Built by a nobleman in the Scottish classic country style a century ago, La Candelaria's turrets and ramparts are somewhat incongruous, as are the grand rooms with their wonderful Louis XVI-style furniture. I have little time to admire them as I am given a mallet, helmet and horse for my beginner's lesson. I spend most of the next couple of hours clinging rather than swinging but it is great fun.
After all that exertion, I feel a treat coming on and it is time to head to Mendoza, the centre of Argentina's fine wine industry. Unless you fancy a 12-hour bus journey from the capital, it is best to fly there. Going from winery to winery provides not only tastings but also education for the less grape-savvy.
It is not hard to see what makes Mendoza so good for viticulture; the sun beats down and water comes from irrigation systems, not the sky.
I soak up warmth. Soon I will fly south to Ushuaia, which bills itself as "the city at the end of the world", and El Calafate in Argentina's chilly-sounding Los Glaciares National Park. For now, relaxing on a warm afternoon with a glass of malbec and gazing out at myriad rows of vines, I feel myself drifting off to sleep and I can think of no reason not to give in.
GETTING THERE
Intrepid Travel (0844 4998 487/ intrepidtravel.com) offers a 16-night Buenos Aires to Rio Unplugged trip taking in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, from £2,349pp (two sharing). Price includes return flights from London, accommodation, some meals, services of a tour leader, transport and walking tour of Buenos Aires. Le Candelaria (dialling from the UK: 0054 222 749 4132/estanciacandelaria.com) offers doubles from £300 (two sharing) BB. Argentina tourism: turismo.gov.ar; Uruguay tourism: welcomeuruguay.com
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