Wine / Spirits Education in February

Mendoza's wine identity is built on altitude. Vineyards at 900-1,500m above sea level, with intense UV, cool nights, and snowmelt irrigation from the Andes, produce Malbec with a structure and aromatics that have no direct equivalent elsewhere. The bodega (winery) system is well set up for serious visitors: most producers in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley offer structured tastings and cellar tours, and smaller boutique bodegas in the Uco Valley are making wines at the highest international level. March and April bring the harvest, when most bodegas open for vendimia experiences. Mendoza also has one of the best food scenes in South America, which makes rest days between bodega visits worthwhile.

Stellenbosch is the centre of South Africa's serious wine scene, 45 minutes from Cape Town in the Cape Winelands. The appellation produces Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinotage (South Africa's own grape crossing) from slopes influenced by both Atlantic and Indian Ocean air. Estates like Warwick, Kanonkop, Rust en Vrede, and Tokara run structured tastings and educational programs that go beyond a pour-and-chat format. The Cape Winelands Culinary Route connects wine with the Cape Malay and Afrikaner food traditions that shape what you eat on the estates. Stellenbosch University's department of viticulture and oenology keeps the local wine community professionally engaged and internationally connected.