Things we like about Mendoza including a Nice Little Malbec

Giant geranium plant in front of church ruin (destroyed in the earthquake of 1861), doble ice cream cones served with cookies and chocolate sauce (pictured are peach and lemon with chocolate flecks sorbets), Mendoza's garbage receptacles to keep garbage off the streets, and the trees - even if they aren't native!

Jake would like to add that tonight's wine, served with homemade pasta with much more sauce than can be found on any dish at a restaurant in Mendoza, was a Bodega Norton Malbec 2006, one that Sylvan thinks can be found in the E.E.U.U. (the good ole USA). It had a leather, black cherry, plum nose, no sweetness, only a little acidity maybe, was smooth with a long, lingering finish. 30 Pesos. We learned in a class that the fragrance of the glass after it was emptied of wine was a characteristic of the wine. Go figure. This one had the fragrance of wet leather and black walnuts. We recommend it. A note for travelers: In the store, the wines costing more than 50 Pesos have an alarm on top so they won't be pilferred. These are the really expensive wines in the supermarket, the $15 bottles.