Gaucho, FYI, I had schedule conflicts that prevented me from seeing La Azul and O.Fournier the only day that I was in the Valle de Uco. As for Mapema, I have enjoyed their wines here in the U.S., but I couldn't find any info on the winery itself when I was there. Were I to do it over again, I would have gone to O.Fournier and La Azul instead of taking the tour and lunch at Andeluna.

I agree that Andeluna is nice, but has a "sterile" kind of feeling that doesnt make me get excited about their wines. Fournier and La Azul have a lot more character... ^

Gaucho100K:

I guess you are right (as always). However, there are only a few who have a "perfect test" ...... 2008 there are fewer than 160 people in the world who have attained the designation of Master Sommelier. This is up from 100 in 2000 ..... I am not so sure, that I can recognize any and all differences ... this is especially true with reds, at least for me.

When I am looking to visit wineries I look at location, view and what they have to offer. In Mendoza we visited several wineries, all are good, very friendly .... We had meals at:

-"1884 Francis Mallmann", dinner. It was packed, the food was very good, we had a place to overlook the "outdoor kitchen", where they grill the meat.
-"Familia Zuccardi", lunch and tour. They where extremely friendly, we arrived a little early and daughter Zuccardi was asking us "are you OK" every 5 to 10 minutes or so. The food was very good. I am not sure, if the wine is that great. BTW, we lived at the 14th floor of Park Hotel .... the whole floor was stuffed with "Familia Zuccardi" (wine, glasses etc.)
-Ruca Malen, lunch and tour. Very friendly. Great location .. view of the Andes. The food was top-class, they have a gifted chef. Great menu with wine pairing. I liked their reds a lot ... but what do I know.

I had dinner at 1884 Mallman last night. The food was superb and the ambiance excellent, EXCEPT for the fact that we got robbed while dining. While my travelling party escaped unscathed and with all of our property. It was a sad end to a fantastic dining experience.

Below is the article describing the robbery: http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/200.../un-391547.asp

Despite that experience, our time at 1884 was superb (if one can say that).

Sorry to hear this. It's scary .... I can't imagine that that could happen. The area is heavily manned & gated, almost like a castle. Again, I really feel sorry for you.

Here is the Google translation of the article:

"Raided the restaurant of Francis Mallman at Godoy Cruz
Five armed men cut into the custody of the place and diners and looted the box business. It is the third time in two years that the luxurious restaurant suffers an assault.
Five armed criminals raided a renowned restaurant last night of Godoy Cruz, where he stole personal belongings from the diners and money and other valuables of the business, police sources reported today.

The incident occurred at 0.40, in the exclusive restaurant's chef Francis Mallman 1884, in the former Escorihuela winery, located at the corner of Belgrano and Alvear.

Police sources reported that despite the security that had closed in the local, five criminals were admitted to stealing and threatened staff and customers with guns.

The assailants robbed the customers of the effects of value, such as cellular phones, jewelry, watches, handbags and electronic goods.

According to sources, after thieves stole cash from the collection and a team music restaurant, and then escape from the site.

"The five were very fast and were escaping in a car with a white Fiat One patent completed in 943," a police chief.

This recognized restaurant-elected once among the best ten in the world by The New York Times had already suffered two other attacks two years ago, one in July 2006 and the second a month later.

The case is being investigated by the staff of the office of the prosecutor 4 and station 27"

I'm sorry that of that unfortunate situation as well. I'm heading to Mendoza in a few weeks and am looking for advice on what to do. I've seen the wineries mentioned above and will look into visiting a number of those.

I've found that there is a hot springs a day trip from Mendoza, but have not heard of any specific accounts. Has anyone been up there, if so is it recommended?

Also, we're staying at the Sheraton Mendoza - does anyone have any recent stays? Is it a good location for dining, museums etc?

Thanks in advance!

There is so much more than just the vineyards to visit around Mendoza. I highly recommend this sight http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html

Also the trip up to Aconcagua is really good, a long day but also stops at the Inca Bridge not sure if that is the hot springs you are referring to. But yes, it is interesting. You might also consider the white water rafting, trekking etc if you are an outdoorsy type.

Can't direct you on the Hotel, but I am sure you will get feedback from others who have been there. It is rather new.

sam

Very sorry to hear about your experience.

After what happened.... did they charge you for your meal?

In the interest of helping others as this thread helped me, allow me to add a brief report of highlights of our trip to the Mendoza area last month. I'm not affiliated with any of the places/persons mentioned below.

Places to stay:

The Hotel Argentino was quite well-kept (it's a newer property), and is located facing the central plaza in Mendoza. Service was always friendly (front desk personnel always spoke English to those whi required it). For the price per night, this was one of the best values we encountered on our two-week trip. Easily three star-plus.

The finest place we stayed during our journey, however, was Posada Olivar in nearby Lujan de Cuyo. Immaculate accomodations, serene grounds, an open wine cellar, walking distance to the town plaza, and best of all, genial conversation with Jose, who has an immense capacity for making you feel like family as soon as you walk through the door. The evening we spent chatting with Jose over wine and cheese on the Posada's patio was a highlight of our trip. A truly beautiful place, and one we hope to return to.

On visiting wineries:

We visited wineries in two ways: once via tourist bus (an afternoon trip to two wineries and an olive oil factory), and once via private car. Trust me, the latter is very much the way to go, even with the price difference. The size of the group in the tourist bus option made for quite minimal tasting selections, and too much time spent milling about gawking at barrels.

On the other hand, the $100(US) we spent on a private car and driver for a day (we hired Juan Llado based on a recommendation on Lonely Planet, and were quite glad we did -- [email protected]) was well worth it. Juan inquired as to our preferences the day before, made all of the necessary reservations at wineries and for lunch, and provided pleasant conversation (in English -- he also speaks French and, of course, Spanish)throughout the day. We visited three wineries in total, each an excellent experience. Tapiz and Sottano were our favorites. Lunch at Cava de Cano (Juan's suggestion), though on the expensive side, is not to be missed! All told, this was definitely the way to get the most out of our all-too brief time in and around Mendoza.

Related question... has anybody stayed at the brand new Sheraton Mendoza...????

Hey, I came here to ask the same question. :) They've just loaded a bunch of $45 + 2800 "cash & points" nights, so it puts it in my price range.

BTW, I'm a little shocked by that Mallmann news. Three times in 2 years? Wow. I wasn't thinking too much about my security in Mendoza. Should I be? I assume the countryside is safer?

Security
 

When we stayed at Argentino two years ago, they warned not to walk through the park after dark. Their advice was to walk on the periphery rather than through it since it could be unsafe. We took their advice and felt no more unsafe than walking around Manhattan after dark.

When I went to Mallmann there is a huge wall around the bodega and a checkpoint with one or two security guys... in other words, it was heavily secured.
I didn't think Mendoza was insecure, but I recognized that some shops had iron gates/bars, selling the goods through the bars.

No. Though the restaurant staff was obviously shaken, they did an excellent job of tending to the patrons. Our meal was complementary and we were given a couple of bottles of wine as well.

Glad to hear that at least they did their best to make the horrible experience end on a "somewhat better" note.