Another day in Mendoza gave me additional opportunities to taste great wine and eat awesome food! Medoza has so much to offer to travelers. The wine is phenomenal and the views are spectacular! Many of the vineyards are nestled in the countryside while the Andes mountains provide a backdrop like no other.
On this particular day, we traveled to the Bodega ReNacer. It was located in the Perdriel area of Mendoza, close to the foothills of the Andes. The primary building looked very medieval. The structure was a tower that was built out of rock that looked out over the lovely pond. In comparison, the other buildings of the property were very modern looking. ReNacer has won several awards over the years for the most beautiful winery in Mendoza. The views were stunning, and of course, made for great photos!
ReNacer has also won several awards for their wine, including in 2006 when they were recognized by Wine Spectator as having one of the top 100 wines in the world. That’s a huge honor!
One of the many wines that we tasted on our visit was the Punto Final Reserve Malbec from 2014. According to our guide, the wine contains notes of black raspberry and plum along with subtle hints of vanilla, cherries, and mocha. I’m not sure if I tasted all of those flavors, but it was really good!
The views from the balcony were stunning!
After a short nap on the way back to the hotel, we got ready to travel to a fabulous hotel and restaurant in Mendoza. I’m a big fan of Travel & Leisure magazine so when I saw that the Cavas Wine Lodge was ranked #8 in the world for best hotel, I couldn’t wait to visit! It was also ranked the best hotel in South America. It was definitely on my list of places to visit!
Our hotel arranged for a taxi to take us to the lodge. It was around a 30-minute drive from our hotel as it was located in the Lujan del Cuyo region of Mendoza. We took the interstate for about 15 minutes and then we exited off onto a gravel road. It was very dark!
After a long ride down gravel roads, we arrived at a gate and a floodlight flashed in the car. A voice from the speaker asked the name of the driver and passengers. After a short conversation, we were allowed thru the gates.
We drove up to an absolutely beautiful hotel. It was like an oasis! The lights twinkled as we arrived. On the front porch was a gentleman waiting to welcome us to the lodge with a glass of wine. This was the classiest move I’ve seen in a long time!
As we were ushered into the hotel and were welcomed by the staff and into a lovely lobby. Cavas Wine Lodge is a boutique hotel. There are only 18 rooms and villas on the property. The hotel opened in 2005, but the vines that are used to produce the wine are over 80 years old.
Unique pieces of art were scattered around the hotel. The lobby chandelier was certainly one of the most unique pieces I’ve ever seen. The hotel reminded me of The Delano in Miami. Very airy and light. I can only imagine what it looks like by day.
As we were led into the dining room it struck me how cozy and private the room was. Our server went over all of our menu options, including if we wanted to pair wines with local wines chosen by the hotel or wines by Cavas. Of course, we wanted the winery private selections! We chose to go with a 3-course menu along with the wine that the sommelier chose for us.
Cavas Wine Lodge has been awarded many Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence including the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. That’s quite a resume!
The amuse bouche arrived. For those of you who might not be familiar with what an amuse bouche is, think of a small preview of what’s to come. The French term literally means “mouth amuser”. It’s usually a small bite of what the chef has fresh that day and it sets the tone for the rest of dinner. The chef prepared a candied carrot and blue cheese amuse. Delicious!
The first course arrived which was a mushroom soup. It was prepared with bone marrow and was superb. The bone marrow really adds a richness and a depth of flavor. The mushrooms were earthy and meaty tasting. The sommelier arrived at the table to pour the Cavas Experience Sauvignon Blanc 19 Escalones. The wine was a little fruitier than some other Sav Blancs that I’ve had in the past. It gave a nice balance of lightness compared to the rich mushroom soup and bone marrow.
As we have discussed in previous blog posts, Argentina is the place for beef! The main course that I chose was Bife De Chorizo. Translated that means strip steak. The plate contained strip steak served along with sweet potatoes with mint. All of the components were delicious together. The wine that was paired with the dish was Cavas Bonarda Grand Reserva 2013. The full-bodied red wine was a perfect partner with the rich beef and truffled mashed potatoes. You could really taste the aged oak and cherry notes. It was lovely.
Dessert arrived. Strawberry mousse, almond biscuit, white chocolate ice cream with red berries and candied nuts were on the plate. It was paired with Maipe Brut. The sparkling wine was an extra brut wine that contained 50% Pinot Noir grapes and 50% Chardonnay grapes. I’ve always heard that the smaller the bubbles, the better the wine. Tiny bubbles, as well as the taste of citrus and tropical notes, made this a great wine to finish the meal!
After the meal, we were ready to go back to Mendoza. Our driver, Luis, was so nice. He waited for us at the hotel to finish our meal so he could take us back!
If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Mendoza you should make it a priority to visit Cavas Wine Lodge. Not only do they have outstanding food and wine, but they offer cooking classes and wine tastings. There’s a world-class spa on the property that offers unique and interesting treatments, such as the wine therapy signature treatment. This special treatment is an ancient Roman treatment that combines baths of wine and honey.
The lodge offers fun activities as well. Imagine riding your complimentary bike to travel to nearby vineyards or participating in the grape harvest. There’s also an opportunity for horseback riding, olive picking, and hiking. There’s something for everyone at Cavas!
Stay tuned for next week for my trip to Texas de Brazil restaurant. You don’t want to miss it! xoxo
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