Have you ever dreamed of travelling to a specific place? Maybe a beach or ski resort? Maybe a safari? If you haven’t, I want you to pick a place right now. Maybe it’s far or close to home. It might be a hot climate or cold. Everyone has a different dream. Now, I want you to close your eyes and visualize yourself there. What does it look like? Smell like? Feel like? What foods are you eating? Does your experience meet your expectations? Are you having the time of your life? I hope you are!

For years, I dreamt of travelling Argentina and visiting the city of Mendoza. Why Mendoza? Well, I discovered Malbec wine years ago and almost drank it exclusively. I know that sounds awfully snobby and close-minded but I became a bit obsessive. So with that in mind I couldn’t wait to explore Mendoza, home of some mighty great Malbec.

Mendoza is the capital city of the Province of Mendoza. The province lies to the East of the Andes Mountains forming a border with Chile. It became a province in 1820 after the Spaniards detached it from Chile and made it part of the Viceroyality of the Rio de la Plata.

In 1861, the city of Mendoza was destroyed in an earthquake but a few years later a new city was planned with wide streets, parks and squares, all evident today. The culmination of dry conditions and planned irrigation produced the ultimate environment for the growing of orchards and of course wine!

From 1885 - 1910, the “great immigration” brought many people to the area including some from French, Germany and England, but the two main groups were Spaniards and Italians. At the time, Italy was happy to see their citizens leave as there was much unrest and a Malaria outbreak had hit Rome bringing much despair. As a result, a mass exodus of 70 million Italians moved to other countries including Argentina bringing with them a different language, culture and knowledge of winemaking.

There are over 1500 wineries in the area that you can visit all offering a variety of experiences and tastings. We visited both Trapiche and Catena Zapata, two of the most established in the area. The joy of visiting a winery is of course to taste the wine but more importantly, it’s to learn about the history of the wine and stand on the land where at one point, years before, someone stood looking out at the vast space and began to dream.

Trapiche was established in 1883 by Tiburcio Benegas and has since changed hands many times. It is now sold in over 40 countries including my very own Canada. Thank you Jesus (whom I’m sure drank Malbec with his disciples)!

Catena Zapata was established when Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in 1902 and, unlike Trapiche, has been in the family for 100 years. Four generations later, the original dream of Nicola Catena not only lives on but continues to prosper under the direction of each generation. Their dreams are entwined with each other.