Mendoza has 3 distinct wine growing areas all in striking distance. Two of these can be done in organised day trips. These are not cheap but sound quite up market. However, the other region is much closer to the city centre and you can get there via bus or taxi. Also, the popular way of getting round is by bike. So off we went on a 9am bus that dropped us off directly at Maipu Bikes. Well it would have if we had been quicker with the button to stop the bus but we finished up getting off one stop after. The bike hire opened at 10am and we were first in the queue. Did we look a bit too keen for a day of wine tasting? The bike hire was cheap but worth remembering they only take cash and want to see at least 1 passport. The bikes are cheap and cheerful. There are helmets if you want them. The hire cost is low. Bikes have 2 gears which is probably 1 gear too many since the route is flat. There are 5 vineyards to see and 2 olive oil places. The bike shop gave us a map and some discount vouchers. For the super-keen there are blogs which explain the best itinerary to get as much in as possible (wine that is). And if you follow the itinerary carefully there is a happy hour at the bike shop between 5pm and 6pm (the bike guy makes his own wine and unloads it for free on bladdered cyclists). All the places do tasting and I think they all do food of one kind or another. The cycling is easy and is relatively safe since most of the route have a roadside bike lane. I wouldn’t say the route was picturesque. Think of a dusty Argentinian version of the outskirts of Stockport. It only really starts to get vineyardy when you are very close to the vineyards. But it is worth it. The vineyards are great and we had some nice food. We hit 3 out of the 5 vineyards. That was enough for us cycling in 26 degree heat.
