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| Steph and I in Mendoza |
It is in the eastern foothills of the Andes that our tale begins today. In an area of lush green abundance, set in the shadow of Mount Aconcagua two McGuigan sisters took upon a great feat that many would have never believed would come to pass.
The two sisters found themselves in the town of Mendoza Argentina, after having partied their way through South America looking for a place to unwind. They sought sun and relaxation by the pool to soothe their weary dancing feet. Considering that Mendoza accounts for two thirds of the wine produced in Argentina, this was perhaps not the wisest destination for those looking for a brief sabbatical from alcohol, but as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The girls arrived to their hostel on the main street of the town looking a little dishevelled and in need of a rest. Beads of perspiration formed on their foreheads from a climate that resembled semi-arid desert conditions. Hoping that the heat would settle down Alexandra (the older and wiser of the sisters) asked the girl at the front desk what the weather was normally like, to which she replied with a Spanish accent:
“It is a continental climate. We have very hot temperatures in the summer and very cold temperatures in the winter. During the spring and summer there are wide variations of temperature being very hot during the day and very cold in the evening.”
Stephanie and Alexandra looked at each other a little puzzled by the detail of her answer but politely thanked her and went to their room to plan their time in the wine capital of Argentina.
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| The bikes |
Much to the dismay of Alexandra, it seemed that the most important tourist activity to do in Mendoza was the famous winery bike tour. Now to the average capable person this might sound like a delightful way to spend a day, however if you are anything like the bicycly challenged Alex McGuigan you will understand that this was frightening… very frightening. To say that this poor soul was challenged is an understatement. Two near fatal accidents had seen the end of her cycling career nearly 20 years earlier. One nearly saw her sucking her food through a straw and the other, with a knocked out front tooth and lip reconstruction. It was not so much that she couldn’t ride a bike; it was just that she couldn’t stop which is actually a crucial element in the whole bike riding experience.
Stephanie had a small battle on her hands convincing the retired athlete to get back on her bike but not wanting to let the team down Alex agreed. With beading perspiration once again on their faces they made their way to the bike hire shop. Confidence waning a little Alex placed her helmet sturdy on her head and lifted her leg to straddle the bike. As she lifted the leg it caught on a stray piece of metal that sliced straight through the skin of her right knee. Before they had even left the hire store, blood was pouring profusely from the knee. Despite the set back they continued to greener pastures.
The first winery that they came to was a lovely little family vineyard which produced Malbec, a type of red wine which has become the widest planted grape in the Mendoza region as it thrives in the conditions with an average annual temperature of 15° C. The sisters tasted a few different vintages and tended to the wound before heading off to the next winery on the map.
After what seemed like an eternity in the 40°C they turned up at a cellar door that had the familiar presence and stainless steel design of Tempus Two in Australia’s Hunter Valley. Sure enough when they entered the winery and looked at the logo, labels and design the label was named ‘Tempus Alba’. Suspicious of its origin they questioned the waitress who claimed that the winery had been there for eight years, which as it turns out is less than the existence of Tempus Two.
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| Notice a similarity? |
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| The Argentinean version |
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