When my geography professors gave our class (essentially) free-reign on our final projects for the semester, a group of my friends/classmates were thrilled... they (Michelle, Celeste & Ana) and I had been throwing around the idea for several weeks of relating the physical geography of Mendoza (part of the specialization of our class) resulting in a climate that is no less than ideal for the growth, production and exportation of a class of wine/grape called the Malbec, to the nitch this particular wine has carved out for itself in the international market. My classmate Michelle, as it just so happened, was the niece of a local vineyard owner. YAY!
And that was how... on a beautiful Friday morning... the four of us girls found our way into Lujan's sunny countryside
 |
Here in Mendoza, they use roses as indicators to detect diseases and insect infestations, that way they can save the more valuable vines before significant damage is done... And I thought they were decorative ;-p
pretty cool beans huh!! |
 |
Ana & Celeste peering into the champagne vault through the window into the basement |
 |
exploring the history of Arizu |
 |
The collection |
 |
Celeste & Michelle gleaning information for our project... |
 |
Carvings by a local artist commissioned by la bedega, documenting the history of Arizu and the wine-making process. |
 |
A glimpse of the Andes |