Cycling around the Wineries

As we started touring around the former Giol Winery, one of the classic attractions in Maipú, we could observe that a group of tourists was on a guided tour on board several mountain bikes following a guide.

As we saw this, we immediately understood why it is usual to see groups of cyclists all around the paths and roads in Maipú. They were seeing and wandering around wineries, olive plantations and any tourist undertaking ready to open their gates to visitors.

Our friend Edgardo used to be a mountain guide and is now one of the local entrepreneurs who takes groups of tourists from all over the world (whatever language they may speak) around the various wine and olive tours year round, always by bike.

His small company, called “Maipú Aventuras”, gives visitors the chance to pedal around the most representative wineries in Maipú and learn about the history of wine in Argentina, including the small family winegrowing and winemaking businesses that open their gates to this new way of tourism.

After listening to the proposal Edgardo had prepared for us, we agreed to meet very early the following morning in order to share this singular adventure along with a group of tourists.

Very punctually, we waited for the members of the excursion at 1000, Ozamis Street. The starting point was former Giol winery. In addition to being the first winery on the tour, it has a history rich in anecdotes and glories that all visitors should hear about.

We crossed the street and pedaled into the Wine and Grape Harvest Museum in the City of Maipú, another milestone in this metropolis that can give evidence of why wine is so important in this country.

We alternated pedaling and resting as we learned about the history of the foundation of Maipú and its wineries, as well as about everything related to the production of organic wine and olive oil.

“Tasting sessions are incredible. They let us learn about the flavors of every location and their differences”, one of the tourists explained as we enjoyed a glass of organic wine in a family estate.

After relaxing for a while, we got on our bikes again but this time to visit an olive growing boutique, where we were lucky enough to learn about the process of growing olives and extracting oil and other by-products from them: a procedure completely novel for us.

Edgardo had prepared a real feast for lunch. “We are going to visit a very special place where we can have lunch by the vines that have made this area famous worldwide. There is nothing like eating there”, he said.

As we heard him, the cyclists started to pedal non-stop towards that venue, owned by one of the most popular families in Maipú, the Cecchins.

It is hard to put into words what we experienced there. After parking our bikes, we sat under the shade of an ancient tree where several tables had been laid to taste the different dishes and typical local appetizers.

Olives, olive oil and of course diverse varieties or organic wine followed one another along with the starters and the main courses. This sublime moment came to an end with a set of simply unbelievable desserts.

After a well-deserved rest, we cycled back to the starting point at a much lower speed but with the certainty that at the end of the tour, a real prize would be waiting after this adventure: draft beer at La Báscula, another paradise in Maipú.