Roughing it?

Not exactly. Yesterday we spent the day at Familia Zuccardi winery in Mendoza in western Argentina - just 200 Km from Santiago, Chile. Argentina has a rapidly growing wine industry and 3/4 of it is in Mendoza. Mendoza is actually a desert, getting only 5 days and 250mm of rain a year. It looks like Wyoming with a lot of dry land and scrubbrush. An unlikely location for the acres and acres of lush vineyards that exist there. The key elements are good sandy soil and a dry climate. Precise control over irrigation makes a great grape and some excellent wine.
We had, what turned out to be, a private tour of the vineyards and winery. Our guide was Francisco, wine expert at 22. Our day of picking grapes and tasting several wines, including some experimental ones, was topped off by a fabulous Argentinian barbeque. Vegetarians be warned before travelling to Argentina!