Mendoza, located in the heart of Argentina, is renowned for its exceptional wine production and breathtaking landscapes. With its ideal climate and world-class wineries, Mendoza has become a premier destination for wine enthusiasts and travelers alike. This region, nestled against the backdrop of the Andes Mountains, boasts a variety of grape varietals, such as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay, which thrive in the high altitudes and sandy soils. Argentina as a whole is classified as a desert with only 4-500mm of rain a year, so they rely heavily on the glaciers in the mountains for water. This is how the irrigation systems through the wineries are fueled. The traditional winemaking practices combined with modern techniques have resulted in the creation of distinct and vibrant wines that showcase the region's unique terroir. Whether exploring the vineyards, indulging in wine tastings, or simply enjoying the scenic beauty, Mendoza offers an unforgettable wine tasting experience that celebrates both the artistry of winemaking and the beauty of its surroundings.
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Finding the best wine…
First of all let’s talk about the wineries. Mendoza is home to over 1200 wineries having vineyards a few centuries old, to ones just creating their beginning. With all of these options it’s hard to choose the ones that will be right for you. Here are the top wineries that are a must visit based on what kind of tasting experience you are looking for. Here are some of the must visit wineries.
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Uco Valley
Domaine St. Diego:
Best for the wine tour: the tour focuses mostly on his vineyards and the way they grow and cultivate the vines and grapes. They have what they call the mother vine which is the original vine that led to this beautiful winery’s start.
Open to the public
Hours: Monday through Friday Visits at 9:30am, 11:30am and 3:00 pm Sundays - 9:30am and 11:30am
La Azul
Best for a visit. A humble winery that showcases old wine making traditions. It is small in size but holds wine making traditions from its many years in business. Next to the winery is a delicious BBQ restaurant where you can enjoy the best asados with a glass of their wine.
Open to the public
Hours: Monday through Sunday From 9:30am to 5:00pm
Salentein
Best for the Tour: Known for being a beautiful combination of old world and modern, Salentine blends old and new styles into their wine making. You will have the chance to walk through the cross shaped winery and learn about the history of wine making.
Need a Reservation to Tour
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10am - 12pm - 2pm - 4pm (Spanish Tours) 11am - 1pm - 3pm (English Tours) Killka Galeria de Arte: From 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Vines of Mendoza
Best for the tastings: With one of the best wine makers around, a complete tasting includes how to taste, perfect pairings, barrel tasting and great knowledge of how each wine is crafted. This is the best place to taste wines from all over Mendoza. They also have a spa!
Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-6pm
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Luján de Cuyo
Chandon:
Best for a visit: Known for only making sparkling wines this winery offers many tasting options. There are formal tastings of their top 4 sparkling wines and there are more relaxed options of buying a bottle and relaxing in their massive garden outside. This winery is always full of life and a great place to take the family.
Open to the public
Hours: Monday through Friday at 9:30am - 11am - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - 4pm Low Season: 10:30am - 12:00 pm - 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Cantina Zapata
Known for the tasting: this is one of the most well known wines in Argentina. Shaped like a mayan pyramid, this winery celebrates the indigenous people that live in Argentina.
Must Book In advance
Hours: Monday to Friday at 9:30am, 11:30 am, 3:30pm
Viña Cobos
Known for the tour and tasting: here you will find state of the art equipment and the latest technologies in wine making. Taste some of the best crafted wines, looking out to the Andes mountains.
Hours: Monday through Friday at 9:00am – 11:00am – 12:30pm - 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Bodega Benegas
Great for the tour: Being one of the oldest wineries in Argentina, here you get to learn some of the oldest wine making techniques while walking through their vineyard along the Mendoza river.
Hours: Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 am
Bodega Budeguer
Down to treating and managing their own water to fuel the grapes, this winery is innovative and unique in its wine making process. That being said their tour is fun light and gives you tasting of the most limited addition bottles telling you the number of the bottle and how many in the batch were made.
You do need a reservation.
Hours: Every Day 9am-5pm
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Maipu
Tempus Alba
Best for a visit: Go on a self guided tour of the winery where you can read plaques describing different machines and processes used to curate their wine, and end on their terrace overlooking their vineyards and orchard of olive trees, where you can taste their wine by the glass or bottle.
Open to the public
Hours: Monday through Friday From 10:00am to 6:00pm
Familia Zuccardi
Best for the tasting: This is a family owned and operated winery where they teach you how to harvest grapes, host wine pairing lunches, and cooking courses. They also produce olive oil, have two different restaurants and have the most diverse selections of wine.
Open to the public
Hours: Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 5:30pm Sunday from 10am to 4 pm
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Planning your trip…
The ways to curate your winery tours are endless. Based on your budget and how you vision (wine)ding your way through Mendoza, here are some of my top recommendations:
BOOK A TOUR: Booking through tour groups is always a great way to make it easy. They take care of all the details and will drive you door to door, which is great especially for a drinking event. Here are some that we did and other people we know highly recommended to us that you should check out:
HIRE A DRIVER: Another way to curate this experience, is to make your own bookings and hire a driver for the day. Now hear me out, this option is actually VERY cheap compared to some of the tours. With this option you can curate your very own itinerary and schedule. Drinking and driving is NOT tolerated and the consequences are dire. With a driver you will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and not have to worry about an uber showing up or not because they can be unreliable in these areas. It took us an hour of trying to get an uber before we had to end up getting the winery to call us a taxi. Which is also an option.
DO IT YOURSELF: The last way you can do a winery tour is to walk or bike. There are regions where wineries are just neighboring each other and are within walking distance of each other. This is a great option for when the weather is nice.
Whichever way you choose to do you tour remember these tips:
Make reservations for all wineries and restaurants at least one day in advance.
Plan on visiting only three to four wineries per day and make sure you choose a winery that provides lunch.
Stick to a region: Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo or Uco Valley
Bring cash (pesos), as many wineries do not accept credit cards.
Tours generally last 60-90 minutes.
Visit The Vines of Mendoza's Tasting Room. This is especially good if you do not have a lot of time or you don’t want to do a lot of moving around. They allow drop-ins and have the most diverse selection of wines from wineries all across Mendoza.
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Your Trip Planned…
There is a lot of planning when picking wineries and planning visits. If you want to take the headache out of customizing your perfect itinerary, don't worry because I've go you covered. I have put together the best itineraries to truly get the best expereince wintasting in Mendoza. Here are my exclusive itineraries created, tested and loved by everyone!
Greer Ransom | Travel Advisor
Send an Email: info@thegsource-travel.com
Phone/Whatsapp: +1 (706) 248-9565
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