by Chris for travel.usatoday.comI’ve had some gluttonous experiences in my day. A four-hour extravagant dinner at Guy Savoy Paris. A multi-day rampage through New Orleans’ po-boy shops. A tasting menu with wine pairings at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia that cost half our mortgage.
But for sheer richness of food consumed, as well as the amount of time spent at the table, I don’t think any of my gastronomic adventures compared to the Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine event I attended this month in Mendoza, Argentina.
Culinary festivals have sprung up around the world, and many serious foodies are planning their vacations around them. For sheer beauty, it’s hard to pick a better spot than Mendoza, Argentina. The region’s topography resembles that of Sonoma and other regions of California – only you have the Andes mountain range as the backdrop. Chile is over on the other side.
And of course, Mendoza is known for its wines. A trip here is on many oenophiles’ bucket lists. Besides the Malbec that’s made the region famous, Mendoza vineyards produce Bonarda (a red grape of Italian descent), Tempernillo, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Torrontes, a white wine with floral overtones.
Park Hyatt is holding four Masters of Food & Wine festivals at properties around the world this year. Besides Mendoza, events in Washington DC, Zurich and Shanghai are also on tap.
The festivals are meant to celebrate some of the local ingredients. In Mendoza, for example, we had plenty of Argentine beef on the menu, as well as lamb, goat, wild hare and other regional specialties.
The events also take patrons out into the countryside. The Mendoza festival, sold as... Read full article
