March Festival of Argentinian Wine

Expect spectacular shows from horseback gauchos, carnival floats and a blessing of the grapes in a celebration of the best New World vino.

Even the biggest wine ignoramus now knows that the wines of the New World can easily compete with those of the traditional wine-making regions of France, Spain and Italy. Amongst the best – and most popular – of the newer wine-producing nations are Australia and Chile, but Argentinian wine is often of extremely high quality too.

In fact – and not a lot of people know this – Argentina is the fifth biggest wine producer in the world.

Argentinian wine is celebrated in fine style during the Vendimia Festival in Mendoza, Argentina, every March. It’s a long running event – it has been going since 1936 – and lasts for a week in the heart of Argentina’s Andean wine country.

It attracts wine-lovers anxious to taste the new vintage of vino from across the country and, indeed, the world. While there are a few wine snobs present, a lot of people come purely for the party atmosphere (and of course, the chance to taste the odd drop).

While there is plenty of tasting going on (usually of strong red wine), there are also cultural aspects to the events that comprise the Vendimia Festival. There are lavishly-decorated carnival floats, light shows in the evening and the crowning of the Queen of the Wines. The whole thing kicks off with the blessing of the grapes, but some of the more spectacular shows come from the horseback gauchos. These Argentinian cowboys show remarkable horsemanship and dexterity as they perform tricks on their trusty (and occasionally not-so-trusty steeds). They’re worth raising a glass to by anyone’s standards – and I’ll have a good red with a kick, thanks.