Tupungato, Argentina: The Capital of Walnuts and Wine Grapes

Greetings from Argentina!  I crossed the border from Chile on Wednesday, May 15th, after a wonderful stay with the Acevedo - Galvez family in Los Andes, Chile.  By bus, the trip from Los Andes to Mendoza, Argentina is about 5 hours give-or-take - sometimes complications at the border crossing make the trip longer.  I lucked out with a sunny day, no snow over the pass, and a smooth crossing into Argentina.  In addition, I did not have to pay the US$160 fee to cross the border, since I paid the same fee over three years ago when I came to Argentina to study!

I arrived in Tupungato, Argentina that same night, and quickly felt the warm hospitality of Orlando Gottardini and his family, who have been living and working the land in Tupungato for three generations.  Tupungato is located right at the base of the Andes mountains, and with 300+ sunny days a year, the view is usually spectacular.  During the current winter season, day time temperatures rose to about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, while often night time temps dropped below freezing. Thankfully there was a nice wood stove and plenty of firewood to keep me warm!

Young walnut trees with the volcano Tupungato

Tupungato (popn. 15,000) is called "La Capital de la Nuez", or the Walnut capital, since the region produces more walnuts than any of its neighbors.  However, the main crops by volume are wine grapes, potatoes, and garlic.  The Gottardini farm has about 1,000 young walnut trees, which will become a beautiful orchard to leave to children and grandchildren for generations to come.  Besides walnuts, fruit trees around the house, and vegetables for the family, Orlando spends the bulk of his farming energy cultivating potatoes on various properties in the area, having grown tired of garlic after many years in the business.

Taken from a barrel lid,
a sign of the first hard freeze of the season

For my first few days in Tupungato, there were three volunteers that had been on the property for over a month, but they soon departed to continue their trips, and I was left in the farmhouse by myself.  I enjoyed my time as a hermit, with plenty of freedom to cook and clean to my liking, read, write and think without distraction, and experience the silence of a sunrise.  I was also a stand-in member of the Gottardini family, attending family dinners, playing soccer games with locals, and running errands with Orlando.

Tasks on the farm were varied and relaxed, since winter was just beginning and it was too late for harvest or crop maintenance.  I cut weeds with a machete, sprayed weeds with a home-made, organic herbicide, cleaned out irrigation canals (at left), chopped firewood, helped out with tractor maintenance, and learned how to prune fruit trees.  With a little more experience, pruning could turn into a great seasonal job in the future, with no possibility of mechanization, and preference given to young workers with the energy to go up and down ladders all day.  Even in the slow season I was able to learn a lot!

The Gran Reserva Line passes through lots of oak
before it is ready to bottle.

Since Tupungato is in prime wine country, I had to make a stop at a local winery to see the process and learn how to properly taste and identify a high quality wine.  My last Saturday I rode a bike out to Domaine Bousquet, a fully organic winery and the only one in the region where the owners work on site - the rest are owned from afar via Europe or the US.  I was impressed by the way they recycle everything that goes through the winery, and by the measures they take to ensure quality over quantity.  The three lines they produce (in order of increasing quality, Premio, Reserva, and Gran Reserva) are not readily available in Argentina, with 90% of the product directed towards exportation.  For the wine tasting session I had a Malbec Cabernet Rose (Premio), a Chardonnay (Reserva), a Malbec (Gran Reserva), and a Malbec of the late harvest which is a sweet dessert wine, and sold in a smaller bottle due to high demand and low availability.  It was all delicious!  Now I can feel like an aficionado as I hold my glass correctly, check for color and alcohol content, and fully intake the smells and flavors of a wine.  I've already found that this is best done only when actually drinking good wine - all other instances don't require such finesse :)

I will miss Tupungato a lot!  The crops and climate remind me of California, with plenty of sun even in the winter time.  I was received by a wonderful family, and learned a lot through many conversations with Orlando doing errands around the town.  I will definitely come back here when I am ready to tackle Patagonia one day, and I am sure the valley will be spectacular during summer time.  I will miss the clear night skies with the Milky Way spilled throughout the stars, the sunrise lighting up the Andes; the tranquility of the country, the orchard, and the freedom of living alone in the farmhouse; eating walnuts off the ground, and experimenting with fresh produce.

On Sunday June 1st I left Tupungato to try my luck hitch hiking from Mendoza to Buenos Aires.  By 3pm on Sunday I was fortunate to get a ride with Ramon Rojas, a Chilean from Santiago heading to Buenos Aires with a truck full of Coca Cola bottle caps.  Many Chileans speak a fast, rough, and mumbled version of Spanish, and though sustaining conversation was difficult at the beginning of the trip, by the end he offered me a place to stay at his home should I be in Santiago again.  I keep having marvelous luck with the people I meet along this journey!

Now I am in Buenos Aires staying at the home of my good friend Santiago Kaplan, whom I met on my second night in the capital three and a half years ago.  Since then, I showed him around Washintgon and Montana, and we met up with another friend on the east coast in Rhode Island in Maine.  Our friendship has taken us to some wonderful places, and I am glad to be back in the city where it all started.  I will be in the area for about three weeks before heading off to Brazil!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next update on reconnecting with friends and places in Buenos Aires!  I leave you with some more photos of Tupungato.  Until next time!

Grapes on the vine well after harvest season.  The leaves
fell off all the plants right before I left for Buenos Aires.

Orlando Gottardini standing in front of Tupungato Valley.
There is very little topographical diversity between the Andes
and the Atlantic ocean, making for flat plains perfect for
cultivating crops and raising cattle.

The mountain El Plata isn't so tall after all!  Only over 6,000m (20,000ft)!

Walnuts of all shapes, sizes and colors!  The highest quality are the lightest in color.  With more humidity, the pulp changes color to yellow, orange, and then brown.  For the sake of appearance, I separated the white pulps to give to friends.  The other colors tasted great as well!