HUNGRY HEIGHTS
JAsMINE MONTGOMERY LUNCHES IN ALTUS WINERY IN VALLE DE UCO.
WARNING! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE HUNGRY!
Our journey started with a fantastic car ride up to Tupungato in Valle de Uco. A canvas of amber and chartreuse, against a peacock blue sky painted our landscape as we drove out of the city and up to this high altitude valley of vineyards and fruit trees and towering mountains. About an hour later we rolled up to Altus through a passage of tall golden Alamo trees. The smell of fire burning and the sound of wind rushing through trees, we spotted the winery and its pastoral setting through the colored foliage. The Bodega is a massive barn-like structure, painted vivid barn red. Across the road, was the original adobe rancher, which has been flawlessly remodeled and converted into the restaurant/guest house.
For many years other business ventures separated the owners of Altus from the beautiful region they once called home. The splendor of this area lingered in their minds until they returned one day and built the winery in 1997. Currently Altus has over 247 acres of high altitude vineyards planted, ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 meters above sea level.
“The torrontes was surprisingly different from the floral perfumey characteristics of the Torrontes grown in the north.”
We could see some of those very vineyards as we were seated beneath a veranda, a stones throw from a string of vines. After being greeted by friendly faces our first glass was poured. It was a crisp glass of trorrontes grown here in the Andean heights. The palate and nose showed off a fabulous minerality sucked from the terroir of the hills, surprisingly different from the floral perfumey characteristics of the Torrontes grown in the north. The tasting menu started with a procession of tapas that gained momentum in groups of two or three, playfully displayed on slate boards, nestled in the hollow of a soup spoon or shot glass. The meal marched on with a sequence of regional appetizers, followed by a hearty main and a traditional trio of desserts with dark coffee. Needless to say I didn’t eat again that day. First was a shot glass of cold squash soup dusted with almonds and fresh parsley. On the same board a yellow and white corn salad was served, with a touch of olive oil and parsley. A chilled tomato and granny-smith gazpacho finished off the first triad.
“This rosé was bursting with raspberry and red current.”
The next round of bites were pickled eggplant on herb crostini, a streamed broccoli and hard boiled egg salad and a bright yellow cabbage and mustard coleslaw. The slaw was a tangy surprise accompanied by a full bodied Malbec rosé. This rosé was bursting with raspberry and red currant. Still crisp and dry with lots of texture to chew, by far my favorite glass of the day, not to mention pleasingly pink.
The following trio was a legume inspired pairing of white bean and chimichurri salad, lentil with salsa criollo salad (a tomato, onion and red pepper salsa) and roasted squash and raisins with soft and salty cheese. Other tapas included a Sponta potato frittata and steamed green bean salad with olive oil.
The next course was velvety scrambled eggs topped with a dollop of earthy mushroom pate cradled in the egg’s very own shell. Then a basket filled with two types of empanadas was placed in the center of our table, cheese and sautéed vegetable and classic criollo, (two parts caramelized onions and one part ground beef with a touch of thyme and chili pepper).
The next dish was as visually stunning as Valle de Uco is itself - wedges of grilled zucchini with slightly charred edges, floated in a pool of magenta beet gazpacho. This dish was full of wonderful earthy and refreshing flavors. A glass of down-to-earth Malbec accompanied this dish perfectly.
A tasty pear and thyme sorbet was served to refresh our palates before the main dishes arrived. That day a choice of cannelloni filled with cheese, squash and zucchini or a braised beef with roasted potatoes were on the menu. We ordered both to share and despite being pretty stuffed we managed to polish off the three portions. The regional dessert included a velvety flan, baked apple and creamy rice pudding. It was a perfectly sweet ending for yet another perfect day of Mendocino country charm. Lunch at Altus is truly a fabulous way to experience a Mendoza tasting menu.
Altus. Las Vencedoras Tupungato. Tel: 155080261 / 4496066. www.altusdetupungato.com.ar
Our journey started with a fantastic car ride up to Tupungato in Valle de Uco. A canvas of amber and chartreuse, against a peacock blue sky painted our landscape as we drove out of the city and up to this high altitude valley of vineyards and fruit trees and towering mountains. About an hour later we rolled up to Altus through a passage of tall golden Alamo trees. The smell of fire burning and the sound of wind rushing through trees, we spotted the winery and its pastoral setting through the colored foliage. The Bodega is a massive barn-like structure, painted vivid barn red. Across the road, was the original adobe rancher, which has been flawlessly remodeled and converted into the restaurant/guest house.
For many years other business ventures separated the owners of Altus from the beautiful region they once called home. The splendor of this area lingered in their minds until they returned one day and built the winery in 1997. Currently Altus has over 247 acres of high altitude vineyards planted, ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 meters above sea level.
We could see some of those very vineyards as we were seated beneath a veranda, a stones throw from a string of vines. After being greeted by friendly faces our first glass was poured. It was a crisp glass of trorrontes grown here in the Andean heights. The palate and nose showed off a fabulous minerality sucked from the terroir of the hills, surprisingly different from the floral perfumey characteristics of the Torrontes grown in the north. The tasting menu started with a procession of tapas that gained momentum in groups of two or three, playfully displayed on slate boards, nestled in the hollow of a soup spoon or shot glass. The meal marched on with a sequence of regional appetizers, followed by a hearty main and a traditional trio of desserts with dark coffee. Needless to say I didn’t eat again that day. First was a shot glass of cold squash soup dusted with almonds and fresh parsley. On the same board a yellow and white corn salad was served, with a touch of olive oil and parsley. A chilled tomato and granny-smith gazpacho finished off the first triad.
The next round of bites were pickled eggplant on herb crostini, a streamed broccoli and hard boiled egg salad and a bright yellow cabbage and mustard coleslaw. The slaw was a tangy surprise accompanied by a full bodied Malbec rosé. This rosé was bursting with raspberry and red currant. Still crisp and dry with lots of texture to chew, by far my favorite glass of the day, not to mention pleasingly pink.
The following trio was a legume inspired pairing of white bean and chimichurri salad, lentil with salsa criollo salad (a tomato, onion and red pepper salsa) and roasted squash and raisins with soft and salty cheese. Other tapas included a Sponta potato frittata and steamed green bean salad with olive oil.
The next course was velvety scrambled eggs topped with a dollop of earthy mushroom pate cradled in the egg’s very own shell. Then a basket filled with two types of empanadas was placed in the center of our table, cheese and sautéed vegetable and classic criollo, (two parts caramelized onions and one part ground beef with a touch of thyme and chili pepper).
The next dish was as visually stunning as Valle de Uco is itself - wedges of grilled zucchini with slightly charred edges, floated in a pool of magenta beet gazpacho. This dish was full of wonderful earthy and refreshing flavors. A glass of down-to-earth Malbec accompanied this dish perfectly.
A tasty pear and thyme sorbet was served to refresh our palates before the main dishes arrived. That day a choice of cannelloni filled with cheese, squash and zucchini or a braised beef with roasted potatoes were on the menu. We ordered both to share and despite being pretty stuffed we managed to polish off the three portions. The regional dessert included a velvety flan, baked apple and creamy rice pudding. It was a perfectly sweet ending for yet another perfect day of Mendocino country charm. Lunch at Altus is truly a fabulous way to experience a Mendoza tasting menu.
Altus. Las Vencedoras Tupungato. Tel: 155080261 / 4496066. www.altusdetupungato.com.ar
