Introduction
Mendoza is Argentina's wine country — a sunny, high-desert province at the foot of the Andes that produces the great majority of the country's wine, above all its world-famous Malbec, against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. For travellers it pairs the pleasures of vineyard touring — tastings and long lunches at bodegas with the Andes on the horizon — with serious mountain adventure, including the highest peak in the Americas, white-water rafting, skiing and the dramatic high road over the Andes to Chile.
Overview
Mendoza, in the dry, sunny foothills of the Andes in western Argentina, is the country's premier wine region and one of the world's great wine destinations — the home of Argentine Malbec, the deep, plummy red that has become the nation's signature. Irrigated by Andean snowmelt, the province's vineyards spread across several areas easily toured from the leafy provincial capital: Maipú and Luján de Cuyo close to the city, the traditional heartland of old vines and grand bodegas, and, higher and cooler to the south, the spectacular Uco Valley, where modern, architect-designed wineries sit beneath a wall of snowy peaks. Touring the bodegas — by tour, hired driver, or even bicycle around Maipú — for tastings and the long, superb vineyard lunches that pair Malbec with Argentine beef is the quintessential Mendoza experience. But the province is also a great outdoor playground. Rising on its western edge is Aconcagua, at 6,961 metres the highest mountain in the Americas and outside Asia, whose provincial park is the base for trekkers and serious climbers and whose approach road past the natural rock bridge of Puente del Inca and the Cristo Redentor pass to Chile is a magnificent high-mountain drive. The Mendoza and Atuel rivers offer white-water rafting, the resorts of Las Leñas and Los Penitentes provide skiing in the southern winter, and the high desert and mountain scenery reward driving and horseback riding. The provincial city of Mendoza itself is pleasant and walkable — wide, tree-lined, irrigation-channelled streets, leafy plazas and the huge General San Martín Park — and makes a relaxed base. With its reliable sunshine, the region is a year-round destination: the autumn grape harvest (March) is a festive highlight with the Vendimia wine festival, spring and autumn are ideal for vineyards and the mountains, and winter brings the ski season.
Discover Mendoza
Wine is Mendoza's calling card, and touring its bodegas (wineries) is the heart of a visit. The province grows the lion's share of Argentina's wine, and its signature is Malbec — a grape that found its perfect home in the high-altitude, sun-drenched, snowmelt-irrigated vineyards beneath the Andes. Three areas reward the wine traveller: Maipú, close to the city, where you can even tour by bicycle between traditional wineries and olive-oil farms; Luján de Cuyo, the historic 'cradle of Malbec' with its grand estates; and, an hour or two south and higher up, the Uco Valley, the glamorous modern frontier where striking, architect-designed wineries and vineyard lodges sit beneath a spectacular wall of peaks. A day (or several) of tastings, cellar tours and the long, leisurely vineyard lunches — Malbec with grass-fed beef and Andes views — is one of South America's great pleasures, arranged by organised tour, private driver or self-drive. The autumn harvest brings the colourful Fiesta de la Vendimia, the country's biggest wine festival.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Malbec tastings and vineyard lunches in Maipú, Luján de Cuyo and the spectacular Uco Valley.
Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, the road to the Cristo Redentor pass and Puente del Inca.
White-water rafting on the Mendoza and Atuel rivers and skiing at Las Leñas and Los Penitentes.
Leafy, walkable Mendoza city with its plazas, San Martín Park and wine-bar culture.
Frequently asked questions
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.