Wine Tasting in Mendoza - Tapiz and Melipal

On our first day of wine tasting, we went to two vineyards -  Tapiz and Melipal. At Tapiz, we had a wonderful tour which included a horse-drawn carriage ride through the vineyard.  On the tour, we learned about all the wines of Tapiz, including  the two most well-known types of wine in Argentina - Torrentes and Malbec. The tour was interesting and the wine was great!

Next we headed to an amazing five course tasting lunch (with wine pairings) at Melipal.  It was such a great meal! It was probably the best meal that we had in Mendoza.

Mixed green salad with Granny Smith apples,  arugula, and a lemon cream emulsion

Yogurt marinated chicken, seasoned vegetables and a 'cachoecabra' chili reduction

Melted goat provolone cheese served over smoked red beets, hummus, and prune marmalade 

Filet with grilled vegetables, potatoes and a roasted carrot emulsion

Fresh  cheese and quince jelly cream, burnt spring oranges, and crunchy cereal crumble

I meant to take a picture of the wine but it kept disappearing

Porter Beer Braised Pot Roast

I know pot roast isn't very cool or fancy but this recipe is fantastic!

3-4 lb roast (I used eye of round roast)
1 bottle of porter beer
5-6 cloves garlic, smashed
flour (for coating roast)
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, large chunks
2-3 potatoes, chunks
salt
pepper
dry onion soup mix (optional)

Super easy!  Marinate the pot roast in the porter and garlic overnight.  Remove roast and pat dry.  Don't throw out the marinade, you'll need it in a few steps.
Liberally sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper.  Add enough flour to a plate to be able to coat the roast.  Coat the roast with the flour and shake to remove excess flour. Heat oil (high heat) and then add roast. Sear nicely on all sides (not just top and bottom).   Make sure you really get it nice and brown on all sides.  Add sliced onion to bottom of crockpot.  Place roast on top.  Measure out 1 cup of the beer from the marinade.  Pour it into the skillet and scrape with wooden spoon to deglaze the pan then pour over the roast. Sprinkle onion soup mix on top and let cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Around hour 5-6, add the potatoes and carrots and stir around a little to coat with the delicious broth.

Serve with some crusty bread and a nice green salad.