Uvas y Aceitunas (Grapes and Olives)

An olive bush at Molina La Tebaida, olive oil producery

So here's my dilemma... What do I love more? The mountains or the olive oil?  Or maybe the wine?¿?  This week I had the pleasure of visiting both a bodega (vineyard) and an olive oil manufacturer.  Over the weekend, one of the coordinators here mentioned that her family owned an olive oil company and generously scheduled a private tour and tasting for our group.  The company, Molina La Tebaida, is more than just an olive oil company - it's an other-wordly getaway, offering lodging, sun, wine, and some of the greatest food I've had since arriving in Mendoza.  What's most incredible is that this used to be her family's home.  The children's bedrooms are now guest rooms and the living room has been converted into a restaurant.  The garden is breathtakingly beautiful, lined with olive bushes and lemon trees.  Here, I sampled my very first olive fresh off its branch.  (Fun, but pass if you ever get this opportunity.....) After a tour of the vineyard, we passed through rustic wooden doors, into an antique stone building to view and learn about the entire production process.  While inside, we faced a large tawith adorned with baskets of freshly sliced bread and three different kinds of olive oil.  One was called 'La Flor' and is entirely pure and unfiltered.  Another was bottled last year, and the third, my favorite, was freshly bottled just last month.  If you want to imagine how delicious this was, we literally drank the olive oil from a glass!

This has been one of my favorite aspects of this trip thus far - not just because I love olive oil, but because I love people who make olive oil.  I'm kidding..... but really, the gracious hospitality that we received was astounding.  After a wonderful afternoon, we were offered lunch in their restaurant, La Infanta.  Within moments of being seated inside a rustic, Tuscan-style dining room, we were given more bread and oil, along with plates of olives drenched in olive oil and oregano, and pickled vegetables.  Moments later, we were served fabulous Malbec, locally produced by one of Mendoza's finest wineries.  Next, we were served platters of swiss cheese and sausages, followed by our delicious entrees of homemade, heart and soul-filled Italian food.  For dessert, some enjoyed ensalada de frutas, while all of us enjoyed cups of coffee and tea.  In American dollars - a mere $20.

What I wouldn't give to devote myself to a life of work producing olive oil (and shooting it straight)..... I've already offered to be a sales-woman when they decide to go international..... =)  I am serious too.

So serene...

Entrance to the family´s former living room, now a fabulous restaurant!

First time I have ever seen a lemon tree!

Endless olive oil tastings... I was in heaven!

Throughout this entire trip, I have eagerly and patiently waited to visit one of Mendoza's fine bodegas.  Mendoza's largest industry is wine, specializing in Malbec and Torrontes.  Torrontes is the national grape of Mendoza and produces a slightly sweet, highly floral, white rose flavor.  I've never loved white wine, but I assure you I bought some. In addition, many of Mendoza's wines are imported to the US, so I took this opportunity to purchase two very rare bottles that are not imported - one to drink upon returning home and the other to simply stare at and someday, maybe open.

The Alta Vista bodega in Mendoza...

While the vineyard was beautiful and the production process incredible, the underground wine cellars are jaw-dropping.  I dream of someday having my own wine cellar and maybe even making my own wine!  This week inspired me.... I have seen two companies, formed and run by families who simply have a passion for something absolutely wonderful.  Success or no success, good season or bad season, what more can you ask for in life when you have olive oil and wine..... ?

The owners´ private stash... the very best!

In the cellar...

The production process...

Inside the bodega....

My wonderful group in the wine cellar...

Beautiful, rustic, and so my style.....!

More photos from this past weekend.......!  

Major credit owed to my dear friend Grace and her awesome photography skills.......

I can´t believe this is me!

SRU!

Just a little stretch...

Yoga...!

It´s hard to believe I have just over one more week here.  I´m having so much fun, although I miss many aspects of home - like my family, my plants, my bed, mmm, my bathrobe?  Long, hot showers, bubble baths, you name it.  Perhaps one of the strangest things here is that many bathrooms do not have toilet paper.  Yes - no toilet paper!  At our university, none of the bathrooms have toilet paper, soap, or paper towels, rather, each classroom has a ´bag´ of some sort.  If you need to use el baño, you grab the bag which has everything you need.  Then, you bring it back for the next guy to use. How strange is this? Everything here is so different...... Despite it all, I´m having a blast.  Can you tell......? 

Yoga - sun salutation - best ever yet.