Winston Churchill famously described golf as an ineffectual attempt
to direct an uncontrollable sphere into an inaccessible hole with
instruments ill-adapted to the purpose.
But the man who also said his absolute sacred rite was the drinking
of alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and
the intervals between them would surely have agreed that if you
are going to play golf, then a vineyard is the best possible place
to do it.
Viñas del Golf in San Rafael, is home to a brand-new 150,000 litre
capacity winery, 300 hectares of grapevines and fruit orchards,
and a 9-hole golf course weaving its way through the finca.
Owner Ricardo Jurado came in 1995 to build a new golf course.
Like so many who arrive in Mendoza province, he fell in love with
the land and decided to indulge his twin passions of golf and
wine.
Carrying with him the legacy of 1920s and 30s Argentine professional
golfing legend José Jurado, Ricardo's course is a carefully designed
and exquisitely manicured field of dreams (or nightmares, depending
on your skill level) replete with water hazards, lakes, trees
and dog-legs. There's also a driving range, chipping and putting
green and golf instructor on hand if you need to get your eye
in before teeing off.
Here the wine is right up to par too. 60-year-old vines are complemented
by newer plantings, covering most of the usual varieties and some
types less frequently seen in Mendoza such as Petite Verdot, Semillon,
Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir. From these, Bodega Ricardo Jurado is
currently producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Bonarda
as varietals at 85%, and a Grand Blend which is a blend of the
four varietal grapes that slightly favours Merlot on the percentages.
The best way to enjoy both golf and wine is to stay on site at
the historic lodge. Built in 1921, it's been completely refurbished
into three suites retaining the character of the cane-roofed and
adobe-walled building. A further nine suites and a conference
centre are under construction.
There is a library, pool, wireless internet and satellite TV.
If that's not enough, Viñas del Golf will also arrange spa treatments
and visits to the region's other premium bodegas.
Strange
as it sounds, it´s actually easier to buy a property in Mendoza
than rent one. The garantia requirement has many potential foreign
residents pulling their hair with frustration and they soon realise
to buy outright is less of a headache. Even so, a real estate
purchase can also be fraught with difficulties, especially if
it is a vineyard you are after. Water rights, security, access
and soil conditions are all issues that dampen a buyer's initial
enthusiasm (fired by cheap land prices and a dream of making their
own wine). Many realise it is not just a case of putting their
money down.
You have also got to get around tiresome rules such as one where
foreigners are forbidden to buy land in a border area. This is
apparently because the powers-that-be fear we might build a motorway
through a valley and let a division of Chilean tanks trundle through.
All said, acquiring land is a complicated waltz with lawyers,
builders and notaries.
"Valle de Uco struck them as `Napa 1961"
Enter Southern Cross Land, a managed vineyard company who have
recently opened a showroom on Chile 1247. Here you´ll find a one-stop
shop that makes your real estate dreams real; a kind of dating
agency for a vine romance. A visitor smitten with the idea of
owning a patch of malbec will find 3D models of their vineyard
homes, an architect to design it, a lawyer to negotiate the deal
and experts in vineyard purchase and management to ensure they
get exactly what they want. By the time they reach the top floor
they will be a few thousand dollars lighter but bonafide owners
of gold medal wine country with the wine to boot. The only thing
Southern Cross Land cannot guarantee is that your wine gets 92
points with Wine Spectator.
The project is the brainchild of two Americans, John Ecklund
and Stephen Vletas, and their Italian partners Fillippo Invernizzi
and Giuseppe Omegna. Ecklund and Vletas are veteran flyfishing
operators who helped put Patagonia on the trout lover's map.They
came to Mendoza before the tourism boom and spotted the huge potential
the area offered.
"I remember visiting Zuccardi when they didn´t do visits
and wine tourism was just a vague idea," remarks Ecklund,
a laidback Californian. Now Zuccardi have a visitor centre, Art
gallery, gift shop and hugely popular restaurant.
To prove there are no flies on these flyfishers, the two men immediately
began snapping up land, particularly in Valle de Uco, which struck
them as "Napa 1961".
Invernizzi and Omegna are also fishing afficionados, this time
in Cuba where they own three major sport fishing leases and operate
a fleet of angling boats for tourists. Ecklund and Vletas hooked
up with the Italians over 15 years ago when they started sending
them American clients who had caught the Hemingway bug. When their
Italian partners found out about their Argentine land purchases,
they in turn caught the malbec bug and immediately jumped on board,
Agrelo being cheaper then Tuscany.
"Fillippo bought site unseen," explains Ecklund. "He
eventually came and had a look. When I offered to buy back he
told me to get lost. Instead he closed his Italian operation and
moved here full time."
In the meantime Ecklund and Vletas had built two hotels in Mendoza
- luxury lodges in Chacras de Coria and Valle de Uco. They called
the company Postales del Plata and started attracting Americans
in search of comfort and wine.
"Lots of clients fell in love with Mendoza and were suddenly
asking about property," continues Ecklund. "We showed
them what we had and people started buying. Before we knew it
we had fifteen foreign neighbours around our Valle de Uco lodge
and all were extremely happy.
The four men decided to concentrate on buying, developing and
building rural hideaways. Soon they had a portfolio of over 200
hectares and they formed the company Southern Cross Land. The
main parcel of paradise they are currently offering is called
Villa Dolce Vita, a 61-hectare farm of 25 lots in the leafy sub-
region of Vistaflores in Valle de Uco.
"You get a sense of rural tradition and
Mother Nature"
"The interesting thing," continues Ecklund, "
is our properties are not the virgin territories favoured by other
managed vineyard operators. Villa Dolce Vita is an old abandoned
farm, criss-crossed with hedges and trails and bordered by a river,
so you get a sense of rural tradition and Mother Nature."
The showroom and offices are the next step in the company´s game
plan. Here they´ll display what Villa Dolce Vita has to offer,
such as a clubhouse and spa and all the amenities required by
globetrotting babyboomers.
"We basically get three types of investors," explains
Ecklund. "Primarily the well-travelled American who wants
to kick back and enjoy the lifestyle this area has to offer. Next
we get the pure investor who spots the great future Mendoza has
and finally, that person with a little bit of both - a desire
to retire in style and still make a little money. I should know,
I´m one of them!"
Strange
as it sounds, it´s actually easier to buy a property in Mendoza
than rent one. The garantia requirement has many potential foreign
residents pulling their hair with frustration and they soon realise
to buy outright is less of a headache. Even so, a real estate
purchase can also be fraught with difficulties, especially if
it is a vineyard you are after. Water rights, security, access
and soil conditions are all issues that dampen a buyer's initial
enthusiasm (fired by cheap land prices and a dream of making their
own wine). Many realise it is not just a case of putting their
money down. 
