News From Mendoza

Vendimia--The Grape Harvest Festival

The biggest public event of Mendoza's year is Vendimia, celebrated in honor of the harvest of the wine grapes. The peak events occur the first weekend in March, but the countdown leading up to the final celebration starts in January with the first of a series of  festivals in the 18 departments that make up the province of Mendoza. Towns, organizations and businesses in the province prepare all year for the events in which they nominate their local lovelies--there is little pretense that the election is anything but a beauty contest--to compete for the crown that will be awarded the first Saturday night in March, which in 2010 is the 6th.

In addition to choosing queen candidates, these local areas sponsor  day- or weekend-long festivities, replete with traditional food, music and other folkloric activities. During the weeks before the culmination of Vendimia in March, it's not unusual to see the local queens--often decked out in evening dress, with banners proclaiming who they represent in the competition--mingling with locals and tourists alike in the center of town. One of my most vivid pre-Vendimia memories is of seeing the candidates in their formal dresses dining on croissants and sipping coffee for breakfast in an outdoor cafe on the Paseo Sarmiento, Mendoza's pedestrian boulevard.

For visitors, Vendimia offers three main public events:

The Vía Blanca de las Reinas (or White Way of the Queens), on Friday, March 5, 2010:

An illuminated, evening parade through the center of the city, featuring the national harvest queen, other invited queens, and 18 parade floats; honoring the beauty of the departmental queens.

Carrusel, morning of Saturday, March 6, 2010:

This parade features the same 18 departmental floats. But this time they'll be peopled with and surrounded by folklore figures such as gauchos or farmers, as well as horseback riders, ox-carts, and dancers representing the various immigrant and ethnic groups of Argentina.

Acto Central (Main Event), the night of Saturday, March 6, 2010:

This performance in an amphitheater on a mountainside outside of town literally is a sound and light show that involves thousands of dancers and singers, and attracts tens of thousands of viewers. It has become so popular that the show is now repeated on both Sunday and Monday nights. Although you can get a distant view by claiming a spot on the mountainside, to sit in the amphitheater you must buy a ticket.

Is Vendimia a good time to visit Mendoza? The answer is: It depends. If you like public spectacle, crowds and  sense of celebration, and would enjoy being exposed to Mendoza folklore and traditions, you should have a great time.

If the idea appeals, we strongly suggest that you contact us about accomodations and tours as soon as possible.

If your purpose in visiting Mendoza is to have high-quality, small or private wine tours, eat in the best restaurants and get to know the city, Vendimia may not be the best time to visit. Wineries invite their business clients from all over the world for the events, and usually close to the public for some days; good restaurants are overwhelmed, taxis or other transport may be hard to access, and many local attractions will be closed.

by Ellen Hoffman © 2009