Falling into like with the wine industry.

Hesitant to say I'm falling in love with it as it's trite and romantically naive to declare love for your (potential) new industry after so little time. But the past few days have shown me a business that has a rich history, great growth potential, (mostly) warm people and of course a rewarding end product.

Monday morning brought a surprise welcome in the form of a dual wine tasting of Altocedro and Caymus. As I mentioned before, the Caymus folks were in town working on a new project importing frozen Malbec grapes to the States. Karim has been an integral part of pointing them in the right direction around town . So Joe (Caymus founder's grandson and winemaker in his own right- he's started his own label focused on Pinot- Belle Glos) and John, his partnering winemaker, showed up around 11:00am to get a tour of the warehouse as well as taste Karim's pride and joy. I tagged along the tour, taking pictures of the crew and trying to absorb as much of the industry talk as possible. The openness and willingness to share trade secrets and innovative techniques underscores the sincerity of how these guys truly want to make the best quality vino they can. During the tasting both vineyard owners asked numerous questions and seemed to equally learn new things from their counterparts. We had the privilege to taste Caymus' 2007 Special Selection Cab Sav. I don't have my tasting notes with me, but trust me when I say it may have been one of the best Cab Savs I've tasted to date. Of course, Caymus is known for their Cabs. Silky smooth tannins, no peppery finish... ripe berries. Heaven. I asked Joe what name he had planned for the American-made Malbec and he admitted he was still trying to nail one down. Being that playing with names and slogans is one of my greatest past times, I vowed to let him know if anything came to me. Emailed him a few ideas within a few hours after he left. Great way to start the week!

Monday night was the weekly wine tasting club and this week's theme was Malbec Madness. Five wines with a wide range of prices, from boxed wine ($3 USD) and Damajuana wine to about $23 USD wine. We were to guess which wines fell where on the spectrum as well as what we personally favored. Altocedro isn't commonly sold around here so Karim gave me a bottle of the Año Cero (roughly $15 USD) for the group to try as well as the remaining Gran Reserva left over from the morning's tasting with Caymus ($60 USD). I saved the Gran Reserva for a select few people to taste after the big group left. I am pretty confident and unbiased when I say the Año Cero was the highlight of the night and created a (small) buzz for the brand. Afterwards I joined the girls from Familia Zuccardi, Jo and Katie, as well as their fellow intern Gavin (from Napa) for dinner at 7 Cocinas, which is focused on local, seasonal ingredients from Argentina's 7 culinary regions. One of the best dinners thus far, in a casual relaxed atmosphere. Will definitely go back.

Tuesday I spent the majority of the day at the office uploading the past 5 days' pictures to the company's Facebook and Flickr accounts as well as adding captions and cleaning up the Facebook profile in general. Karim had acknowledged he much preferred Twitter over FB and I could do what I wanted with it. Maintaining a FB page could be a full time job!

Tuesday night I met up with Joe's sister Jenny, her boyfriend Eddie and cousin Phil, all of who I also met at Saturday night's charity event. Jenny and Phil both work at Caymus as well and Eddie at his parent's winery. They are all here looking for internships like mine since is Napa's down time. They have found two spots at Alta Vista and I'm trying to convince the third to hang with me at Altocedro. We spent over 4 hours talking, walking the city and having dinner at Anna Bistro, my personal Mendoza favorite (if you remember, where I took myself for lunch my first time here and sat outside, also took my mom on her last night here). They picked a Mendel Malbec as it is a potential employer for one of them, but I was not too impressed with the $160 peso bottle. We finally parted ways at 1:30 and I told them to meet me the next night at the Vines' weekly winemaker night.

Wednesday morning Guillermo had to make a trip down to the winery and brought me with him so I could check out places to live. During the 1 & 1/2 hour drive, he gave me a lot of insight into the exporting side of the business as well as advice for where I might work post-harvest. I furiously scribbled notes as I realized how much there is to learn. Finally got a good look at my future hometown for the next month. One plaza, one stoplight, one hostel...yep. Everything is walking distance to the winery. Sweet. We had a great lunch at the one good restaurant in town, El Cielo (where about 10 Catena Zapata winemakers and vineyard managers were enjoying a multiple course lunch with Altocedro wine, champagne and Johnny Walker). I could get used to that! After lunch I met up with Natalia, who Carolyn (my savior) introduced me to. Natalia has lived in LC for 4 years, after spending 12 years in Mendoza. She works in agro-tourism and was super helpful in showing me my potential living options. Between the hostel, a room with a family (really an aging woman and her full grown daughter) and a charming, luxurious 2-bedroom cottage a bit off the beaten path (too lonely, too expensive), I'm pulling for the hostel. I'll have my own room (with 3 bunk beds) as it's the low season, and more importantly, internet, which is all I really need. Doesn't seem anyone else is staying there besides the owner, who was not there for me to meet. There also seems to be an empty house on the winery where construction workers had been staying. Still waiting to hear back from Karim if that's another viable option for me (it would be free... but may not exactly be nice).

Made it back to Mendoza in time to catch the last half of the winemaker's night at the Vines. Jenny and her crew were there, as was Cara and Jo, from the wine tasting club. Also saw Mariela and Juliet, who I spent last Sunday with, kayaking and grilling. Was nice to see so many familiar faces! The winemaker of the night was Marcelo Pelleriti from Monteviejo and Clos de los Siete. After the lecture, Jenny, Phil, Eddie, their friend Derek (who randomly went to high school with Eddie's brother in Napa and is here coincidentally by himself) and I went to Flor de la Canela, the hole in the wall Peruvian restaurant my mom and I went her first day here. Two grande dishes of ceviche and shellfish and a round of pisco sours didn't fail to please, and for $50 pesos a person, the price was right.

Today I took charge of redesigning Altocedro's consumer-facing technical sheets. These will be handed out to custumers in wine shops around the world who are looking to learn a bit more about who Altocedro is.

Now it's time for my two Skype dates of the evening, my dad and Mack!

just another sunday... argentine style

If you didn't know, Argentine Sundays are mainly for spending with family and friends. Almost every single store/business is closed, streets are deserted, windows bordered shut. Every store except the carne stores. What do Argentines do with their family and friends on the day of rest? Eat meat. Lots of meat.

How did I find myself in the middle of a family asado at the Portrerillos valley, kayaking with Mariel, a wine host at the Vines, and her aunt? It all begins with last night's BodegasTwitter charity event (eerily similar to charity events found in DC and NYC - booths of wine tasting mixed in with local famous chefs doling out bits of their seasonal fares, live bands, art and wine auction with whatever industry's who's who imbibing and socializing... very posh for Mendoza). I think I saw every single person I know in in the city... all eight of them. From Carolyn, my "rabbi," to Emily, my dream-crusher (I kid, I kid), to Adam and Myfawny from the wine club to a random filmmaker I befriended in my hostel. I actually felt like I had some friends here. Of course Karim and his wife were there, as was Marta and Guillermo from the office. Marta and I palled around all night, finding our favorite wines (mine the Catena Zapata Angelica Malbec Reserve, hers a Deseado sweet Torrontes espumante) as well as filling up on the braised pork, trout and quinoa with roasted peaches, tiramisu and alfajores. Also met a winemaker from Napa who has been working with Karim on sending frozen Malbec grapes to his winery in Rutherford for their first attempt at making Malbec in the U.S. He gave me his card with the promise of helping me if I want to harvest in Napa this fall... hmm. I'll keep that in mind. The music was awesome, from electronic tango to amazing flamenco to the super popular Kevin Johansen, an Argentine-American rocker. Apparently his Guacamole song is quite good when feeling depressed, as Adam and Myfawny enlightened me (reminder they are the couple who started MendozaWineCamp.com- he is American, she is Wales/Argentine ). As the lights came on and we were getting pushed out, the dynamic duo invited me grab drinks at a bar. Of course I would join them. Jumping in their 1970s VW van, we headed out to the local bar scene in Godoy Cruz. Adam is heading back to the States in a week for a 3 month publicity/marketing tour and may have some work for me helping Myva out with their tours. Both offered to help me with anything I need, especially if/when I get lonely. Myva was also very forceful in introducing me to her best friends, Julieta and Mariela, both who work at the Vines. Sat around a table of 10, being one of 2 Americans, speaking mostly Spanish. Mariela asked what my plans were for today and I shrugged, figuring I'd spend it hanging around the hostel considering everything is closed. She immediately invited me to her asado, promising she'd pick me up around 11/11:30. Only instructions were to bring clothing for kayaking and some pesos for the meat. Bid adieu at 3:30 and cabbed home, and had a cab driver who swore he didn't have 30 pesos change for my 50 peso bill, except for five $1 US bills. I took them.

So this morning at promptly 11:45 Seba (Sebastian), one of Mariela's good friends, picked me up and drove around the empty town to pick up a kayak at his friend's mom's house, strapped it to the roof of his tiny car using a blanket tucked into the backseat doors (I kid you not, I have a picture) and drove about 10 mph to Mariela and Claudio's apartment (rare for Argentina, they've been living together for 4 years- she's 24, he's 30). Every other corner in Mendoza and surrounding suburbs had a tiny mercado/panaderia/vinoteca with signs advertising this week's meat ofertas. Once at Mariela's, we waited about 30 minutes for her and her aunt to get back from the mercado, where they purchased the aformentioned meat, and her uncle and boyfriend and cousins to come with 3 more kayaks, also strapped to the roof of their SUV. Then it was off to Portrerillos, about an hour drive towards the Andes, on the same route used to head to Santiago. To say the landscape was pretty would be an understatement, as we drove past some well-known wineries including Ruca Malen and Precia. Of course my camera was still in last night's purse, and I only had my iTouch's less than ideal camera. But I made do. Will upload those pics tomorrow. Spent the day hanging around a campsite-type set-up, sipping mate, kayaking in the Rio Blanco among bright blue-green water, old, white gnarled trees straight out of a Tim Burton movie, and the snow-capped Andes. I must have done something right in a past life.

By 5pm the meat was ready. Surprisingly not cooked over an open fire, Mariela's uncle first made the fire, then took the embers and placed them under the little iron grill (parilla), creating an oven of sorts. They kept the fire going next to the grill, but only embers cooked the meat. And, boy, was there meat. About 3 cuts of beef, sweetbreads, intestines and chicken. Only seasoned with salt and cooked for about 2 hours. A bottle of Cab Sav and Malbec, bread, pickled onions and a tomato and onion salsa rounded out the meal. A white melon was the first dessert. More mate. Then we went to the tiny market about a 15 minute walk away and got alfajores and white wine. Sun was beginning to set and a fire was quickly constructed from dry twigs and leaves. Then a hole was cut in another melon, seeds scooped out, and white wine poured in. A mate straw went into the hole and around the circle the melon went, the fire continuing to grow. Finally at complete darkness, around 8:30, we packed up and headed back to the city. Hung out at Mariela and Claudio's apartment for a bit, putting away the kayaks, enjoying being in a local's apartment. The guys drank the favorite Fernet and Coke, Mariela sold me a body soap (she also reps the Brazilian version of Avon). By 10:30 Seba was ready to drive me to the hostel, where hopefully the bed bugs have disappeared. About 90% of the day was in Spanish, with me understanding maybe 30%. Mostly listened, usually only talking when spoken to, but I definitely picked up some new words. And now it's time for bed, so I can be bright and cheery for the office tomorrow.

Wine Tasting, Rafting, Harvesting, Bed Bugging

First official week at Altocedro has finished and I must say, the wine industry is a fun one to be in. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at the office in Lujan de Cuyo, where I edited some of their technical sheets in English, created a consumer-facing technical sheet (as opposed to the B2B sheets) as well as a tasting notes worksheet to be used for Thursday's North American (gringo) client tasting day. Guillermo seemed happy enough with the produced effort, showing me the basic Word document they had used for past events. Since I'm still learning about the wine process myself, translating many of the words has me flipping between Google Translate, UC Davis' intro to oenology notebook Rebecca allowed me to photocopy and Wikipedia's Argentine wine page. Learning the wine process' technical terms and Spanish at the same time is a bit tougher than I had led myself to believe... or maybe I just hadn't given it real thought.

Thursday morning Guillermo picked me up at 8am sharp to swing by the office and prepare last minute things for the day's events, as well as throw a wine barrel in the back of his pick-up, to be dropped off at the winery later that day. Karim and his wife Pilar met us at the office and we all went to Campo los Andes, an old army base, where the wine tasting, asado and rafting would take place. Rio Extrema, the rafting company, is a cluster of little huts and buildings that host a restaurant (or rather, dining room where we're served the asado), rafting equipment, bathrooms and bales of hay and lounge chairs for hanging out. A sand volleyball court, swimming pool and ping pong table complete the scene, set against the Tunuyan River with the snow-capped Andes in the background.

The gringos showed up about an hour after us, a breath of American air I hadn't realized I missed. A mix of distributors, wine sellers, wine shop owners and a enologist/professor, they were selected by Altocedro's importer to attend the trip for various reasons... sales incentives, etc. As I shook their hands, they realized I was one of them, and the questions started flying. Are you a winemaker? How long have you been here? What in the world are you doing down here? Some seemed intrigued, some impressed, others just happy to have someone else to talk to after hanging with the same group for almost a week. One favorite was Kevin, who owns a tiny wine and coffee shop near Burlington, VT that focuses on sustainable and free-trade practices as well as small, family-run products. Another was Kenny, a fashionable, cowboy boots and Ray Ban-wearing enologist from Toronto who spends 10 days a month at home with his family and the rest traveling the world, educating and pontificating about wine. The day went smoothly, with the wine tasting first (favorable reviews all around - most were impressed with how drinkable the young Malbec was (the Ano Cero line) when compared to the other young Malbecs they'd tasted this week. After the tasting came the meal... empanadas to start, then salads, a baked pepper stuffed with egg and cheese, and of course the piles of meat. It was a hearty bunch, and they did us Americans proud. After lunch there was ping pong and volleyball, then rafting. Split into two rafts with a guide each, we embarked on the Tunuyan River for what was supposed to be a 45 minute tripover class 1 and maybe 2 rapids. Due to the lack of snow last winter, however, the river levels were lower than normal and our inexperienced guide Fernando didn't know how to steer us away from the jutting rocks, causing us to get stuck more often than not. One such rock tossed the raft just so, propelling poor Fernando like a missile. By the time he was able to clamber back into the raft, we had gone a few moments without any guidance and ran right into another, much larger rock. The boat tilted just so, causing water to start flooding in. Taking one second to asses the situation, I got the hell out of the raft and climbed up the rock, the others eventually following suit. I was laughing so hard I was crying. The site of these 50-something wine sellers in their ridiculous rafting suits, crowded on a tiny rock... the one time I wish my camera was waterproof. Finally the guides were able to take control of the situation and get us back into the raft. The 45 minute trip became a two-hour journey.

Back at the site, we warmed up with more wine and pizza, finally saying goodbye to the group around 8pm, whereas apparently 5pm was the norm with previous groups. Karim was my ride home, and after a few stops (picking his sister and niece up at a funeral in San Carlos, dropping the aforementioned barrel off at the winery, where I met Claudio, the vineyard manager who lives on site with his wife and son, Milli and Jamillo). Finally got back to the city by 11pm.

The next morning Karim and Pilar picked me up at 10am (only 30 minutes later than planned) to head out to the winery for family harvest day. Allow me to describe the driving situation here.

First, there is one highway that goes to La Consulta, and it is mostly only two lanes. It also becomes the main street of the city of Tunuyan for a while. Second, the majority of cars here are the mini European type, Citroens and the like, dating back to 1972-1985. The incredibly dry air apparently prevents rust and maintains cars so they run longer than usual here. That, and the price is right for the less than robust local economy. This often gives the impression I've stumbled back 30 years in time. Then there are the border controls. Between the gendarmia (looking for smuggled drugs), the fruit police (looking for uncertified produce. The Uco Valley is a controlled pest-free area) and the general craziness of rural living... men on bikes on the side of the highway, families hitch-hiking, cargo trucks full of grapes and tomatoes driving slower than I can walk... getting from point A to point B is never as direct as one would hope. Add to that the recent drama between the gas stations and the government regarding gas prices (everyone talks about the prospecting going on). Example: Guillermo and I drove to four different stations Thursday morning, each telling us "they were sold out," Guillermo scoffing under his breath they are definitely NOT sold out, finally skidding in on fumes, finding one that would fill us up). Point is... La Consulta is not exactly around the corner.

We meet Marta (the office admin) and Eugenia (the part time accountant) at one gas station on the side of the highway, as well as Guillermo and his wife Laura and their 15 month old baby Julian. After some mid-trip mate and medialunas, we were on our way. Finally get to the winery around noon, where we meet: Karim's parents and sister; Leo, the junior winemaker; Alejandro, who does the bureaucracy, dealing with the govt. and wine certifications; and Claudio, Milli and Jamillo. After a quick rah-rah speech from Karim, we grab our buckets and scissors and get to work snipping bunches of Malbec grapes off the vines. I'm the self-appointed photographer for the day, so only get to snip a few bunches, but I will definitely have my time in the coming weeks. After 20 minutes or so, just enough to get a feel for it, we head to the winery where we test out Karim's new double grape sorting machine and destemmer. 42 boxes of picked grapes are sorted, destemmed and fit into 3 barrels. These 3 barrels get some sulfites and fermentation starters mixed in, and are closed up to sit for 20-30 days, letting the yeasts do their thing and turn the juice into wine. Eventually the 3 barrels of juice will lead to just one barrel of wine.

Then it was back to Rio Extrema for another asado. Same deal as the day before, but in Spanish. After lunch, there was much lounging and talking, more mate, and I got my first dose of office female gossiping in Spanish. Trying my hardest to understand everything being said, I got maybe 50%. Much griping and laughing about married life as well as Marta's search for a boyfriend. The second dose of rafting (fortunately) didn't happen because of another group that took too long getting back. Then it was back to the winery for Karim to check on a few things with the construction workers (I should explain the whole winery is undergoing a reformation... new cement tanks, double-osmosis machine, as well as the aforementioned sorting table. The whole feeling is rather charming and antiquated, in stark contrast to the beautiful state of the art wineries you see in other parts of Mendoza. This one still has a touch of history). It was dark by the time we drove back to the city, and Karim asked us to talk to keep him awake. After discussing our families, Pilar is a child of 8 as well, I steered the conversation to questioning Karim about his opportunities in the U.S. and his vision for the future of the winery. I take notes, trying to make sense of exactly what I'm doing here... hoping something comes together soon in my head.

I get home with the desire to shower and email and relax, only to be told my dorm room has been infested with bed bugs, and they're fumigating. Apparently these things happen in hostels, where people come from long bus rides and other hostels. Sigh. I make it 2 & 1/2 years in NYC without bed bugs and I get them here, in Mendoza, Argentina?! We get strict orders to wash every article of clothing as soon as possible. Which is how I spent my Saturday... running back and forth to the laundromat as well as hand washing (via boiling water using a tea kettle) my more delicate items. Mind you, I have enough clothing for about a month... to span all four seasons. $11 for 3 washing machine loads, 2 hand-washing loads, and about 4 hours later, half my wardrobe is hanging on the lines for the hostel to see. There was something quite soothing pouring boiling hot water over my clothes... very cleansing. Even though most of my clothes were not even dirty, some still had their tags on.

Just got to Skype with Mack and Kara for a bit, they're having big weekend in NYC with the other PSU girls, which surprisingly evoked a few tears from me (man I must be lonely!). Also uploaded about 200 pictures from the 2 days at the winery and rafting so I can post them to the winery's FB page on Monday. Did not get the run in that I wanted. Maybe tomorrow.

Now it's off to get ready for a local children's charity event/auction put on by about 20 wineries. Altocedro is one of the hosts, and Karim bought me the 80 peso ticket. Apparently the who's who of Mendoza will be there, as well as some from Napa. I wisely hand-washed the bedbugs out of one my two fancy outfits last night, giving it enough time to dry today. Hopefully the bed bugs are gone and I can move rooms to the smaller dorm tomorrow (as they quarantined me today to ensure all BB are gone).

In summary, I'm finally doing what I came to do... but am left wondering what the hell I'm doing. Can I really spend a month in tiny La Consulta? Will I be able to make it during the harvest? Will I ever know when I'm doing what I'm meant to do?

I officially work in the wine industry.

So today marks my first day at Altocedro... and even though it was spent in an office, doing computer-y things, I'm pretty damn happy.

Backing up a bit to my last post, the trip down to Mendoza was uneventful in the way you hope traveling alone in a foreign country will be. Staying in the same bohemian kicked-back hostel as last week and enjoying the anonymity I have, avoiding most of the typical "how long you are, where you going" conversations. Arrived around 8:45am, lazed around all morning, napping and reading, switching between the educational do-it-yourself "From Vines to Wine" and my new friend Ben's novel "Indecision." Kindle, you're a godsend. Around 3:00 finally built up the energy to get dressed and went for a run in the massive San Martin Park... which is getting harder the less I do it. But at least I'm doing it! Also got a little yoga in afterwards, on the deserted hammock patio next to my room.

Made it back in time to change and shower and meet Marcos, my Argentine tour guide friend, for a quick 5 minutes while he caught the bus outside my hostel back to his house in Godoy Cruz. Then it was off to the weekly wine tasting night with the expat ladies (and bfs of ladies) of Mendoza. Last night was all about the Cab Franc and the favorite across the board happened to be the one I had recommended to Cara, the organizer. Pulenta Estates Cab Franc 2008. Full of green pepper on the nose but amazing in the mouth. Also about $45USD, which is on the pricier side of things. More people (girls) showed up this week than last, including Emily, who I had interviewed with at the Vines. We were courteous to each other, but nothing more than that. We all went around and introduced ourselves as to where we were from and what we're doing here, and she congratulated me on the internship... yeah, I'm actually really awesome, but thanks lady! Anyway, it was an enjoyable night but not as fun or intimate as the first. But I guess first nights always have the benefit of novelty. Went out for a bite after with Cara (the Seattle sommelier), Amanda (the freelance journalist still looking for a gig), and 2 new friends, both of who are english tour guides at Familia Zuccardi, one of the larger wineries here. Jo is British, new arrival, very spunky and has a few months off between finishing law school and becoming a lawyer in August. She had worked for a British wine critic for a few months and took the opportunity to check out Argentine wine country. The other was an American chick named Katie who has been here since November pretty much working for free and just got fully contracted by the winery. We found a falafel and schwarma place and I enjoyed my first falafel in 2 1/2 months. Well, tried to enjoy it. Enjoyed aspects of it. Not the density or dryness. Briefly flirted with the idea of going to Salta (the other major wine country, in NW Argentina) as Thursday and Friday are national holidays and my office will be closed. Amanda and I discussed going, but the 20 hour, $200 bus ride wasn't exactly a thrilling idea.

This morning, after my first night in a hostel dorm since I was 19 (not bad!), I took my first Mendocino public bus the 45 minutes to Lujan de Cuyo, where the office is. Even though Guillermo, one of my "bosses," had advised me to take a cab my first time, I figured if I could crack BsAs buses, I sure as hell could maneuver Mendoza's. Only took a few times asking the bus driver where to get off and then a follow-up question at the Farmacia on the corner and I was pointed in the right direction. Showing up on time (before 11), post-bus, Guillermo was impressed.

The office is in an old cold-storage warehouse next to a huge supermarket that used to have it as dairy storage. Guess they figured they could make better money storing vino. The Altocedro office consists of 3 private offices, one for Karim, one for Guillermo (the head of operations and commercial support) and one for Marta, the admin/secretary/ office do-it-all. Then there is the conference room in the making, which is sparsely furnished, with high ceilings, lawn furniture, the typical boxes of random corporateness, including a coffeemaker still in its box... and a full-size wine refrigerator. And then a bookcase, displaying wines, not books. This is my office. After a quick tour around the storage facility next door, (cases and cases of wine from more than just our winery), a labeling and packaging assembly line (in progress), and a little side building where our kitchen, lunch room, bathroom and dry good storage (labels, corks, caps) are, Guillermo got to work explaining what he was hoping I could help him with. From technical sheets to brochures to updating the website and creating original content, I've got my work cut out for me for the next week (and whenever the harvest offers me a hiatus). I got to work immediately, helping position the already existing technical sheets to read more smoothly in English, as well as add some design (yes! they have Photoshop! and an extra MacBookPro!)

Oh! They eat lunch together EVERYDAY. They order around 12 from the same place which changes its menu daily, it gets delivered around 2pm, and then the 4 of us eat in the tiny little cottage, crowded around more lawn furniture. Of course there was a bottle of wine (only once or twice a week I was told). My sliced, grilled pumpkin with melted cheese and tomato salad was actually quite nice. After lunch I asked Guillermo about the upcoming holiday/days-off to doublecheck before buying tickets to go anywhere, and he offered that I could stay and join them for the upcoming events. Thursday they'll be entertaining a group of American customers who come down annually (I'm guessing mostly buyers and importers) at a place called Campo de los Andes. There'll be wine tasting, an asada (BBQ) and rafting. Friday is company family day, kicking off the harvest at the winery with more wine tasting, while testing the new machinery (sounds like a good mix), and then more rafting. Whoo! Glad I didn't purchase those Salta bus tickets. At 6pm Marta and I closed up shop and rode back to Mendoza together, speaking mostly Spanish since she's embarrassed with her English. Works for me. Also caught the scoop on the office. She and Guillermo are 33, Karim is around 35, and the three guys on the winery range from 24-38. A young staff indeed. Looking forward to tomorrow already.

Mendocina. I like the sound of that.

Tomorrow I become a Mendocina... at least for the near future.

Preparing to bid adieu to my mom and Robin after a day of last minute things... hitting up MALBA, the art museum, a few stores and of course purchasing random Argentine foodstuffs they couldn't live without.

Last night at Casa Felix we met an American "couple," or at least an American girl and boy. She is a Yale PhD student studying Comparative Literature, he is a published ex-pat, with a novel and literary magazine under his belt. Ben has spent the past 2 & 1/2 years in San Telmo; Moira has been visiting him for the past 2 weeks and heads back to New Haven tonight. Their last dinner at Casa Felix showed all the signs of a new or not-quite-established long distance relationship. It takes one to know one, eh? I hesitate to write more as I know this is a public forum and he's a somewhat public figure... well, he's been featured in NY Magazine, and has a Wikipedia entry and fan page on Facebook. That, a public figure makes.

Anyway, Ben and I exchanged emails should he venture down to wine country or I back to BA (ahem, Jeff, I eagerly await your plans). Loving the Casa Felix connection... first the guys at For91Days.com, now the writer!

A little internet stalking never hurt anyone

Heard back from Karim on Friday letting me know that I most definitely should still come down to Mendoza as planned on Monday. He and Guillermo (the guy who does his exporting/ marketing/ business side) can use me in the office for the week leading up to the harvest helping with technical sheets, marketing items, etc. Whew! Was relieved to find out I can get started sooner rather than later. You may think I'm nuts, but after 2 & 1/2 months without work (aside from Spanish and wine school), I'm actually craving a "purpose."

So I have some free time while Mom and Robin take a private Tango class in the living room (don't ask... this is the second of three they're planning, in as many days. They have another at 4pm tomorrow, and are leaving at 5:30 for the airport). That's dedication.

Anyway, I just dug up this gem of an interview, taken about 5 months ago. Not the most natural interview and it certainly won't win any journalism awards, but at least you can see who I'll be working with and a little insight into Altocedro.

Yesterday morning I again enjoyed having the apartment to myself, then eventually met up with Fernando, the head of Marketing at Algodon Wine Estates. This was a contact Robin forwarded along, an old friend of his has a friend who invested in Algodon... the whole friend of a friend thing that I'm so familiar with now. I met Fernando in Algodon's office in fancy-pants Recoleta, and after a bumpy start to the interview (informational meeting?), I was able to get comfortable and get to know Fernando, how he got involved with wine (his cousin's winery in Hungary!) as well as tell him a bit about myself. While they're not hiring anytime soon (their upscale winery and resort in San Rafael closes at the end of April for the low season), they have a boutique hotel in Recoleta that they're trying to build up, as well as their hands in a few other projects, including something that might rival the Vines' private estates project. Ruben, the COO, also come in to say hi. Ruben is your standard big man in the office, full of confidence, money and success, and jumped right in to interrogate why I was in his office, what I was looking to do. No, I have no real wine experience. No, I do not want to be a sommelier. But I have an upcoming internship! He knows Karim, and admitted that he was a very, very good winemaker. Another whew. After two minutes, he was off to his next meeting and it was back to me and Fernando, who agreed to pass my name and CV along to a few other people within the industry who might be interested in meeting me (so far one has already politely declined). Anyway, another contact for the books, as well as a nice bottle of their 2007 Merlot.

Last night Mom and Robin got back from Iguazu around 7, just in time for their first private Tango class in the apartment while I sipped a bottle of the Azul blend I brought back from Mendoza. Then it was quickly off to the parilla Don Julio, highly recommended by many, but disappointed with bland, fatty sirloin. Then I was dragged to another milonga for an hour or so while neither Robin or Mom had the courage to actually get up and dance. The tango music changed to salsa for a set and the vibe of the entire place woke up. What a different mood the salsa brings out in people... definitely the dance I would do if forced to choose. Then it was back to the apartment by 1am so we could arise at 7:30 in time for our 9:15 tour of the Teatro Colon, the recently refurbished and reopened opera house that rivals the best in the world in terms of acoustics, grandeur and opulence. 24k cold leaf, Parisian furniture, sculptures as far as the eye can see... simply awesome. Then it was time for the breakfast of champions at Freddo helado in the Patio Bullrich mall. Dulce de leche ice cream and cappuccinos at 10am, I kid you not. Then Plaza Francia for more artesian crafts, I got an electric green cowhide cuff, and then my Spanish teacher's recommendation to see the Recoleta cultural center's exhibition of Miguel de Molina, an amazingly flamboyant Spanish flamenco dancer/singer/designer. We fell in love with his costumes - you'll see when I post the pictures. Then it was lunch at another parilla, La Brigada, to hopefully redeem the previous night's lousy steak, which it did, times 10. My favorite parilla thus far. Both the sirloin and rib eye were top notch, as was the proveleta, chimichurri and calabaza puree.

Now another glass of Azul while posting, and it's dinner at Casa Felix, my third time at the charming closed door restaurant, which of course I will show to every visitor who comes to BsAs.

Ciao.

A Frenchie named Chucky & Me: Happy St. Patty's Day Indeed

Finally decided to break out of my normal blog style and add a picture within the text... this is the first picture taken with the iTouch that I've actually posted... I didn't carry my bigger camera around today but wanted to capture Mike and Jurgen's grumbly ole Chucky. The look on my face is pure fascination to learn that the story in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (which I read last fall) was almost 100% true (they spent 91 days in Savannah before coming to BsAs)...

Entonces, two new doors have been opened. One, using the iTouch as a camera. Two, posting pics within posts. Watch out, kids, Lindsey's getting fancy!