South American Explorer

Writer Wade Alexander finds out that there is more to Mendoza, Argentina than just wine… well, sort of.

Following months of anticipation, the streets of Mendoza erupted last March with blaring music, vibrant colors, galloping gauchos and beautiful reinas. This is the international wine festival of Mendoza, also known as La Vendimia. As a local resident, it is an honor to share this tradition with others in written detail just as I experienced it in 2009.

Mendoza is the wine capital of Argentina, nestled in the shadow of the majestic Andes Mountains along the nation’s western limits.

As the fifth largest wine producer in the world, Mendoza attracts thousands of visitors each year for its luxurious wine cellars, stunning landscapes, and multi-colored vineyards, which add a touch of brilliance to an otherwise deserted terrain. Despite its arid nature, the province of Mendoza boasts a vast harvest of grapes, apples, pears, walnuts, olives, and other delectable treats.

During the 16^th century Jesuit missionaries planted the first vines upon arrival in Mendoza. Centuries later, as European immigrants began to flood Buenos Aires, Italian and French engineers were persuaded to head west and make Mendoza their home, later constructing multiple irrigation canals that still operate today. In recent years, multi-million dollar investments have invaded Mendoza in the form of deluxe wineries and popular bodegas, most of which are open to the public for guided tours, fine meals, and delicious tastings. Tall glasses of burgundy malbec and sparkling chardonnay allure the international wine connoisseur year-round, though La Vendimia takes place during the initial weeks of March.

La Vendimia is a celebration of Mendoza’s local harvest.

Official festivities began almost 70 years ago in recognition of the land’s bountiful production. Since then, this special event has grown into a marvelous tradition, kicking off with the annual Via Blanca de las Reinas, a parade usually reserved for the first Friday of the month.

This evening, following a multitude of vibrant performers and marching musicians, seventeen wine queens arrive on their extravagant custom-made floats, representing their respective provincial departments, while casually cruising down Mendoza’s central avenues wearing glamorous gowns and jewels. Small children and grown adults frantically wave their hands in the air, begging the young pageant queens to share their ‘emblems’ of the harvest. In return, grapes and gourds are tossed into the crowd and gathered up in makeshift baskets attached to broom handles. Laughter is contagious as desperate onlookers struggle to catch the goods, only to eventually squash some of the fruit below their feet. With a sense of pride, smiling sons and daughters run to their parents to show off their newly acquired gifts: cantaloupes, heads of garlic, and even bags of oregano.

The cement below our feet is soon covered in grape juice and fruit peels…and a flying cantaloupe just barely grazed my son’s head as he looks on from his stroller!

The following morning, the same parade is repeated. Under the summer sun, native gauchos, both young and old, trot down the crowded avenues atop their horses. Decorated soldiers march to the rhythm of the himno nacional. Glamorous dance groups move, twist, and entertain the crowd, causing a reaction of cheers and applause. The young queens continue to compete for the adoration of neighbors – and politicians – in order to be voted the official Reina de la Vendimia later that evening.

Tonight, Mendoza’s outdoor theater overflows with almost 40,000 people seated in the stands. Teatro Griego Frank Romero Day – a cultural landmark inside the impressive San Martín Park – is home to the annual Acto Central, where the official wine queen will soon be crowned. The weather is perfect – a pitch black canopy dotted with stars. Vendors are selling miniature bottles of red and white wines. Raucous fans wave banners and flags in support of their respective queens. The dazzling performance begins with hundreds of colorful singers and dancers twirling on stage and splashing across the reflecting pool. Queens of years past are both honored and cheered, just as is Vice President Cobos upon his arrival.Following two hours of rich entertainment, all seventeen queens are introduced and invited to appear on stage.

The crowd listens as numerous ballots are counted by the hosts. Who will be this year’s ‘first lady of wine’? The blaring speakers across the theater reveal: ‘Luuuuuuján!! Godooooooy Cruz!! 3 votes for San Marrrrrrrtín!! 2 for Aaaaalvear!!’

This goes on for several minutes, but the winner is obvious – San Martín by a landslide! The blonde teenage queen receives her crown, along with large bouquets of flowers. Her acceptance speech is filled with tears and gratitude. Well, at least Godoy Cruz took second place (our neighborhood queen).

Our late night now concludes with an impressive display of multi-colored fireworks.

Our son is amazed! Afterwards, it’s time to head home, face the traffic, and crash in bed. As for the rest of the week… well, it is the international wine festival. Salud!

Wade Alexander is the owner and operator of Imagine Argentina Travel (www.imagineargentina.com). Raised in northern Virginia, he first moved to Argentina in 1999 where he spent two years in the northwest region of Salta. Currently sharing time between Mendoza and Utah, Wade now dedicates his efforts to professional travel planning, photography, and bilingual marketing. He and his dear wife, Tania, are looking forward to the international journeys ahead as their infant son slowly becomes bilingual…they hope.