thebadger

La Azul, hands down, was our favorite experience - very under the radar, amazing wines, great meal. It's very small scale and the "tour" is short / informal - and you won't be shuffled through amongst the throngs of tourists!

kittyMac

Thanks! I appreciate the recommendations.

catharsis

I'm heading to MDZ for a few days wine and food break during our trip around South America to celebrate my wife's 40th. Would love recommendations for wineries to visit and highlights. Our issue is that we will be arriving on Friday afternoon 22/3 and leaving Monday afternoon 25/03 so this may cut down on the number of Bodega's we are able to visit as I understand many are not open at weekends?

Only confirmed items for our time in MDZ this far are a visit to Catena Zapata for Friday afternoon and dinner in 1884 that night.

We arrive at MDZ airport (if the plane is on-time) at 13:30 and are scheduled to meet our contact at Catena Zapata at 16:30, would that allow time for s top on the way and where would people recommend? (perhaps acheval ferrer or benegas? - any other suggestions in this area?)

I understand that a lunch in Familia Zuchardi should be on our agenda - are they open weekends? Alternatively would a multiple-course lunch there before catching a 5PM flight out of MDZ be practical or would we be pushing our luck?

If lunch at Zuchardi on Monday is practical, that leaves us wanting one more exceptional lunch location in a Bodega that is open for lunch on Saturdays. Recommendations?

In terms of winery visits, while our most memorable experiences have tended to be in the smaller wineries we have also enjoyed some of the more 'tourist' focussed wineries such as Peju in Napa, Peregrine in New Zealand and Marquis de Riscale in Spain. Having said that a trip to sample the 'basic' wines offered by a winery is in some senses a waste of time when coming from the other side of the world, so we would like to sample the nicer wines a producer has to offer if possible. I am planning to engage the assistance either of the hotel concierge (we are staying at the Intercontinental, which I am surprised to see has never been mentioned in this thread) or of the folks at the vines of mendoza wine shop in trying to ensure that we get a slightly more 'focussed' tasting experience. There have been a lot of wineries recommended in the thread, are there any of the wineries mentioned in this thread where the tastings are strictly of the 'vanilla' kind?

I would echo janetdoe's experience above - we have generally found that purchasing a $50+ bottle or two tends to result in any tasting fees being waived as well as resultin in great souvenirs. This was usually the case in Napa and New Zealand but not in Bordeaux. What should we expect in Mendoza in terms of charges for tastings?

Finally can I assume that however limited our options for wineries are on Sat, on Sunday they are likely to be even poorer, and hence that Sunday would be an excellent day to perhaps explore a little of the Andes ? - any particular recommendations?

Gaucho100K

Mendoza still doesnt have a uniform way to handle tastings. Some bodegas will charge, others will not.... some offer only a standard tasting and to get a high end sampling you have to book in advance and/or pay a surcharge. My advice is to call ahead, plan and do your homework. Also, be specific about your requests, if you want a private tour, say so.... else, you may get lumped up in a group. If you only want to taste and not tour, or do a limited tour, say so.

I suggest folks not expect getting anything waived because you purchase wines.... this is not the norm in Mendoza. Its best to ask beforehand so that you can properly manage expectations. If you buy wine in Mendoza, remember that you will be schlepping it around for the rest of your trip, and that you may have issues with carrying wines on for your domestic flight(s). I say may because enforcement of the liquids rules is inconsistent.

It should also be said that you are not always better served by buying wines at the winery as pricing structures are all over the place. Some Bodegas charge higher prices at their facilities that you can obtain at retail outlets, some charge the same... others less. Again, it pays to do your homework. Also, not all Bodegas will be flexible with payment options that include improved exchange rates for cash US$ payments.

Some folks find it more convenient to tour the wineries and then do their wine shopping in Buenos Aires where almost everything that you will see and taste in Mendoza will be available. However, I will say again, do your homework as there will certainly be some labels that are winery only offerings, so in those cases you may have no choice but to purchase them on-site.

Final warning..... it is a widely documented fact (see this and other travel, and wine forums) that folks tend to "overlike" (is that a word), wines that they taste when visiting a Winery. Be sure to be extra sure that you absolutetly love a wine before you buy it by the caseload... getting back home and opening a bottle of something you loved at a Winery and finding it was not "that good" at home can be somewhat of a letdown.

VERY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I have a horse in this race, as I am a Wine Merchant based in Buenos Aires. While I try my best to be as impartial as possible with my Wine Postings on these boards, my observations of the facts and experiences that many wine travelers face when coming to Argentina can never be completely "sterilized" from the fact that I stand to gain potential business by posting some of the things I post. I therefore point this out so that folks know who this information is coming from, and I strongly encourage readers to cross-reference the information I provide with other IBB’s including the various wine travel boards that all have forums where lots of information and reviews is available.

Villavic

Are these recommendations (specially restaurants) still current? (post is from 2006)

I will be two whole days in Mendoza (march). Planning to visit 2 wineries the first day, and Villavicencio the second day (plus another winery on the way if not so far and time permits). Probably I'll hire a driver (we are a 2 people party). What wineries woud you suggest nowadays?

It's my second time in Mendoza (first time for my partner). In 2007 I visited Fabre Montmayou and Nieto Senetiner, I liked both, though the Nieto visit was more complete, since the explanation of wines were like a short course to identify types, reservas, young ones, etc. I enjoy it a lot both (though my fave wine at that moment was the FM's Grand Vin).

silly_stitcher

Frequent lurker here. Just wanted to thank everyone in this thread -- I just got back from Mendoza and the info here was invaluable in helping me plan our trip.

To answer Villavic's questions:

1884 was fantastic when we went. Top notch service, ambiance, and food. It was also the only restaurant we hit in Mendoza for dinner; the rest of the time we did winery lunches and then made ourselves dinner at the house we had rented (after our siesta naps -- very necessary after those lunches!).

As for the wineries, we were there over Christmas week, so a few wineries that we would have like to have visited were closed. Of the six that we visited, I'd say:

Achaval Ferrer had the best wine and the shortest tour -- which, having been to our fair share of wineries before, was much appreciated!

Tapiz was the most fun -- the guy who showed us around was the personification of "jovial" -- but the wine is merely "fine."

Andeluna was the most scenic but the wine is also just "fine." (Thanks to the blue dolar rate, however, Andeluna also offered the best bargains for table wines: the 1300 line cost us less than $5 per bottle.)

O. Fournier made the most of a bad situation: the power was out throughout our visit and lunch, which meant lunch was literally a sticky-hot situation, but also meant we explored the cellar using flashlights and natural lighting, which was neat. We got some great photographs as a result. But I'll be honest: I don't remember much about the wine.

I had expected Ruca Malen to be my favorite lunch, but while it was pleasant, neither the food nor the wine curled my toes. It may be because it's the most "modern" of the winery lunches that I know of and I live in the best US city for molecular gastronomy, so my expectations were high (and I'm a bit jaded on the MG movement).

Instead, Familia Zuccardi was my favorite lunch. There's two menu options, parilla and degustation, and our guide (without needing to ask) had booked us for the degustation. It was fantastic: seasonal, interesting wine pairings (and they threw in an extra glass for each of us when I inquired about one that wasn't originally included in the meal), well proportioned, well paced, and service was just lovely.

Hope that's helpful.

katstarr

@silly - I am still dreaming of the lunch I had at Famillia Zuccardi!

KYSmitty

My wife and I are heading to Mendoza Feb 17 through the 19th with two other couples.

We have several prearranged wine tours and need a driver for three days. Can anyone recommend a driver for vineyard tours?

Gaucho100K

You need to contact Miguel Sanz.... he is an excellent driver and Ive sent various FTers his way. Please PM or email me and I will put you in contact with Miguel.

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho100K

FedUp2

My wife and I will be staying at the NH hotel in Mendoza and would love to take a day trip to see as much as we can of Aconcagua and the high country around. However, neither do we want to take a tour nor do we want to rent a car and drive ourselves.

Is it feasible to simply take a regular bus, go somewhere to enjoy the scenery and have a spot of lunch and then return to Mendoza in the late afternoon?

Is this a good idea at all and if so, how can the trip be enhanced?

BTW, we will be flying to Mendoza (from BA and back to BA)

x1achilles

If you haven't left yet here is my take on your Aconcagua day trip. There is virtually no way to take a bus to the base of the mountain at the Redentor Pass. I did get a 30 second glimpse of the mountain the first time I went to South America in 1995 from a bus. But this was a through bus from Mendoza to Santiago. None go to the pass or even stop there.
There are buses to Uspallata, a cute mountain town by Latin America standards (Austria it is not). But this is 60+ miles from the park. We went last time in Feb 2012 but we had a car. I am not sure why you do not want to rent a car. The roads are good and not dangerous. We are used to California driving.
That said, try to go. Stay a night in Uspallata in one of the many nice hotels and hire a car and driver for the Parque Prov. Aconcagua. It is too, too far from Mendoza to do a day trip and expect to see anything.

David Beach

yes, there are regular buses, Buttini buslines, they are slow milk-runs, office at the bus station near platform 55. Here is the current schedule (Ex Uspallata is the old busline, but same schedule) :

http://altosdepotrerillos.com.ar/Hor...oUspallata.htm

You can take a slow, but cheap, milkrun bus to the Aconcagua park entrance and spen 4 to 7 hours there if you wish. The "30 second view" is what you get with the international buses coming and going from Chile.

It is possible to see the sites with some creative scheduling with the regular milkrun bus, but it is best to take a picnic. Beyond Uspallata there are few restaurants I would eat at. The Aconcagua park entrance, half an hour walk to the lookout trail, is only half an hour walk beyond Puente del Inca, so you can catch the late bus back from Puente if you are prepared to walk. Las Cuevas is beyond the park at the border, so any bus going or coming from there stops at the Aconcagua Park entrance. You will spend a lot of time on the bus though. I can send you a detailed day plan to see Puente and the Aconcagua viewpoint by milkrun bus (with an addendum if you want to include a tough hike up to Redentor from Las Cuevas) if you like, send me a private message (too detailed, long and insightful for here).

One other point.....check the weather (at "Penitente" or Puente del Inca") before you go to the Alta Montaņa, even if you take a tour. The weather is completely different from Mendoza city (and always a LOT colder). Do not accept the word of the tour companies, they often falsely tell tourists the weather and view will be good there, and will not give refunds or rain-checks. If it is overcast, you will not see much. I have often been told this by angry tourists, and have seen many forlorn tourists peering through the rain from the vans while passing through the pass.

yes, driving is dangerous in Argentina, a lot of locos on the road. Especially with the locals coming and going from the Chile beaches , or driving back drunk from "picnics" in the mountain. However, no worse, I guess, then anywhere in south america (except for Chile, where driving is fairly civilized).

The mountain pass is beautiful, and I would recommend it. As someone who lives in Mendoza, however, I am biased.

Villavic

Is it posible to see the Aconcagua from left windows of the SCL->MDZ flights? Or is it too far from the route?

David Beach

Sometimes from the left, sometimes from the right. The problem is that the airplanes have to approach the central mountains at an angle to make the sharp ascent, they do not fly straight to destination. Usually, though, it is on the left side coming from Santiago, though sometimes depending on the turn, you can see it from both sides.

If it is not too cloudy, it is a magnificent view (even if you do not see Aconcagua itself from your side).

David Beach

Bus schedule for slow milkrun Buttini trip to Aconcagua viewpoint (between Puente del Inca and Las Cuevas): http://altosdepotrerillos.com.ar/Hor...oUspallata.htm