The last few weeks, when not studying Spanish, I´ve been sampling plenty of the local wine, and this past week has been a busy one!

Armed with a list of contacts, mainly from Joe Fattorini, a British wine journalist whose article on Argentine wines inspired me to come here, I have been touring around visiting bodegas and trying their wines with John – a Californian winemaker who has been working here for the last few months. It has been great to be with a fellow wine geek – although we have managed to fill our schedule so full I’m not really left with any time to write – as ever!

So far since finishing my two weeks of intensive Spanish classes, I have managed to visit no less than ten wineries, with more lined up for the rest of this week, before I begin my complicated journey* back to Blightey… and with things unlikely to slow down enough to write about all of them properly while I´m away, I will probably do a monster catch-up session when I get home.

In other news: It looks like I have well and truly caught the travel-bug! Despite quite looking forward to returning home to see friends and family (it´s been 11 months since I crossed the equator!) I am already planning my next (slightly shorter) trip.

As I am a great big sap, and am missing Amber like crazy, I am headed back down to New Zealand in time for her birthday in November – and as was pointed out to me – it hardly makes sense to go back to the UK and temp for 6-8 weeks in an office job that will surely thrust me deep into post-travel depression, and as the timing is so perfect, I am going to make a stop on the way to NZ… for two months… in the Napa valley

This may well come as a surprise – it did to me too! Within days of the idea being suggested, I had started investigating if there were any opportunities for wandering wine-soaked brits like myself on the West coast of the US, and thanks to John’s contacts in Napa – I got in touch with David Mahaffey of ‘Olivia Brion.’

I will be staying with David during the harvest, helping out and hanging out – being a pretty tiny set up the aim is to spend a bit of time helping David and a bit of time learning more about CA wine.. totally psyched!

*that circuitous route back home in full:
Bus to Santiago late this week(maybe stopping in the Andes for some hills on the way) > Santiago for a few days, maybe more wine > Fly to Buenos Aires > Fly to Sao Paulo > bus to Rio, then a few days checking out the beaches, giant Jesus and suchlike > fly back home to catch some quality British summer!