Will do!

I think we're going to go with a private driver (the small group van tours seem outrageously expensive- more than a car!!)

To be honest, neither of us knows too much about the specific wineries in this region. Any can't-miss ones as we put together our itinerary? I've seen a few lists, but little consistency so far!

Good choice (the driver)... you will not regret it. As to the places that IMO are must visit.... these include:

Bodega Benegas
Rutini La Rural
O. Fournier
Achaval Ferrer
La Azul

I've mentioned it elsewhere in this thread but try to plan your O Fournier trip around midday so you can eat at their restaurant. You won't be disappointed.

Depending on how many days you're planning for wineries, you might like Tempus Alba as well. It's not terribly far from Benegas. In that area there's also a vodka distillery that could be an interesting experience...I ran into a Irish lady looking for it otherwise I wouldn't have known about it.

Sounds good, I'll try to work that out.

We've got at least two days (probably three) dedicated to tasting, so we should be good to go. There are an amazing number of wineries in this area!!

Yes... Fournier's restaurant is currently one of the top places to have a meal in Mendoza.

Can someone give me a quick rundown on the positives/negatives between staying at a hotel in the city vs at one of the wineries? It seems like a decent number of them offer lodging.

The main difference (someone correct me if I'm wrong) would be for meals... out at the wineries (even the ones "near" to downtown) you'd have to eat there (if possible) or have a rental car/taxi to the city every night. Correct?

What else am I missing about this comparison?

Keep in mind that many of these recommended wineries aren't just outside the city walls. Some of them are 90+ minutes via car from Mendoza. Take that into account if you're wanting to pop into town for dinner.

Excellent point - I think that, for our purposes, those sorts of places are out of consideration. It seems as if there are some that are fairly close in, however.

Yes.... if you want to go to the Valle de Uco you will be out of time, so as posted above the most you can go out to would be something like Escorihuela Gascon or perhaps Vistalba Carlos Pulenta, but not much more than that.

For those who don't frequent MSNBC, they have an updated story talking about Mendoza and a few places to stop while there. Many of the wineries she visited are ones that are frequently recommended here (for good reason).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29035483...destinations//

If you are there and get a chance, you do need to try Carmello Patti's wines (either in a shop or by visiting his 'winery'). Among all the excellent wine we had, his 2003 Gran Assemblage was probably the best wine I tried during my entire trip last year.

We kind of addressed this before our trip because we weren't sure either so we kind of hedged things. We didn't stay at a winery, but did stay at a B&B (in Chacras de Coria) for 2/3rds of our trip and then in the City for the remainder. We were actually glad we did this, but you wouldn't need more than 2 days (at most) in the City, although we did take a cab into the City for dinner at least on one occasion.

One of the things we didn't realize much until we got home was how much we just went on a spur of the moment walk and how much we enjoyed it. For us we felt we got a lot more of the cultural side of the Mendoza area doing that and visited some places we'd never consider going on a vacation (like the Zoo) It's a little harder, but not impossible, to do that if your 'base' is a 20 minute cab ride away.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm still a little torn, but leaning toward staying in the city because we do like to get out and explore a bit like you said.

Do let us know what you decide and how it works out... ^

So... with the end of the Harvest, now starts the best part of the year to visit Mendoza.... ^

Glad that I'll be arriving in 12 days then... :cool: