When we entered La Cava de Karim Mussi, also known as Ave Maria Purisima, we were immediately taken by its simple beauty. A property that had been abandoned for many years has been brought back to life by Karim and his staff and is now the home to some of the best wines we have tasted.
As we began to explore the winery, we quickly realized that what’s happening at Ave Marián Purisima goes way past the beauty of it’s simplicity.
How does a wine and ice cream tasting sound? The simple question that changed our idea of ice cream forever. This event was not part of our busy schedule when we arrived in Mendoza but when asked the question by Fernando Soria, the ice cream maker and one of the business partners of Dolciao, an artisian creamery and pastry shop in Luján de Cuyo, we joyfully said yes.
We had never experienced something like this before and did not know what to expect when we arrived at Dolciao. What started with a Torrontés and Thyme sorbet and ended with an Alfajor and Cornstarch ice cream was a culinary experience that we will be talking about for the rest of our lives.
The tone for our amazing Argentina adventure was set when we visited our first winery, Bodega Familia Cassone, and had a tasting experience with winemaker and owner Federico Cassone that we will remember forever.
During our time with Federico, we had the opportunity to walk their vineyards, and as we learned more about the winery we realized that the commitment to family traditions and to terroir are the pillars of Familia Cassone’s success.
When we embarked on our Mendoza adventure we knew that fun times were ahead but nothing could have prepared us for the awe inspiring beauty we were about to experience. The first clue of what was to come was the aerial view of the Andes Mountains as we made our connection from Chile to Argentina. Watching clouds rest on top of mountains was something out of a fairytale.
As you know, the primary purpose of the trip was to experience Mendoza’s Wine Country and to better understand why it has become one of the Wine Capitals of the World.
