- After breakfast, I took Bus No. 10 at bus terminal to Maipu, one of the most important wine-growing region with a lot of wineries. I don´t know much about wine, but decided the trip is a must given Mendoza is considered the heart of the wine-making industry in Argentina. The other principal wine-producing region is Lujan.
- Got off at ´Mr. Hugo Bikes´. Yup - my plan was to bike along the wine roads. Soon after my arrival, I was geared up with my bright red bike, a bottle of water, and a small but useful map outlining the ´official` path for the day. It was an independent 12 km tour (one way) consisted of a selection of wineries (8), a wine museum, a gourmet delicatessen, a family owned chocolateria/liquor factory and an olive oil store. The only thing missing was a helmet ...
- Coming from California, I was a little spoilt when it comes to beautiful sceneries in vineywards. While Napa has the glamour, Maipu has its unique charm and the wineries seem less commercialized. It is winter season, so all around are brown vineyards instead of bright green leaves. When I first started the pedalling journey, I was pleasantly surprised to see bike lanes constructed at the both ends of the roads, but the surprise was short-lived. 5 minutes into the adventure, the bike lanes became non-existent. I kept to the edge as much as possible, but it still gave me chills when huge trucks and buses sped by me, which was often.
- By end of the day, I checked out all wineries along the way (including those not indicated on map) but only did wine tasting at one winery. Decided riding under influence was not a smart idea, especially when sharing the road with the huge vehicles. When I checked out the bike, I also got treated 2 glasses of red wine by Mr. Hugo. Such is the culture at Maipu.
