And the 2009 Vendimia Queen is ....

Candela I, of San Martin! So none of our picks won, but it was a good show. Friday night the Via Blanca parade started at 10 pm. This parade started just a few blocks from our house so we met Hugo and Haydee and later two of their kids at a street corner to watch the floats for each municipality head off on the parade route. The floats all have a wine theme of course and for evening featured bright lights and loud music. The queen of each region waved regally from the float along with various runner-ups or maybe queens from other local events. Once the floats get underway, the queens toss fruit, water bottles, small bottles of wine, meat sandwiches (from the asado taking place on a float!), packages of raisins, and photos of the queen out to the crowd. Many people had homemade catching tools like plastic baskets taped onto broom handles. The fruit being thrown included apples, pears, bunches of grapes, zucchinis, and large melons!

On Saturday morning the whole parade is repeated with the addition of maybe 200 gauchos on horseback and a large military band. Jake and I attempted to figure out what route the parade was going to take while Joe slept in after a night on the town with a couple of Hugo's kids. After watching the gauchos go by and a couple floats we walked back to our apartment and discovered Joe watching the same gauchos parading half a block from our apartment. We went and ate lunch nearby and got back in time to see the last half of the floats. Joe and Jake got into the whole fruit catching thing this time and we went home with 3 plums, 2 pears, a bottle of water and a bottle of soda (see float with Joe's curly blond hair in foreground).

Saturday night was the election of the Vendimia Queen, preceded by an Extravaganza of lights, music and dance (we will watch a repeat of the extravaganza tonight). For this event, we went to Hugo's house where family gathered to eat empanadas and pizza and watch the election on tv. It was a fairly close race between Nadya of Godoy Cruz (the municipality where Hugo and family live) and Candela of San Martin. But by the end it was clear that Candela had the votes and in a tearful speech she thanked her supporters, family and boyfriend. To see her picture and read all about her (in Spanish) go to http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/2009/3/8/sociedad-411994.asp.

We have done a couple other wine-related events while Joe has been here. On Thursday night we went up to the Terraza at the top of a government building where they were holding a folk music concert paired with Santa Julia Malbec (see photo of Joe and I with sunset). We admired the view and listened to an excellent local singer, Lucinana Joaquim Chai. Several couples also danced traditional dances with white handkerchiefs to the music. Yesterday we went to The Vines to do a wine tasting (see photo of Jake and I). They offer different flights of wine. I tried one white and several reds, Jake had the Malbec flight and Joe had the flight of reds. I would list the best of what we had except that I left the sheets with the names and my notes on them. at the wine bar. I'll try and get a copy today for those of you who are wine fanciers!