- Syrah-Syrah: What you get when you blend Syrah grapes from two different altitudes; grapes from higher altitudes develop thicker skins to protect themselves against the harsher climate, thus developing more tannins and rich flavor.
- Que Syrah-Syrah: The feeling you get after a few hours in the wine country of Argentina.
Argentina is such a beautiful country, and it was an incredible trip: we saw art museums (MALBA and the Fortabat), shopped the local markets, soaked up rays (and wine) in Mendoza's vineyards, saw an incredible tango (more on that later), waved across the border at the highest peak in the Americas, and ate more beef than I'll probably have for the rest of the season. (Plus: we enjoyed a historic moment being in Argentina when the new Pope was elected!)
Nine years of French and a year of Spanish made it possible for me to understand a surprising amount of the language, but I can pretty much say two things: "Where is the bathroom?" and "Excuse me, may I please have another spoon?" It's pretty disorienting not to know the language all around you, but fortunately my sister is fluent and was able to get us around.
More posts in this mini-series to come, but I'll tell you the moment I suddenly realized I was on vacation: around Day 5, we were in Mendoza having lunch at Bodega Ruca Malen, one of the many wineries. We had a sumptuous lunch on the deck outside...the food was amazing, the breeze was just right, the sun was shining, and I was looking out into the mountains past the vineyard. Que Syrah-Syrah, indeed.
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(Lunch at Ruca Malen)
A goat cheese "truffle" with herbs, pepper flakes, and a citrus cream so delicious I nearly licked my plate:
Beet terrine with crispy potatoes and sweet beetroot sauce:
A brilliant little carrot salad with cheese, a crouton, chorizo, and other accoutrements smartly labeled by a hand-sketched diagram under plate glass:
Seasonal fruit with Creme Anglaise and raspberry sorbet:
The moment I realized I was on vacation:
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