TAKING THE SLOW ROAD AROUND MENDOZA
Our first stop on our trip to South America with LATAM was Mendoza, Argentina. LATAM makes travel to and around South America super easy and really fun. To read more about our in-flight experience, click here. To read about where we stayed while in Mendoza, click here.
We rent a car almost everywhere we go. It gives us the freedom to explore on our own time. What if there’s an epic spot to hike ten minutes down the road? What if we want to go exploring? We typically rent whatever is cheapest and can hold all of our stuff. We aren’t picky when it comes to rental cars, and we rarely splurge on an upgrade.
In researching cars to rent in Mendoza, Argentina, we discovered a company called Slowkar. They have a fleet of vintage Citroen 3CV cars that you can rent during your time in wine country. We took one look at their site and were sold. Why drive your typical sedan when you can take a perfectly maintained old-school Citroen called Malbec through the vineyards?! YES PLEASE.
Located in the heart of Mendoza city, the Slowkar team gave us great directions for how to find their office?. Everyone of their cars is beautiful, unique, and personality-filled. It was a hard choice, but ultimately we decided on “Malbec”. She was in perfect condition and surprisingly had more than enough storage space for all of our bags! Juan spent plenty of time with us making sure we knew the ins and outs of driving Malbec. This included how to turn on the car, how to properly drive stick (it's different than your standard ride at home), how to turn on the blinker, and even how to open the windows! It was as though we time traveled and found ourselves back in a different world… Slowkar is truly a car enthusiasts dream.
For three days we explored Mendoza with Malbec. Every morning we would leave Cavas Wine Lodge and drive to different wineries for wine tastings, lunch pairings, and more! We felt like movie stars, rolling up to the different locations in our fancy car, and it was definitely a topic of conversation everywhere we went! :) Some of our favorite spots were:
RUCA MALEN
Located just minutes away from Cavas is the beautiful Ruca Malen winery. Known for their tasting menu, all of the ingredients used are produced in Mendoza. All of the fresh vegetables and herbs are grown in their garden, and change depending on the season. Every course was innovative and perfectly plated - some were almost too pretty to eat! It goes without saying that the wine was delicious, and the views of the property were outstanding. After our lunch we spent some time sipping our wine and exploring the vineyards. It was heavenly!
TERRAZAS DE LOS ANDES
Terrazas de los Andes is one of the most well-known wineries in Mendoza, and for good reason. Make sure you make a reservation at least a month in advance, as it fills up quick! Due to some changes in our schedule and a busy day at the winery, our tasting wasn’t as extensive as it could’ve been, but it was still a blast.
LAGARDE
This will go down as one of our favorite meals yet. If you splurge on anything, splurge on lunch at Lagarde. The setting is picture-perfect (total garden goals!), and the food and wine is even better. Every course was light and delicious, and led up to a pair of perfectly cooked, mouthwateringly tender steaks. There’s something so relaxing and pampering about a leisurely meal, and this was one for the books. We left feeling very thankful, full, and ready for a nap. Haha!
FINCA DECERO
Another gorgeous winery with stunning views and delicious wines. If we’re honest, there wasn’t a glass of wine we didn’t like! The view from their tasting room is stunning, and the sleek and modern architecture makes it incredibly picture-worthy. We didn’t get to spend as much time here as we would have liked, but it’s definitely on our list for when we return!
JAMON CRUDO
Located right off of Highway 7 is this cute little truck serving freshly cut ham sandwiches. Enough said. Two people can easily share one sandwich, as they’re quite large and extremely filling. Perfect roadside snack in between wine tastings. It is a must-stop for some quick comfort food.
If there’s one thing we learned from our few days in Mendoza is that there is SO MUCH to see, do, and eat! One could easily spend a few weeks in this region and barely scratch the surface. If and when you do find yourself in Mendoza, we recommend you stay at least a few days. Give yourself ample time to explore, and try not to make your days too jam-packed. Make time to enjoy each spot, and take your visit to the next level with a Slowkar. We can’t imagine exploring Mendoza any other way!