Sip, swirl, & taste your way through Mendoza & Salta

In celebration of their own love of food and wine and the growing market for culinary tourism, from March 9 – 21, 2013 Wildland Adventures’ founding directors, Kurt and Anne Kutay, will be leading an intimate group of 12 active travelers through a region famous for producing some of South America’s most exquisite wines.

Co-hosted by Arista Wine Cellars of Edmonds, Washington, owners David and Ruth Arista will also lend their own expertise as Wildland travelers sip, swirl, breathe in the bouquet and taste their way through the Argentine provinces of Mendoza and Salta, which are famous for lively folk music, zesty cuisine, dramatic vistas and a rich cultural heritage.

“We’ll live life Argentinian style traveling at a leisurely pace, enjoying good food and wine, local music and dance, and actively exploring the Andes of South America,” says Kurt Kutay.“ While David and Ruth Arista will join as our personal wine concierges, we will also be accompanied by Argentine adventure guides as we meet with local wine producers at intimate garage bodegas, cycle through the vineyards at Michel Roland’s Clos de la Siete, sip Torrontes at the highest vineyard in the world and try our hand at preparing empanada de humita (pastry with corn filling) and locro (traditional soup) in a private kitchen.”

The 13-day Argentina Wines and Adventures journey is $7,295 USD per person, based on double occupancy. Included are accommodations in boutique hotels, charming country inns, and wine estates, two-three meals most days, private transportation with leaders throughout the trip, private, expert and local guides, wine experts during the tastings, water and snacks, Wildland pre trip consultation and top of the line cycling equipment.

The trip also offers exceptional opportunities to connect with local life including meeting a gaucho known as the ‘horse whisperer’ and riding with him through the fertile fields and colonial towns of the Calchaquí Valleys. In Salta and the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with more than 10,000 years of human history, participants will hike through canyons of the Andes brushed with a kaleidoscope of colours to discover rare archaeological sites and to view “Los Ninos” – child mummies uncovered in the high Andes who were frozen more than 500 years ago. Evenings will be spent in local penas listening and dancing to traditional Argentine folk music. The journey ends in Buenos Aires for a night of tango and celebration.

“We could not have chosen a more perfect way to celebrate Arista Wine Cellar’s 15th anniversary and Wildland’s 25th,” says David Arista. “We have been long time fans of the wines coming out of Argentina and this is an amazing opportunity to experience rare wines with a terroir we just can’t get onto our shelves. We will also be further educating ourselves on the varietals that are grown in this area, which produces some of the best malbecs in the world.”

For more information on the Argentina Wines and Adventures journey with Wildland Adventures, visit www.wildland.com.

{edited by molly chizzick}