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Argentina's rugged Mendoza region rich in wine
By David Armstrong, San Francisco Chronicle
The first things I see as I walk out of Francisco Gabrielli International Airport are the Andes — towering, snowcapped, magnificent. The second things I notice as my wife, Georgina, and I head toward the taxi stand, are the airport's vineyards — gnarly and extending nearly all the way up the front doors of the terminal.
Summertime — a San Francisco summer, that is — is the right time to visit Mendoza. The snow piles up in the Andes and offers opportunities for skiing, but seldom accumulates on the dry plain below the mountains. It's a wonderful time, uncrowded, crisp and generally fine, ideal for exploring Mendoza city and the surrounding countryside. Sitting by the fire on a chilly night, a glass of Argentine wine in hand, is a splendid way to pass a winter's night deep in the Southern Hemisphere.
The cultivation of wine vineyards right at the airport could hardly be more fitting. The city and province of Mendoza, tucked away in western Argentina at the foot of South America's highest and most spectacular mountains, produce 75 percent of the wine in Argentina, the world's fifth-largest winemaker. Vineyards are almost as much at home at this airport as the airplanes that bring a growing number of visitors to discover this relaxing, affordable part of the world. Although prices are beginning to creep up, the devaluation of the peso early this decade makes Argentina a travel bargain.
The city of Mendoza, founded in 1561, is the capital of the province, and a prime base for exploring the elegant bodegas — the local name for wineries — that sprout across the arid countryside. Indeed, the bodegas, watered by snowmelt from the Andes through an intricate irrigation system that dates back centuries, are man-made oases in the high, dry plains and foothills. >>> Go to Full Story >>>
Poverty, Education and Equality: Argentina's Bicentennial Highlights the Challenges Facing Latin America
From Universia-Knowledge@Wharton
The official re-opening of Buenos Aires' newly refurbished Teatro Colon, famous for its extraordinary acoustics, will be only one of the ways that Argentina will observe next year's 200th anniversary of the May Revolution of 1810, which signaled the beginning of the country’s independence from Spain. There will be numerous public events, patriotic ceremonies headed by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, university seminars and conferences, and the publication of relevant books to celebrate the formation of Argentina as a country. Over the past two centuries, the nation has had its share of accomplishments, but it has also suffered many setbacks, such as successive military coups beginning in 1930 until 1983, when democracy was restored.
Other Latin American countries have a similar historic timeline, so a Bicentenary Group was established in 2007, comprising those countries that will commemorate their bicentennials between 2009 and 2011, such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay and Venezuela. Spain also decided to participate in the group "in order to build a stronger and more cohesive Ibero-American community capable of facing the common challenges of the current economic crisis more effectively," said Spainish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero during an event that officially marked the beginning of the bicentennial celebration of Ibero-American independence.
According to experts, the bicentennial is a symbolic milestone that will help people to reflect on the region's advances and setbacks. The main challenges facing Latin America, they say, are its continued high levels of poverty and economic exclusion; the lack of a strong educational system and competitive economic model; and the need for stronger political parties that can defend the foundations of democracy more effectively. >>> Go to Full Story >>>
