DeweyCheathem

Can't speak to their restaurant, but their wines are absolutely top tier. They are one of my very favorite artisinal producers in all of Argentina.

Gaucho100K

GR does make some very interesting juice.... they still don't have a proper distribution network in EZE, but Ive solved that by sourcing direct from them.... ^

iahphx

I'll also rave about La Azul -- by far the best meal we had in Argentina. The setting, outside under a canopy, facing vineyards, is perfect. The service (which can be in English) is excellent. The food was also extremely good. We tried the slow cooked pork, which our waiter raved about, and liked it, but they also had the best ribeye we ate in Argentina (see my other post about current Argentine beef quality: I'm not sure their beef was necessarily better than elsewhere, but they did the cooking preparation and seasoning perfectly).

The wine served at lunch isn't fantastic, but it's very, very good. Mostly young wines, not the multi-year aged oak stuff. And you can drink as much as you'd like. Which, if you're driving, might be a problem. If you are driving, I'd try to keep your glassed filled so they don't keep pouring more.

I'd also note the roughly US$40 price tag is a pretty good deal. The Argentine peso is currently overvalued (at least according to me!), so restaurant dining isn't so cheap in Argentina. US$40 can get you a very mediocre meal. Here, it gets you one of the most enjoyable lunches in the world. Go.

iahphx

BTW, I think I should mention this for folks passing through the Mendoza airport: don't expect to get a final sample of any reserva Malbecs at the Priority Pass lounge. It's completely "dry," with modest non-alcoholic drinks and even more modest snacks (they might microwave you a processed empanada if you ask). You've been warned.

CLG

Thanks for the tip! I'll be honest, I am actually reading your post with a glass-half-full view - I did not expect a small airport like MDZ to even have a lounge, so that's a plus

CLG

iahphx

Well, I was a little surprised the lounge was dry given that it's Mendoza. I had flowed to Mendoza from SCL, where the Avianca (Priority Pass) lounge has great craft beers and decent reserva wine.

I will also say that by the time I got to the MDZ airport, I really didn't want any more wine. I was pretty happy with just the water and coke.

iceblueshoes

Thanks for the mini-review.
My only problem is how to get there and back from the hotel.
Dare I ask how much a taxi/uber was?
Then again I'd need wifi to even get an uber...

iahphx

I drove myself which, as I said, isn't the best thing to do given the wine you're likely to consume. Car rentals are also oddly expensive in Argentina and God forbid you want automatic transmission. Some of the foiks here have suggested drivers/tours, but I haven't seen prices. It would be helpful if somebody would ballpark that (preferably in USD, as that would be a more stable price).

RafKa

My ballpark guess is U$100ish can get you a driver for the day, which means you could do a couple of wineries plus lunch. It's roughly 1:15 from Mendoza, but there are many interesting wineries in the vicinity of La Azul (i.e. a 5 min drive) like Bousquet or Salentein.

DeweyCheathem

Probably closer to $150-180 were the quotes I got. $100 a day might get you a driver for the day for Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu, which are much closer to Mendoza city, but not for a trip to the Uco valley.

iceblueshoes

thanks as this gives me something to go on.
I'll likely just do Lujan De Cuyo and possibly Maipu. I'll likely have to leave Uco out.

Is this something I can arrange on my own day of try to set it up beforehand? I'll be staying at the Sheraton in Mendoza.

I'd also rather avoid driving since it means there's less wine for me to enjoy! It was bad having to spit everything in the Okanagan.

​​​​​I also presume everyone is quoting in US $$$?

DeweyCheathem

Yes, those are USD prices. I would set it up at least a couple of weeks before hand. The better drivers book up. Gaucho tends to recommend Miguel Sainz, who comes highly regarded. He was unavailable when I went, and I ended up driving myself - which is only recommended if you know what you're doing and don't swallow the wine. The Sheraton may also have some recommendations.

I don't know what your time constraints are or your experience level is with Argentine wines, but my take is, you are missing some amazing scenery if you forego the UCO valley. OTOH, if you only have one day for doing this, and haven't done it before in this region, you might as well do Lujan de Cuyo first. You''d take a hit on scenery, but not on the quality and variety of the wines in the region.

iceblueshoes

I really only have 2.5 days in Mendoza.
One day was being allocated to visit La Azul and the other was me leaning towards Lujan De Cuyo. To be honest I hadn't really decided as I was going to try to pick the area that is more likely going to be on my exam (I'm studying to be a sommelier) but don't have my text book with me as I'm at work.

Since I'm travelling solo it's a lot (especially if I'm having to pay in USD) but overall theres less of a focus on South America as opposed to California (Napa and Sonoma) so I'm trying not to break the bank on this. Having said that I don't want to resort to biking.

While I'm not on a firm budget/limit, I still have a tour in Chile after I leave Mendoza, which based on the prices is a bit more reasonable.

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to avoid the tourist rate if possible.

iahphx

Other than the drinking-and-driving problem, renting a car isn't a bad way to see the Uco Valley. The problem with drivers is likely to be expense. Argentina can be a oddly expensive country to do certain things right now (probably because the peso is overvalued, and inflation is still high). I loved my lunch at La Azul, but if I had to pay almost $200 for the ride down there from Mendoza, I'd pass.

Gaucho100K

Im not sure I understand..... are you saying that drinking and driving is not a relevant problem.....?

On your point about a driver being "expensive", I cannot disagree more and I think that you usually have to put things in perspective. What would a similar service cost where you live...? Is the risk of drinking and driving a good "bet" vs. what a driver costs...?

Yes, inflation is still a problem, and yes, the Peso's current exchange rate to the Dollar and other OECD currencies is not at equilibrium, but I would be very interested to hear from you where you can get a better deal for a private car and driver that makes the going rates in Mendoza be (in your view), oddly expensive. Im not saying that this is not possible, but I would want to know where the deals are....

Look forward to your reply, and thanks for participating on this thread and forum.