Ok, so at this point, I've more or less nailed down our winery visits list, and hired our driver/guide (Miguel).

Now, on to the restaurants-

1) We will only have two dinners in Mendoza, so I want two GOOD dinners. First place everyone seems to recommend is Azafran. Can anyone recommend somewhere for the 2nd night?

2) We'll also have one lunch in town... so any decent (not overly expensive/heavy) lunch spots we should keep in mind?

3) Finally, other than visiting some of the Plaza's, like Plaza San Martin, Plaza Independencia, any other 'attractions' or to-do items we should keep in mind? We'll have about half a day on our last day to kill around town.

The Plaza's take a few minutes ( skip them they are not Central Park ) Trust me on this one. The Central Market is kind of fun, good bakery, sliced meats, nuts , fish etc. I normally go ther stock up and Im a hit a My Happy Hour at my BB ( Im a Wine Importer ) so lots of samples to share.. As to food in Mendoza ( its soo over rated ) Im not a fan. Make your big meals at the Bodegas for Lunch and eat light at night in my opinion. Well Chacras de Coria is close ( think the yoga crowd ) some good places there..

Thanks for the Central Market tip, will definitely check that out.

The Plaza's, I would agree with, except that the wife really wants to go. But I figure 10-15 minutes at each and that'll be enough.

Anywhere decent in town we can do olive oil tasting?

Many places that sell wine (retailers) will also have olive oil, but mostly for sale. Not sure they have online oil tastings... but it doesnt hurt to ask.

Azafran gets mostly good reviews... but Im not a huge fan. Regardless, I suggest you ignore my comment and go there - and then please post a report... :D If you are in the Uco Valley, I like La Posada del Jamon.

For your other dinner, I would suggest going to Mallmann 1884. For details, please check here:
http://www.1884restaurante.com.ar/

I walked by Azafran on night and looked at the menu. I said to myself ( why does this place get all the hype ) I just did not see it. Well your suppose to "not judge a book by its cover" and since I did not eat there, and knowing the street and other places there it would be still be a pass in my book. Gaucho100K wants you to take one for the team but I dont :)

1884 looks like it would have amazing ambiance. Definitely going to look into that further.

Has anyone been to Verolio to do an olive oil tasting? I think thats what my last day will consist of along with horseback riding.

Nope... but it would be nice if you can go and then post a report... ;) :p

1884 has always been a highlite of my Mendoza trips, I try to make it over there everytime Im in town. If they have it when you visit, you may want to consider having the Milanesa con Hueso... one of my favorite dishes there !!! ^

It appears that there is a new service in Mendoza that takes visitors to various bodegas in the Valle de Uco... still looking for more details, will report back with more as I have it.

http://www.busvitivinicola.com/

I am traveling solo in B.A. next week, and am thinking about a quick 2-day trip to Mendoza before I load up on wine with Gaucho100K next Thursday.

If anyone in the forum happens to be going, and might be interested in sharing a driver, etc. private message me. Thanks!

Looking for help with my proposed itinerary
 

With much input from the great posts in this forum (and the 150,000 bonus AA miles from the Citi cards!), I'm planning a trip to Argentina in early January, and want to make the most out of a few days in Mendoza. From what I've read, it seems that 2-3 visits a day are reasonable.

I've pieced together the following itinerary, and would really appreciate any suggestions for other options or confirmation that it's a decent schedule. I'm working with our hotel (The Modern Hotels) to arrange a car and driver.

Friday (Maipu): Bodega la Rural, Zuccardi (also have lunch), Trapiche

Saturday (Lujan de Cuyo): Rent bikes. Would like to visit 1-2 small wineries as many of our other options seem fairly large.

Sunday (Uco): La Azul, O. Fournier, Saletien. I haven't heard back from O. Fourner or Saletien if they are open on Sunday, so if not, I'd have to rearrange the schedule as they both seem like ones not to be missed.

Thanks again for all of the information in this thread!

Sundays can be an issue for visits.... not all places are open, but you are on the right track by contacting them well ahead of time and trying to get an appointment. Just in case, I suggest you make sure to state that you are specific about getting a visit on Sunday... sometimes folks just read a date and dont care to verify what day of the week it is....

What an AMAZING time we have had in Mendoza. Our tour guide, Miguel Sanz has been nothing short of fantastic and I highly recommend him to anyone who wants a private tour guide for a few days in Mendoza.

For the first day, we went to the Maipu Region.

Started off at Carinae which is a small boutique winery in the mid-morning. We were the only ones there and got a private tour and also met the owner and his wife, a lovely French couple. Walked around the vineyards a bit but its early in the season so no grapes or anything… still it was a beautiful day outside. The small and private tasting room was nice, we ran through 5 different Malbec’s which went from good to amazing. I loved that the owners who bought the place something like 10 years ago have restored the vineyard using the original 90+ year old vines, the original concrete tanks, etc. I'd definitely recommend a stop here.

Next we were off to Benegas Lynch. What an absolutely stunning property. I also recommend a stop at this vineyard for anyone going to the Maipu region. The massive indoor wood grill was insane, and the house and surroundings were beautiful. We took a ton of pictures. Oh, and the wine was quite good too!!

Next, we decided to go to Rutini La Rural for something a bit different. I had already had their wines in Buenos Aires so I wasn’t that interested in a tasting, but they have an amazing museum with hundreds of wine artifacts and give a great tour on the history of winemaking. IMO, worth visiting just for the museum because its quite unique and some of the items in the collection cant be found elsewhere.

To end the day in Maipu, we went to Zuccardi Family for lunch. It’s a massive operation (one of the largest in Argentina). Reminded me of a few of the huge wine factories I’ve been to in Napa. Beautiful property for sure and decent wine, but not really what I was looking for….. until…. Lunch. It was unbelievable. Some of the most delicious meats (and plenty of it) I’ve had anywhere. And the sunroom where we enjoyed the meal was very nice too making all the better. During our meal we noticed one of the chefs constantly going to an herb garden and cutting off lavender and other herbs… for every piece of meat they cooked outside on the grill. Talk about fresh herbs! Highly recommend the food here. Vineyard can be skipped if you already have been to a few others.

Following day, we started off by heading to the Uco Valley. What a glorious and pristine area with some breathtaking views. Our first stop was Andaluna... and a bit of a dissapointment to be honest. Its very "commercialized" (its owned by heirs of the Frito Lay company which may be why). The guide kept trying to sell us on stuff. And the wines themselves were a bit underwhelming. Its a very well manicured and impressive property, but I wouldnt recommend it generally speaking.

Next we went to Salantein. WOW. While its also a large operation, the cellar room was very impressive. Its a huge cavernous area with a small rotunda that occassionally hosts concerts! Our guide even let me play a bit of piano for everyone in there and it sounded amazing. That alone made it worth while for a visit, but then we tasted the wines which were, in my opinion, the best of the entire trip. I highly recommend a visit to Salentin.

And lastly we went to La Azul for something different. A very small (one of the smallest) boutique winery with only a few people there, they let us have some wine straight from a barrel thats still aging, which was quite unique. Oh, and their newly opened restaurant (3 weeks open so far) was amazing. The chef brought us everything himself, and the food was second to none. I highly recommend a visit to La Azul as well.

We ended up not going to either Azafran or 1884. Honestly we were so full from lunch each day that we didnt want dinner. We did walk by Azafran and I agree with others here that I dont see what the fuss is about. Its nice but nothing that special.

All in all, a wonderful time in Mendoza and hopefully we'll be back again.

Thanks for the report on La Azul..... :D

Gosh, La Azul is a Very Small place. I had visited the winery with the owners a few years back. Nice people, and to hear that they have a resto now is wonderful. As an aside, there is a great spot for lunch on the other side of the road ( same side as Andeluna ) away from the Andes, this place is a WONDERFUL spot for lunch. Great Chef, herb garden and just a beautiful spot to be in. The Andes as your backdrop, sunny and clear with a bit of wind in the middle of the Desert. Now ONLY if I can remember the name. They have a few rooms there too.. Something de Tupengato?? If someone can help me on the name its a great rec.. Thanks and Safe Travels..