Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
L
$$$
Club Tapiz,
Lujan de Cuyo (
&
54/
11/4005-0050;
www.fincaspatagonicas.
com). $$
Premium Tower Suite Men-
doza,
Av. España 948, Mendoza City
(
&
54/261/425-3533;
www.hotelpremium
tower.com.ar).
Achaval Ferrer,
Calle Cobos 2601,
Perdriel (
&
54/261/488-1131;
www.
achaval-ferrer.com).
(
Mendoza City (25km/15 miles).
South America
350
O. Fournier
The Velvet Underground
Mendoza, Argentina
In the late '90s, when Spaniard José Ortega
decided to buy vineyards in Mendoza, he
chose the stunning Valle de Uco, 2 hours
south of Mendoza city.This high-altitude
valley—a barren, rural plain in the foothills
of the Andes—is regarded as the new
frontier in Argentine wine. It wasn't just
anywhere in the valley he wanted, though;
it was the subregion of La Consulta, where
some Malbec vines were planted during
the era when tango was as controversial
as gangster rap is today.
As he crisscrossed the dusty dirt tracks
in search of the perfect vine, Ortega had
difficulty persuading landowners that he
wanted quality over quantity. On one such
trip between grape-heavy
fincas,
he passed
through a derelict vineyard. The vines were
overgrown and unkempt and had obviously
been neglected for several years. When he
asked his agent, the man shrugged dismis-
sively and said it was a vineyard abandoned
for various reasons. They stopped to take a
look. Beneath the jungle of tangled climb-
ers and leaves they found ancient vines
with small clusters of grapes, few in num-
ber but sweet and highly concentrated.
“This is what I want!” declared Ortega.
Ten years later, Ortega owns what
must be the weirdest and most wonderful
winery in South America. The building
itself resembles an airport tower sliced by
a flying saucer. Huge Herculean pillars
suspend cubicles of glass. The giant under-
ground cellar looks like a subterranean
football field of concrete, with prisonlike
walkways above endless rows of oak bar-
rels. If Darth Vader owned a winery, this is
what it would look like.
Yet unlike many concept wineries, O.
Fournier avoids seeming like a ridiculous
vanity project. The building is purely func-
tional—those Herculean pillars are actu-
ally tanks, the sweeping arch a ramp for
the harvest trucks, the glass cubicles air-
conditioned labs and tasting rooms. Even
the strange sloping tanks inside were
designed to ease the winemaking process.
The fact that everything starts at the top
means there is little need for pumping.
And guess what? They make great wine.
O. Fournier specializes in the silky, con-
centrated Spanish grape Tempranillo, as
well as the famously fruity Malbec. All can
be tried in the winery's snazzy restaurant,
which sits on a serene pond and has pan-
oramic views of the Andes. Ortega chose
his site well; the proof is in the wine.
O.Fournier,
Calle Los Indios s/n, La
Consulta (
&
54/2622-451579;
www.
ofournier.com).
(
Mendoza City (91km/56 miles).
L
$$$
Cavas Wine Lodge,
Costa-
flores s/n, Alto Agrelo (
&
54/261/410-
6927;
www.cavaswinelodge.com). $$$
Park Hyatt
Mendoza, Chile 1124, Men-
doza City (
&
54/261/441-1234;
www.
mendoza.park.hyatt.com).
