but the setting among vines and hedges buffering the road is fine enough. Wild is a great spot to have casual lunch and some fun, although I'd skip it if you're serious about wine quality.

Stonyridge Vineyard - Stonyridge is a delight, all around. The large tasting area patio faces sharply rolling hills of vines and olive trees. Ample seating and plenty of grassy area for picnicking allow you to take in the perfect views and channeled breeze. The setting truly is unbeatable. Stoneyridge produces a cult-quality Bordeaux blend, the Larosa. This Cabernet-based wine has won countless awards over the years and is extremely pricey. But it is delicious and merits the praise. The Pilgrim, their GSM blend, is also very good. If you visit Waiheke Island, a stop at Stonyridge must be on your list.

Cable Bay - This ultra-modern winery and restaurant sit perched on a hilltop, a few minutes' walk from the ferry landing at the town of Oneroa. Their building is split into a casual tasting room and cafe on one side, and a formal dining room on the other. It's great that they offer two types of experience. The cafe serves mostly tapas-sized plates for sharing and a few mains. The highlight of the property is the wide vista of Church Bay (bet you thought I'd say Cable Bay) and the skyline of Auckland beyond. We visited for dinner at sunset, and I could hardly keep my eyes off the windows. Cable Bay produces a wide variety of wines sourced from their vineyards on Waiheke, in Marlborough, and Central Otago. Although we didn't do a full tasting, we shared glasses of wine over dinner. The 2014 Waiheke Chardonnay and 2014 Waiheke Syrah were our favorites.
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Hawke's Bay

Elephant Hill - Set on a coastal road overlooking Cape Kidnapper's, Elephant Hill is a beautiful place to visit in Hawke's Bay. Their modern tasting room with a curving bar is full of natural light from floor to ceiling windows. A large patio surrounded by fountains provides a chance to bask in sunlight with direct views of Hawke's Bay. While the setting of Elephant Hill is charming, the wine is less seductive. They produce a nearly-full range of French varietals. Unfortunately only their lower label wines are available for tasting, and they are fair. Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Pinot, Chardonnay... all were good but none stood out to me. Elephant Hill produces a few high-end wines called the Hieronymus (Bordeaux blend) and Airavata (Syrah). These wines are produced from the Gimlet Gravels subregion, where the best fruit in Hawke's Bay grows, so I'll safely assume these wines are excellent. Elephant Hill exports to the States. If you come across it, pick up a bottle and see what you think. If you are driving around Hawke's Bay, definitely stop in for lunch at a lovely spot.
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Craggy Range - As stated above, Craggy Range was one of our favorite wineries. The property is situated across from a unique mountain ridge whose shape lends its name to the winery. If you have more time in the area, you can hike that ridge to enjoy vistas from Te Mata peak. We first visited for dinner at the highly-rated Terroir restaurant at Craggy Range. Oysters, lamb, filet - the classical menu is expertly executed and the Le Sol Syrah paired stunningly with the lamb. After enjoying our experience and the wines thoroughly, we knew we had to return in the daytime for a wine tasting. Both my parents and we walked away with three bottles each the next day. If I had had enough money to splurge, I would've bought a whole case of Le Sol. The ONLY criticism I'll make about Craggy Range is an architectural one. Their facility is located in the flat spot of the valley and is oriented to face some unremarkable hills to the east. You get views of their vineyard from the dining room, but the alternative is much more alluring. I wish they had oriented their restaurant and cellar door to take advantage of the namesake Craggy Range to their west. However, this slight architectural critique should not deter you from spending some significant time there.
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Clearview Estate - Located down the road from Elephant Hill, this very laid-back Hawke's Bay winery is nice to visit. It has a shady seating area outside their cellar door and friendly staff. They offer big pours of nearly their full range of wines. Sadly, the quality of wine is not very good, but the price reflects that. Lindsay, who loves rose, was not impressed with the minerally character of theirs. Their signature red, Enigma, is a lackluster Bordeaux blend. I purchased a bottle of Syrah to drink while on the trip because it was a good value for the price, however, not good enough to take up one of my 15 slots in the case to ship home. If you're looking for an affordable buzz on your wine tasting trip, stop at Clearview. If you want a great experience at Cape Kidnappers, go to Elephant Hill. If you're focused on finding New Zealand's best wine, skip Clearview altogether.

Esk Valley - As you approach the Hawke's Bay region from the north Lake Taupo area, you emerge from green mountain passes and arrive at the sparkling blue Pacific. This is the prime real estate that Esk Valley Vineyards occupies north of the city of Napier. Most of their fruit grows in Hawke's Bay, but they do source a few varietals like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from the South Island. The tasting was quite the experience, but not for the wine quality. Our tasting guide was a harmless-looking older woman named Sue. For some reason, the pleasant conversation detoured from wine to immigration. She felt compelled to lay out all her thoughts on immigrants in New Zealand - opinionated and borderline offensive. None of the reserve wines were available for tasting, and the estate range were frankly unimpressive. We left without a purchase, only with a satisfaction for leaving an odd situation and the mediocre wine behind. American mega-corporation Ste. Michelle Wine Estates of Washington owns a stake in Esk Valley, so you should be able to find the wines on American shelves regularly. I would only recommend buying them if you promised a friend that you'd pick up New Zealand wine and have no other options.

Mission Estate - One of the oldest wineries in New Zealand dating back to 1851, Mission Estate's name doesn't attempt to hide it's pedigree - it was founded as a Marist mission by French priests. They started growing grapes for sacramental wine and the rest is history. Mission Estate wines are now fairly well-distributed in New Zealand. The tasting room is housed in the old seminary, along with a restaurant. This winery is a big operation - not a hidden boutique place - but the tasting experience is relaxed as you can explore the lobby of the wood-paneled cellar door and museum room next to it. Their Pinot Noir is the most award-winning of their varietals. However, one had an odd nose that our tasting host accurately described as "band aid". It didn't sound good at the time, but you take tasting staff at their word sometimes. Researching the "band aid" smell post-visit, I unsurprisingly discovered that this is not a desirable character of wine, and is in fact a sign of bad aging. Anyhow, we purchased a bottle of 2014 Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah which we enjoyed and sent it home. Upon opening it for Christmas dinner, we were disappointed. It was an average tasting wine and probably not worth sending home. We liked the experience at Mission and would go again, but wouldn't spend the extra money to send the wine home.

Martinborough

The Martinborough wine region is about 80 kilometers east of Wellington, New Zealand's capital city. Centered around the small town of Martinborough, this area is compact and quaint. The laid-back vibe carries through to every aspect of the wine industry here. Wine tourism isn't overblown or seriously commercialized.

Te Kairanga - Locally know as TK, Te Kairanga is a winery owned by the American-based Foley Family Wines group. Because my parents are Foley wine club members, we went out of our way to visit TK. It's situated on a beautiful little property with a picnic area. The tasting building is actually the restored cottage home of town founder John Martin, with an warm wood-paneled tasting room. Cellar door manager Paul led us through their range of wines, lacing in plenty of anecdotes and dry one liners. He and my dad hit it off, which led to the tasting dragging on unbearably long. TK boasts of their specialized Pinots, which we found to be average in quality. Overall, TK doesn't shine, but it is a quaint and historic place to visit.

Poppies - On our bike tour of Martinborough, we "popped by" Poppies, and met the eponymous owner - Poppy Hammond. She was delightful and hospitable, and is one of the few female winemakers in this region. Her husband Shane is the viticulturist, so this is a true family operation. This relatively new winery has a farmhouse-chic tasting room and event hall. It's a beautiful building and a popular lunch spot. Poppy specializes in white wines, and offers a Pinot Noir in addition to the spectrum of whites. Despite Poppy's hospitality, we weren't wowed by the wines. It's not necessarily fair, since I am red-biased. But I did really enjoy her Rose of Pinot Noir. We recommend a stop at Poppies, especially if you have time for lunch.

Ata Rangi - Numerous wine reviewers have consistently ranked Ata Rangi Pinot Noir in the 90s, including Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter, Bob Campbell, and even a 99 from James Suckling for the most recent vintage. On the international scene, it is Martinborough's most highly-regarded wine. There is no doubt when the praise is so universal, but it does exemplify the difference in palate preference. Ata Rangi was not my favorite NZ Pinot, although it is very good . This is a wine that benefits from some age. To me, it needs that time to soften the tannins and develop the fruit. Ask yourself if you're a wine drinker or wine collector. If cellaring a wine for 5-10 years is your game, then you've got a terrific deal on your hands with this wine for just NZ$75. The tasting room at Ata Rangi is small but cozy, an understatement compared to their presence in publications and the wine's fame.

Schubert - One of our favorites in Martinborough was Schubert. Owned by German transplants, they have mastered the elegant and drinkable Pinot Noir style I love. They are complex and balanced, delicious young but also age-worthy. The Schubert tasting room is in a small, simple building which we visited by bike. There is no pretense to the visit here, just good wine. They don't have much of an ambiance - no outdoor seating area, no food, no fancy art. But who needs the frills when the wine is so good? The woman guiding our tasting was an Italian named Martina, another Old World connection, who was friendly but to the point. We bought 2013 Marion's Block Pinot and a 2013 Dolce, their sweet dessert wine. Other wineries like Ata Rangi and Palliser may get more international attention, but Schubert was my favorite Pinot, and some of the best in all of New Zealand.

Palliser Estate - A member of the famed "Family of 12" premier wine producers, Palliser bottles Pinot Noir and a variety of white wines. They offer an entry-level range called Pencarrow, and a premium range of Pinot Noir called the "Great Dogs", each named after a real-life former vineyard dog. The Great Dogs are a barrel-select wine fermented with native yeast, and only released in exceptional vintages. Obviously it isn't available for tasting! Their standard range Palliser Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are well-balanced and of very high quality. 

Margrain - Our friend Corinne, who we shared our 25 day African Safari with, is an Aucklander. When we visited her in Auckland, she said we couldn't miss Margrain in Martinborough. We're glad we took her advice. Owner Graham Margrain still works the tasting room on Fridays, and we were lucky to have him pouring for us that day. The guy is a real side-splitter with an infectious smile and spirit. The tasting room has a nice small patio where you can enjoy your wine with a view of the vineyard. All the wines were pleasant, drinkable, and affordable. We bought a bottle of the 2013 Reserve Pinot Noir, which we recently shared with friends over dinner. It was a delightful Burgundian-style Pinot: light in body, not a fruit bomb, yet aromatic and delicious. 

I've been at work for months on a comprehensive review of the 40+ wineries we visited during our month-long stint in New Zealand last October. Now that I'm back at work, it's hard to find time for writing. I'm over halfway done, but getting impatient! I want to share with everyone how much we loved the wine and the beautiful regions where it's made. Here's a quick preview of my review, starting with my top 5 favorites.

(Click on the linked name to visit their website, where you can usually find distribution info.)

Craggy Range
Craggy Range has it all. This internationally-respected winery produces some of NZ's best French varietals. We visited twice! After a delicious dinner at Terroir, their on-site restaurant, we returned the next day for a full-range tasting. This winery was our favorite in the Hawke's Bay region. We brought home three bottles: a 2014 Avery Sauvignon Blanc, a 2013 Le Sol Syrah, and a 2013 Aroha Te Muna Road Pinot Noir.

Felton Road
The Felton Road Block 5 is the best Pinot Noir in the world. That's an outlandish statement to make by a man with an amateur's palate and no formal wine education. But I dare you to find a bottle of Pinot that is more fine, balanced, and smooth as this one. This winery is tucked back off a gravel road outside of Queenstown and is worth going out of your way to visit when in the Central Otago region. It's also worth scouring the internet to see if you can procure a bottle of this very limited release wine. If not, good luck waiting on the mailing list for years to acquire it.

Quartz Reef
Tucked into an industrial park, this unassuming tasting room and wine production facility exceeds expectations. Owned by an Austrian transplant, this New World wine has Old World character. They create very good Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir, although their top prize is a vintage Methode Traditionelle (champagne). It's one of the best bottles of bubbly I've ever had. Sadly, we couldn't bring any back to the States, but they do have a distributor in Colorado.

Highfield/Terravin
Highfield Estate winery, in the western Marlborough town of Renwick, sits atop a small hill overlooking the Wairau Valley. This lovely winery also has an on-site cafe, a sun-soaked patio, and a three-story faux-Tuscan tower overlooking the vineyards. Highfield has merged with TerraVin, and both line-ups are available for tasting here. Each label was impressive and had their own standouts. The TerraVin "J" Merlot blend was phenomenal: rich body, smooth tannins, and full of fruits. The Highfield Riesling is a semi-sweet delight on a warm day, as well as a perfect accompaniment to Thai food.

Schubert
Schubert's winery in Martinborough is located next door to Ata Rangi - one of the most consistently highly-rated Pinot Noir producers in New Zealand. Frankly, I enjoyed Schubert's wines much more. Their Pinots are perfectly balanced, fruity, and interesting. I brought home a bottle of their 2013 Marion's Vineyard Pinot. We also loved their Dolce desert wine, a sweet white blend with low alcohol content, and snagged one of those, too.

Stellenbosch is the most widely-known and highly-regarded wine region in Africa. It is located 50 km east of Cape Town.

This region has their own signature varietal, Pinotage, which is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault created about 100 years ago in Stellenbosch. Pinotage is very earthy and acidic, and we don't particularly care for it. After trying many different winemakers' offerings, there were only a few we truly enjoyed.

We stayed at Marianne Wine Estate in south Paarl, the town just north of Stellenbosch. The views were beautiful and our room was spacious and luxurious. We really recommend a stay there, although their wine was overpriced and not very good.

Overall, Stellenbosch is one of the most affordable wine regions we've ever visited. The food and wine are very high quality, the people are welcoming, and the attitude is laid-back. We only made to a handful of wine estates over three days and will definitely go back in the future to spend more time exploring.

Fairview

The first winery we visited in Stellenbosch was Fairview Estate. They are known in the U.S. for their budget label Goats Do Roam, which is pretty decent. Their upmarket labels under the Fairview name are incrementally better. We did a private tasting of all their premier labels with cheese pairings for only about $8 per person. We really enjoyed the Extraño, a Rioja-style blend, and the Chenin Blanc.

We also didn't realize Fairview is a major cheese producer in South Africa. The cheese was as enjoyable as the wine. They make a soft cow/goat cheese blend called Roydon in a style similar to Brie. It is rich, creamy, and the goaty sourness is well-balanced. We bought a big block to eat later on a picnic.

Fairview Estate is large and I imagine quite busy in the tourist season, but it is really worth a visit. We also ate lunch at their restaurant which has an impressive farm-to-table menu and is reasonably priced.

Spice Route

Just up the road from Fairview is Spice Route, which has a community of shops on its property. It has a really cool artisan village feel to it and is perched on a hill overlooking the vines. On site there is a craft brewery, a chocolatier, a sausage and biltong (cured meat) maker, a hand-tossed pizza cafe, and of course, a winery.

We did a chocolate tasting and a wine tasting, one paired with homemade cured meats. The chocolate tasting was outstanding. Each type of cocoa is single-sourced from countries like Uganda, Venezuela, Trinidad, and Madagascar. All are at least 60% dark chocolate and produced on site. It is a really interesting experience to taste chocolate with the equivalent of a sommelier guiding you through and teaching you about the differences.

The wine at Spice Route was unimpressive. Lindsay had a list of the 100 best South African wines, and Spice Route's signature Chakalaka blend was pretty high up. We didn't care for any of the wines we tasted, and I wouldn't put Chakalaka on any of my top lists.

However, a visit to Spice Route is still a culinary joy and worth a full afternoon.

Mulderbosch

This place is easily our favorite Stellenbosch vineyard in terms of wine and food quality. We went to Mulderbosch specifically for lunch because their gourmet pizzas were supposed to be outstanding. Not only were the pizzas excellent, the wines were, too.

Our favorites were the Marvelous Blue, a Bordeuax-style blend, and Marvelous Red, a Cotes du Rhone-style blend. Both are full-bodied and fruit-forward and are available in the U.S.

Vergenoegd

This winery was recommended by our friend Brandie Miklus from her visit the previous year. It did not disappoint!

Vergenoegd is a bit far away from town, and we were the only people at the estate that afternoon. Our hostess was a riot. She shared in the tasting with us, and we are certain she was a bit toasty after a full day of tastings. She taught us some words in the indigenous "clicking" language. Our tasting was also interrupted by a curious goose who announced his presence in the manor with an ear-splitting honk. Our new friend picked him up like a pet and told us he is a frequent guest.

The tasting was the cheapest one we've ever done, at about $5 for two people for their full range of wines. The wine is pretty decent, especially the Estate Blend, but isn't available at home. You'll have to go to SA to experience it yourself!

Spier

This wine estate is supposed to be one of the best in Stellenbosch. We had previously tried their Pinotage and Shiraz varietals off the supermarket shelf and thought they were good. After visiting other wineries, though, our bar had been raised.

Spier did not impress us, not even their signature Frans K. Smit lineup. The wine estate itself is gigantic and includes an upscale resort, conference center, and restaurant. The tasting center is huge and the tastings are pricey compared with other places. None of the wines stood out to us, especially after visiting Fairview and Mulderbosch.

Jordan

With any wine region comes a bevy of highly-ranked restaurants. After much research, Lindsay decided on a reservation at Jordan Wine Estate. It was our fancy pre-birthday dinner, since both our birthdays were within the next week.

That day we visted the Cape of Good Hope and drove the grand Chapman's Peak drive, then cut back across the city through rush hour in order to make our reservation.

We changed into nicer clothes in the car and headed inside early. This is one of the top-ranked restaurants in wine country, but it was a bit of a letdown. The sommelier was snotty and we had three different waiters who never left us alone. We felt so much pressure to just hurry up and order. It was really uncomfortable.

After ordering, we finally got some peace and enjoyed our starters. We also splurged to order a bottle of their signature wine, Cobblers Hill 2012, which was delicious. Brian's meal of springbok filet was very good, but Lindsay's fish was so average she didn't even finish it. Dessert consisted of a visit to the cheese room, but only three out of our five picks were palatable.

For such an expensive and highly-ranked restaurant, we were disappointed. However, the wines were very good. The Cobblers Hill was one of the best we had in Stellenbosch.

Beyerskloof

The final wine estate we visited in Stellenbosch was Beyerskloof. It is a large producer whose wines can be found in most South African supermarkets.

We visited on a Saturday and the tasting room was packed. We still got good service, and the tasting menu is affordable and pours are generous.

Their Pinotage Reserve was quite good, especially given that we don't care much for Pinotage. We bought a bottle and stayed for lunch, which was delicious. Lindsay had a juicy gourmet burger and Brian had a very cheap, but super quality, filet au poivre.

Beyerskloof is definitely worth the visit if you go for lunch, although probably not for just the tasting alone. Make sure you call ahead for a reservation, especially on weekends, because this is a popular place for Cape Towners.

Mendoza, Argentina is the largest wine producer in Latin America. The region is far west of Buenos Aires, set against the towering presence of Aconcagua (the tallest mountain in the Americas, and the Western and Southern Hemispheres) and a short distance from the Chilean border.

The region is famous for its quality and abundance of malbec wine. This grape, one of the six traditional Bordeuax grapes, has seen its prominence decline in France, but skyrocket in Argentina.

Visiting Mendoza has always been high on my list, and this trip didn't disappoint. The area is lovely, with its majestic backdrop and a climate evoking that of California. This blog post is primarily about the wine. Check out our Americas blog for more info and stories about our whole experience.

There is a wine bar in the heart of central Mendoza called the Vines of Mendoza (creative!). Their claim to fame is that they collect the best wines of the region for sampling and purchase. This is mostly geared toward those tourists who don't have time to visit many wineries themselves, and I was skeptical of their quality.

My initial doubt was misplaced, because VoM really does have an impressively good wine offering. We started by sampling four glasses, which quickly evolved into a full-on tasting and the decision to buy 12 bottles.

Side Story: In Cafayate, we purchased seven bottles of wine with the intent that we would ship six home, along with six we were to acquire in Mendoza. We couldn't have been more naïve. Shipping wine from outside the U.S. is nearly impossible. We investigated all our options upon arriving in Mendoza. The UPS clerk laughed us out of his office. Not even possible. The DHL guy was very helpful, but it would cost $500 per dozen or $350 for six because they have a special (costly) relationship with a licensed alcohol distributor.

We were out of options and fearing the worst. Once we reached VoM, we had an idea. They would ship our six wines home for $220, and if we bought 12 bottles from them, shipping only costs $1. The deal seems to-good-to-be-true, but it's legitimate.

So began our wine tasting odyssey. We quickly struck up a friendship with Justin and Kate, two Americans from D.C. sitting next to us. Julia from VoM gave us the royal treatment, even opening up new bottles just so we could give them a try. It was such a fun, social experience. Hats off to Vines of Mendoza for not just living up to, but exceeding their reputation. We made some tough decisions, and settled upon these bottles (including a few multiple purchases):

Bressia Monteagrelo Syrah 2008

Bressia Monteagrelo Cab Franc 2009

Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Vin Blend 2007

Cuvelier Los Andes Colección Blend 2008

Enamore Blend 2009

Lindaflor La Violeta Malbec 2007

Lindaflor Malbec 2008

Gran Lorca Poético Petit Verdot 2008

Gauchezco Plata Malbec 2009

Bonomo y Montiel Malbec 2012

Gran Malbec de Angeles 2009

By far, our favorite wines were the Gran Malbec de Angeles and the Lindaflor La Violeta. They were simply incredible malbecs. I'm not sure which of these you can find in the U.S., but if you can find them, they will be worth any price.

After spending two days in the city of Mendoza, we headed out to the town of Maipú, about 30 minutes south. There are three major valleys in the area: Maipú, Uco, and Lujan de Cuyo. Maipú is the most frequently visited and easily accessible. We rode the light rail (yay transit!) to the edge of town and walked to the center.

We booked four nights at a vineyard guesthouse called Posada de Cavieres and highly recommend it. It was peaceful and idyllic, and the Belgian owner Hans is incredibly hospitable. (Read more in the other post.)

We arrived at Cavieres on harvest day and were lucky enough to watch the farm hands methodically and rapidly collect the grapes.

In Maipú, we decided to scale back our tasting schedule. Mendoza is not nearly as easy to navigate as Cafayate without a car. We also wanted to relax more, and the pool at Cavieres was irresistible.

Luckily Hans kept a full stable of mountain bikes for his guests' use.

On the first day, we rode 10 minutes up the road to Tempus Alba for lunch. Their rooftop deck was comfortable and modern. The food was very good, although overpriced. The wine was not as impressive. Their Cabernet Sauvignon was actually their best, and the rest were mediocre.

Following Tempus Alba, we decided to ride our bikes up to Bodega La Rural. It was a far ride - like 8 km - and we paid for it in sweat and sore bottoms. La Rural is one of the older and larger wine producers of the Maipú region. Their labels include San Felipe, Rutini, and Trumpeter (in ascending order of quality). We sampled a Rutini sauvignon blanc and malbec, which were both pretty good. We later bought a bottle of Trumpeter malbec in Buenos Aires, and enjoyed that too. La Rural exports to the states, and if you can find a bottle less than $40, it's worth the money to try it. (The Trumpeter cost $15 here in a grocery store, and that is a moderately high price for wine.)

La Rural also has a wine museum. We didn't pay for the tour, but still got to see some interesting old winemaking equipment near the cavernous tasting room.

The next day, we rode 2 km down to Carinae. This winery is owned by a couple of French ex-pats, and I must say their wine is excellent. We paid for a full tasting of their offerings, which span the whole spectrum of grapes grown in Mendoza. Their "Carinae Prestige" blend (malbec, cabernet, syrah) is their top offering, and is one of the best I tasted in Mendoza. We purchased a bottle of their "Octans" blend for dinner that night and were also happy with the purchase. Luckily, Carinae exports to the U.S., so keep your eye open for it.

We were only able to get to three vineyards in the two days we allocated to bodega hopping in Maipú. Lindsay's bicycle tire popped right after Carinae, so we had to walk back to Posada Cavieres and called it a day. However, because of our prodigious sampling at Vines of Mendoza and our strong desire for rest and relaxation, we were perfectly content only visiting three wineries. Again, if you want to visit more in the Mendoza region, we strongly advise renting a car.

Finally, I wanted to note one more winery that we did not visit. For our anniversary dinner, we ate at the Terruno Restaurant at the Club Tapiz winery. The meal was excellent (lamb ravioli and filet), and we enjoyed a bottle of Benegas Malbec 2011. This malbec was excellent. We also enjoyed a bottle of the Benegas Finca Libertad blend (cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot) with our dinner at Don Julio in Buenos Aires. Based on these two wines, this has become one of my favorite Mendoza wineries. AND it appears you can buy it through Total Wine in the U.S. We highly recommend trying it.

When researching our visit to Salta, Argentina, we learned about that region's wine area - Cafayate. It is located 200 km south of the city of Salta - about a 4 hour bus ride away.

We spent three days in Cafayate, and another post on our "Americas" blog is dedicated to reviews on the town, but I wanted to make a specific post with a review of the wineries we visited and the wines we tasted.

The most interesting and convenient factor is that many winemakers have their bodega (a.k.a. cellar door, wine shop, winery, etc.) located near the central part of town. They grow their grapes in vineyards outside of town, but truck in the harvest to make and age the wine in town. This is a unique but nice change from typical wine regions where the cellar door is located on the vineyard property. It makes doing 3+ tastings a day very easy since you can walk between them. It also makes it convenient to visit Cafayate without a rental car.

Cafayate is Argentina's second largest wine region, but is typically overshadowed internationally, and even domestically, by Mendoza. The star grape of Cafayate is the torrontes, a white grape with a range of tastes. Cheaper versions resemble a cheap pinot grigio, but higher quality torrontes tastes like a good sauvignon blanc, although less citrusy. The region is not known for vino tinto, which is what we prefer. Malbec doesn't do very well there, but tannat and bonarda do. Everything from syrah to cabernat sauvignon to merlot grow there, but tannat stands out. Interestingly, the wines have a very high alcohol content (most >14%) due to the hotter, drier conditions that produce more sugars in the grape.

We loved our experience in Cafayate and highly recommend it. Below you'll find a review of the wineries we visited.

Nanni - This is the first winemaker we visited. They are one of the older brands and make organic wines. The premises includes a nice secluded courtyard and a tasting room. They have a restaurant with great online reviews but didn't have the chance to eat there. We bought a tannat reserva and reserve blend. Tannat is a grape that is originally European, but has taken well to certain regions of South America. It is similar to malbec or syrah in body and taste. The tannat was quite good, but Nanni's malbec was terrible and too acidic. The bodega staff was nice, and this is an overall decent place just a few blocks from the center of town. - RECOMMENDED

El Transito - This bodega is down the street from Nanni, and is modern and luxiurious in its appearance. They offer a free tasting, which is rare, but only two wines are open at a time. This is a frequent occurence in Cafayate. You generally aren't able to sample their full range of wines, only what they "have open" that day. They had a very mediocre Malbec, and an unremarkable blend of their marquee label. It was a nice building and atmosphere but we were totally unimpressed by wine. (We were told they open different wines on different days, so we returned the next day to find the same two wines for tasting. We turned around and walked out.) - NOT RECOMMENDED

Salvador Figueroa - This bodega had a great oak aged malbec, which we bought. The other "open" wine was an unoaked malbec, which was pretty mediocre. It's a very small bodega, and our tasting was hosted by winemaker/janitor, after he finished sweeping the floors. The wine was recommended by our waiter at Restaurant Terruno the previous night, and we're glad we visited. They have super-small production and is a wine you won't find outside of that region. - RECOMMENDED

Vasija Secreto (a.k.a. La Banda) - This bodega is a short walk outside of town. The tasting fee was waived because we bought wine. We purchased a $7 bottle of torrontes reserva, which was the best we had tasted up to that point. It is a nice estate with a well-ranked restaurant, but we visited late in the day between tasting and dinner hours. The tasting staff was friendly and patient. - RECOMMENDED

Jose Mournier (a.k.a. Finca Las Nubes) - This winery was perhaps the most spectaular setting for a vineyard. The name means Estate of the Clouds, and it is fitting for its location nestled among the mountains. It's reached by walking 4 km (1 hour 15 min) west of town. Expensive tasting, but they offered three wines - torrontes, rosado, and a malbec. They buy most of their grapes from other growers because their finca (estate) is small. We enjoyed a very good torrontes for lunch with a nice cheese/meat/olive plate (picada). We didn't care for the strong acidic rosado of malbec/cab sav. We bought a bottle of their marquee label malbec/cab blend, which is all grown on small estate. The wine is decent, but the visit is worth it alone. Simply stunning, and our favorite overall experience. - RECOMMENDED

El Porvenir - Hands-down the best wine we tasted in Cafayate. It was also the most expensive tasting at 50 pesos (about $5.75) per person, but we got to sample four wines, including an incredible dessert torrontes. The bodega is located centrally in town and is organized around a nice hidden courtyard. The winery tour was thorough and informative, although we didn't find out until the end of the tasting that the woman spoke very good English. I struggled the whole time to translate what she was saying. We bought two bottles of a fantastic cheap cab franc blend and a bottle of malbec rosado to enjoy that day for lunch. It is not a huge production winery, but they do export to Miami through Graziano Imports, so you can find where they sell it in Florida. It's not the best wine in the world, but it is very good quality, the best in Cafayate, and one of the few that exports to the States. - RECOMMENDED

Domingo Hermanos - This was the worst bodega we visited. They are probably the largest volume producer of locally-consumed wine (for instance, they make jugged wine). The production facility is huge and operating at all hours of the day. A highlight was that we got to watch the grape crushing and bottling processes. We tasted two reds and a white and didn't care for any of them. Even their upper brand labels were poor quality. - NOT RECOMMENDED