-ARGENTINA-
SCIENCE - WINE AND GOURMET TOUR
April 15 - 21, 2009

Join Dr. Elliot Krames and select esteemed colleagues from South America
&
Visit Mendoza, the Wine Capital of South America, have medical lectures / scientific exchange daily,
while enjoying the Wine / Gourmet and Art experiences of Mendoza, Argentina

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View Costs and Inclusions

Day 1 - April 15th, Wednesday.

Arrival in Mendoza. Transfer to hotel (on own)
Opening of the Program and Welcome Dinner
Overnight at the Park Hyatt in Mendoza

The hotel Park Hyatt Mendoza, in Argentina, with its beautifully restored 19th-century Spanish colonial façade, is conveniently situated in the main business and banking district in the centre of Mendoza. With a prominent position on the Plaza de la Independencia, the hotel is only 15 minutes from Mendoza International Airport, 15 minutes from the main Mendoza vineyards and 90 minutes from major ski resorts in Argentina. The hotel is also host to Kaua Spa and the Regency Casino.

Day 2 - April 16th, Thursday.

Morning Session in conjunction with breakfast.
Balance of morning free to relax and explore the hotel.
Afternoon you are invited to a city tour of Mendoza.

Immerse your senses in the flavors of the world’s finest wines at the very well known Ruta de los Vinos (the Route of Wines). Welcome to Mendoza the wine capital of Argentina. The fifth largest wine-producing province in the world, Mendoza has some 1200 vineries with modern, state-of-the-art technology to produce the finest of wines of the best color, aroma, flavor, and quality. The well-planned city of Mendoza boasts of graceful boulevards and densely forested areas. Want to experience the remains of the pre-Columbian civilization? Check out the remains of the Tunduqueral Rock Paintings and the Camino del Inca Highway. We stop at the immense General San Martin Park, home to over 750 species of trees. Close to the city is Villavicencio Nature Reserve, a must-see area. The Reserve creates an enchanting atmosphere with unique flora and fauna like sweet carob, marancel, sarsaparilla thriving along with mountain cats, chinchillas, and grey and red foxes. Raise a toast to Mendoza the land of the good sun and the good wine. A truly enchanting and intoxicating afternoon…

Dinner will be served at the Park Hyatt hotel. We will be joined by some of our Argentinean friends and colleagues.

Day 3 - April 17th, Thursday.

Morning Session in conjunction with breakfast.

After breakfast, we depart on a full day tour of the wine Regions around Mendoza. We will visit Bodega La Rural, one of the first local wineries, founded in 1895 by an Italian immigrant (Felipe Rutini). Among the most cultivated grapes you can find the white Riesling, Chardonnay, Chenin and Gewürztraminer (the only wine cellar that cultivate this kind of grapes) and the red Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a wine museum, one of the most important in the world, with an exhibition of elements of the original wine cellar. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the area. In the afternoon, visit to Bodegas Trapiche and Bodegas López. Bodega Trapiche, one of the biggest in Argentina, was founded in 1883. It's the first winery exporter of premium Argentine wines. Its vineyards are located in Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Santa Rosa and San Martín departments, over 700 meters high. The most cultivated grapes are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Tempranilla and Bonarda.

Bodega López is one of the most traditional wineries in Argentina. It uses a last generation equipment without altering the almost handicraft traditional process which is a hallmark of the winery. It has properties located in Maipú and Luján de Cuyo departments. Among the varieties cultivated you can find: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Semillón, Chardonnay and Chenin.

In the evening, enjoy a superb dinner at a trendy Restaurant such as: the worldwide renowned chef, Francis Mallmann's '1884' Restaurant.

Return to the hotel.

Day 4 April 18th, Saturday.

Morning Breakfast and a Science talk.
Balance of the day free.
Dinner on own.

Day 5 - April 19th, Sunday

Morning talk with breakfast.
Late morning depart for a Gourmet / Art tour of Mendoza.
Lunch will be served in a trendy restaurant.

Wine is not the only thing that's busting out all over Mendoza. The area's many talented painters, sculptors, fabric artists and photographers and musicians have an ever-increasing choice of new venues--galleries, museums and even a high-fashion clothing store--for exhibiting and performing their art. To offer the best to our clients, we're building a network of relationships with artists and musicians who value the opportunity to meet and exhibit their talents to visitors. and as a dessert of our Gourmet / Art tour, we’ll stop for a while to enjoy probably the best Italian ice-creams in town: Ferruccio Soppelsa. Mendocinos love ice-cream, and they have some of the best ones in the country. There are heladerías on almost every street. Ferruccio Soppelsa is run by a family of immigrants from the Italian Dolomites. The classics are dulce de leche, tiramisu, or strawberry and cream. We can also check out the vino-inspired flavors such as pineapple with Viognier, vanilla with Malbec, and peach with Syrah. A perfect ending for this Gourmet experience!

Dinner on your own.

Day 6 - April 20th, Monday.

Breakfast on own.
As wine is the eternal companion of food, so for food and wine lovers we continue the gourmet experiences around Mendoza.
Science lectures will be held on the motor coach.

Late morning we depart from our hotel and our first visit will be Bodega Tempus Alba. The surrounding sights are the typical landscapes of the rural areas of Mendoza , full of vineyards, olive trees, almond and cherry orchards, and horticultural crops, which shapes and colors are enhanced by the changing silhouette and colors of the Andes Mountains .

Once in the winery, the oenologist will be in charge of explaining every detail of the winemaking process in a technical, but at the same time, poetic and passionate language; and lastly they will try to seduce you at the moment of tasting the wine. As food is a major part of this trip, we’ll start the morning tasting all the lines of wines while enjoying a delicious plate of almonds, walnuts, fresh green and black olives from their own farm, raisins, different varieties of cheese, prosciutto ham, etc. Since wine has to enhance the flavor of the food and vice and versa, we must taste, smell, drink and eat. After this perfect appetizer, we continue to Almacén del Sur, a gourmet farmhouse restaurant. It’s a typical ¨casona¨, a large rambling house first founded in 1888 and completely restored in its original style. This gourmet delicatessen offers a 5-course tasting menu, combining different flavors of their exclusive products. After your meal you are invited to take a guided tour of the farm and see how their products come to life.

We’ll enjoy an unforgettable and spectacular gastronomical experience.

Farewell dinner at our hotel.

Day 7 - April 21st, Tuesday.

Breakfast at our hotel.
Independent departures to other locations of Argentina/South America

Note:
Pre and Post tours of 2-4 nights will be offered to come in early or stay longer in
Mendoza, Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires etc.