Gaucho100K

Hi SiempreViajando--

A bottle of current vintage Zeta costs AR$200.

My experience tell me that relative pricing is always an issue of perspective. The problem that many wine aficionados face in most new export markets in the case of Argentine wines is that they are usually only exposed to the very inexpensive wines. However, if you consider all the wines that are made in Argentina, US$20 retail for a bottle of wine is not pricey.

Mendoza produces a very deep & varied selection of premium, super-premium and cult wines... but most all of these are hardly known in most export markets. To give some additional perspective, Robert Parker Jr. recently rated one cult Argentine Malbec at 96 points. The same wine was rated by Wine Spectator at 94 points. The reference price of this wine is US$150 per bottle (in the USA).

On a final note... the good news is that even at the cult wine segment of the market... Argentina still has incredible values. Compare how much you have to pay for a bottle of a cult wine from France or California that is rated 96 points by Robert Parker, and the above-mentioned concept, "pricey", is immediately put into perspective.

Cheers from Buenos Aires,
Alex (Gaucho100K)

hotellie

Hi Alex, thanks for a really helpful thread. Just had a few questions:

1. Which hotel is closer to the majority of good wineries (and restaurants) - the Park Hyatt or Cavas Wine Lodge?

2. Are these hotels able to arrange a car and driver, and make winery appointments/reservations as well?

3. Is it easy to visit wineries in the Valle de Uco area in day trips from the PH/Cavas or is it preferable to stay in the Valle de Uco area itself (if so, any thoughts on the Posada Salentein)? Not quite sure where the hotels are in relation to wineries in the Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Valle de Uco etc.

Gaucho100K

1. Tricky question... it really depends on your choice of wineries. However, the Park Hyatt is centrally located so you are able to walk around town. Cavas WL is in a secluded area... so you are basically in the need of a car to move around.

2. Both hotels are full service establishments, so they will have a concierge that will be able to do all this for you.

3. Tricky again..... it depends on what sort of a trip you want. Its feasible to do day trips to the Valle de Uco, you will spend approx 75-90 minutes to get there from any of the two potential locations.... but its hard to be exact because inside the Valle de Uco you have wineries that are located in various sections of the Valle (and the area itself is quite large). Also, will you be driving yourself or will you be driven around by a chauffeur? (I strongly suggest the latter). I usually prefer to stay in less urban settings... so if it were me I would stay at Posada Salentein, which I find is a very nice place to stay***

*** these are nice accomodations, but not super luxury. They have nice attention to detail but they do not offer a Park Hyatt Suite like experience. The Posada is about experiencing the sights and atmosphere of the Valley, and its all about the wine.

In closing, depending on how many days you will spend in Mendoza, I would recommend you do a little of both.... a couple of days at the PH or CWL and then a couple of days at the Posada Salentein, or alternatively the Postales del Plata Valle de Uco Lodge.

Please feel free to post and/or PM me with any additional questions.

kharma99

Hi,
Thanks for all this valuable info!! Definitely some great places to check out next time I'm there!!
I just got engaged and my fiancee is from Argentina. We plan to get married in MDZ at some point in '08.
I was wondering if anyone here might have suggestions on a couple of things:
1) I've been using Kayak and ITS Software to search for fares. Does anyone know of any other search engines that might useful for SFO/OAK to MDZ?
2) While I'm at it, any suggestions on a nice winery not too far from the city to have a wedding?
Thanks in advance!!

Gaucho100K

kharma99-- congratulations on your engagement. The concept of having a wedding at a winery is still relatively new in Argentina. It seems to me that the best ones equipped to handle such an event would be the ones that already have some sort of visitors center and/or restaurant service. Of course, its perfectly possible for you to just select a winery because of the ambience & scenery and just have the event fully catered at that location.... so I guess its more a matter of how much advanced planning & logistics you guys want to be involved in. Some names of places that come to mind are (but not all are close to the city):

- Familia Zuccardi
- Andeluna Cellars
- Terrazas de los Andes

kharma99

Thanks Alex!!
I appreciate your help and suggestions!
I'll take a close look at those wineries you listed in your message.

Gaucho100K

One other location that is very nice and has just finished new facilities including a very large reception area and accomodations is Bodegas Salentein. They are also located in the Valle de Uco area, so its approx. a 60 minute ride from the city of Mendoza.

gregrmoore

Do you know if it is possible to rent scooters in Mendoza? We travel frequently to Europe and have found scooters to be a fun and convenient way to explore an area.

Gaucho100K

Great question.... but Im afraid I dont know the answer. Are you staying at a full service hotel? If so, I suggest you have the concierge desk check this out for you.

Panam Clipper

Let me share my recent experience getting to Mendoza from Buenos Aires. Instead of the plane, my wife and I decided to try the bus. There seem to be two companies that stand out: Andesmar and Chevalier. I purchased the tickets on Andesmar online @ www.andesmar.com There are several services each day and we chose the "Executive" service that leaves B.A. at 7.45 PM and arrives at Mendoza at 9 am or so. Each round trip ticket was 350 pesos or about $116 US at the rate of exchange at the time. Hint: to find the origin point look not for "Buenos Aires" but "Retiro - Buenos Aires". The bus leaves from the main bus terminal near the Retiro train station by Plaza San Martin. Just after the ride starts you get a full fledged safety demo, followed by a game of Bingo. A short while later you are served dinner (choice of chicken, beef or vegan) with beverage of your choice (we went for the red wine). Then it's a movie or two on the flat screen or sleep on the full flat "bed", more or less like an international business class seat. The bus is set so that it does not exceed 50 mph, which is good considering that the roads are ok, but not up to US or Western Europe standards (in my opinion anyway). After dawn you get breakfast and a short time later you are close to downtown Mendoza. We were very satisfied even though it is a long ride; service was cordial and efficient and the accomodations (seats are 2-1 per row) quite adequate. Anyway an option to consider - much cheaper than the plane and hey, you save one night's hotel bill!

Gaucho100K

Panam-- great first post, and welcome to FT!! I think that the bus is a great option, especially if you can also spend the night and save on the hotel.

radical1977

Hi - We are planning a trip to Medoza and would like to stay at a vineyard for 2 nights. Do you recommend any moderately priced vineyards that we can stay at?

Also,

1) how you suggest that we plan our visits to the various vineyards?
2) We would like to go horseback riding/hiking - any suggestions how to plan this?

Gaucho100K

Vineyards that have on site accomodations are not the norm in Mendoza... you have various options that are in wine country per-se but that are not on Bodega property. Not that there are no vineyards that offer this but they tend to be in the high end range.

For reasonable rates, I would suggest you consider Postales del Plata. Check them out at:

www.postalesdelplata.com

thebobmc

Would someone kindly post a link to the above mentioned bus trip report.

I tried to find it using "Search" but I failed miserably.

Also, thank you very much to everyone who has contributed information to this thread. It is very useful and most interesting.

Gaucho100K

For information on bus travel from Mendoza to Santiago, I also suggest you check out TripAdvisor, great information over on those boards.