My husband I recently came back from our trip to Mendoza and I wanted to report back on our experiences there.

Based on previous posts in this thread, we decided to take overnight buses from Buenos Aires since it is much cheaper than flying. I booked first class tickets on the Andesmar website and overall it was pretty simple to book. However, there was a bit of a problem with our tickets. When we got to the Retiro bus terminal in Buenos Aires my name was not on the passenger list when we tried to board. They had sold my seat to another passenger since on their system it looked like I had returned my ticket. Eventually it all worked out but it was quite a hassle, so be careful if you are booking online (it seemed like all the other passengers just bought their tickets at the staiton).

We stayed at Argentino Hotel for about 80 something USD a night. It was a simple double room with a large bathroom and we found it perfectly suitable. Our room faced the street and on one night we heard fireworks outside, but it didn't really bother us. Breakfast was provided which included pastries, juice, and fruit.

We had two different drivers for our three day trip and they were both great. The average cost was around $130 a day.

We spent day one in Lujan de Cuyo. First we had a tasting at Achaval Ferrer and then had lunch at Ruca Malen. Both were fabulous. The steak at Ruca Malen was the first steak I had in Argentina that was actually cooked medium rare. We went to Renacer rather than Terrazas de los Andes because we could not get an appointment. My husband and I enjoyed making our own blend at Renacer. our final stop was to vist Carmelo Patti.

On day two we went to the Uco Valley. We made an impromptu stop at Andeluna (while we waited for someone to meet us at La Azul). Then we visited La Azul, Salentein (because we could not get an appointment at Clos de los Siete - our driver mentioned that they do not like tourists there?), and ate lunch at O Fournier. My husband and I liked the food at O Fournier more than lunch at Ruca Malen. I thought it was nice that the owner came to each table to say hi and later brought the head winemaker down for introductions. It was also very interesting to visit a very small winery (La Azul) and then see the massive production going on at Salentein.

On the third day we visited Maipu. We started off with Benegas, which was my favorite tour because the history was so fascinating and the guide was very enthusiastic. We stopped at Familia Araoz, an olive oil factory, to take a break from wine. Then we visited La Rural and ate lunch at Almacen del Sur. The last winery we visited was Zuccardi.

Our return bus ride went without a hitch. I wanted to note that they give you A LOT of food for dinner and that on each ride they showed a different action movie (which I enjoyed but might get annoying for someone who wants to sleep right away).

Overall it was a really wonderful trip! I have nothing bad to say about any of the wineries that we visited. My husband and I are just two people who enjoy wine and we definitely learned a lot while in Mendoza. Thanks for everyone who gave us advice!