|
A Private 3-day Tour
Day 1:
Luján De Cuyo
You are picked up by your guide and begin the half hour drive south of Mendoza City to Luján de Cuyo. The first visit of the day is
Alta Vista, here you will try their excellent Grand Reserva in a tasting room that is a converted concrete tank. Next you will be driven to
Achaval Ferrer, where you will have one of the most comprehensive tastings in
Mendoza, a barrel tasting of each varietal that goes into their top wine
Altamira. Lunch is in
Carlos Pulenta's vineyard whose
Vistalba Corte B is causing a stir on foreign shelves. The lunch is in
La
Bourgogne (voted best vineyard restaurant in the world by GWC) followed by a tour of this elegant winery.
Return to Mendoza City early evening.
Day 2 :
Alta Montaña - Touring the Andes
We pick you up in the morning and head west, climbing into dramatic mountain scenery. We follow the trail of the old Trans-Andean railway as it snakes and tunnels it way through three mountain ranges. We pass the snow-capped
Cerro de
la Plata and turquoise
Potrerillos lake. We follow the Rio Mendoza upriver through a valley called Seven Tunnels until we reach the mountain town of
Uspallata. Here we take a short coffee break before we continue our trip through mountain scenery made famous in the movie 'Seven Years in
Tibet'. The road passes through the
Penitentes ski resort and continues west, until several kilometers before the Chilean border we turn into
Aconcagua
National Park.
Here we take a short walk to
Horcones Pond
and view the tallest mountain outside the
Himalayas. On our return we stop to see
Puente del Inca, a naturally formed stone bridge over a steep ravine. Here there is a small handicrafts market and hot spring complex. We continue down the mountain, returning to Uspallata where we enjoy an afternoon lunch of the local delicacy - kid goat.
Before taking the road home to Mendoza, we make a detour to
Cerro Siete Colors (Seven Colors Mountain) a fascinating, multi-colored rock formation that is often the surprise delight of the day.
Return to
Mendoza
City early evening.
Day 3:
Valle De Uco
The Uco
Valley
is the new baby of Argentine wine with freshly planted vineyards and ultra modern wineries springing up every year. The area benefits from altitude giving the skins fantastic flavors and tannins.
Your first visit will be to Spanish-owned
Bodega
O. Fournier
in
La Consulta, a winery that makes award-winning Tempranillos. A tour of this gravity-driven facility concludes with a tasting session of their entire range, including their A and B Crux. Next you visit
Bodega
Andeluna,
a joint American-Argentine venture producing award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon. You enjoy a leisurely lunch in
Bodega
Altus,
a small rustic winery with a restaurant set amidst the vines.
Return to Mendoza City in the early afternoon.
Price per person $720 US
This tour is completely private. Transport is in a modern air-conditioned vehicle. The price includes a gift pack with Wine Republic magazine, Wine Map and one of our favorite wines.
A Private 5-day Tour
Day 1: Arrival & City Tour
You will be collected at the airport by your wine host who will bring you to your hotel, the elegant and centrally-located Park Hyatt Hotel overlooking
Plaza Independencia. After check-in your host will take you to lunch at one of the outdoor tables at
Azafrán to indulge in some al fresco dining and sample some local specialities. Over lunch you can discuss your itinerary and ask any questions you may have about your tour. After lunch you will be brought on a leisurely stroll through the local plazas before being driven on a short tour through the main park,
Parque General San Martin, which spans over
865 acres and is home to 300 species of plants and trees. You will stop at Cerro de
la Gloria, which from the top at 960m (3,149ft.) above sea level, offers a panoramic view of the city and surrounding valley. The rest of the afternoon can be spent sunbathing at your hotel pool or sipping a coffee on the hotel terrace overlooking the central plaza.
That evening enjoy a meal in one of
Mendoza’s many excellent restaurants after which you can take in a tango show or even visit the casino in the Park Hyatt Hotel.
Day 2: Luján de Cuyo
You will be collected at 9am and we will head south to Luján de Cuyo also known as “Tierra del Malbec” where
Argentina’s signature varietal has found its true home. It
is the premier wine growing region in
Argentina and where the most famous wineries are located. It’s the first choice when choosing a wine area to tour in
Argentina. It is situated 30 minutes south of
Mendoza
City, amidst the country’s finest vineyards with the snow-capped
Andes in the distance. First you will visit Bodega
Enrique Foster, a state-of-the-art gravity-flow winery surrounded by 80-year old vines. This award winning winery only produces Malbec and their 2003 Reserva won a gold medal at the Argentina Wine Awards in 2007.
The next visit is Bodega
Melipal, a small winery which aimed straight for the top when they began producing in 2002. The owner Ignacio Aristi wanted some exceptional know how to vinify so he contracted the flying Tuscan winemaker Alberto Antonini to make his wine. Between them they produce some of
Argentina’s best wines. At midday we visit Bodega
Carlos Pulenta owned by Carlos Pulenta, a wine making star, renowned for his dedication to quality and terroir. Architecturally stunning, the winery has a tasting room where an entire wall is a subterranean cross-section of the actual vineyard clay – roots and stocks included. Lunch is at their fabulous French restaurant
La Bourgogne has deservedly been voted the best winery restaurant in the world.
Return to the Park Hyatt at 5pm.
Day 3: Maipú
Today is a good day to switch to a move out of the city and stay in the boutique wine lodge Club Tapiz in Maipú. Pick up and check-out from the Park Hyatt is at 9.30am and we will head to Maipú, a traditional wine growing region 20 minutes from Mendoza City Centre. The area is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon and has many small, rustic style wineries which still produce industrial quantities of wine. We pick you up at 9.30 and visit the world famous
Familia Zuccardi,
one of
Argentina’s most forward thinking wineries with excellent visitor facilities. Next we go to Bodega
Tempus Alba,
a small, modern, family-owned winery where we conduct a special tasting. You lunch in
Almacén Del Sur, a gourmet farmhouse restaurant which grows its own produce. The day concludes with a visit to
La Rural
,
part of the Rutini winery, and location of the best wine museum in
South America.
Check-in at
Club Tapiz on your return at 4.30pm.
Day 4: Alta Montaña – Touring the Andes
We
pick you up at 9am and head west, climbing into dramatic
mountain scenery. We follow the trail of the old Trans-Andean railway
as it snakes and tunnels it way through three mountain ranges. We pass
the snow-capped
Cerro de
la Plata and turquoise
Potrerillos lake. We follow the Rio Mendoza upriver through a valley called Seven Tunnels until we reach the mountain town of
Uspallata.
Here we take a short coffee break before we continue our trip through
mountain scenery made famous in the movie 'Seven Years in
Tibet'. The road passes through the
Penitentes ski resort and continues west, until several kilometers before the Chilean border we turn into
Aconcagua
National Park.
Here we take a short walk to
Horcones Pond
and view the tallest mountain outside the
Himalayas. On our return we stop to see
Puente del Inca,
a naturally formed stone bridge over a steep ravine. Here there is a
small handicrafts market and hot spring complex. We continue down the
mountain, returning to Uspallata where we enjoy an afternoon lunch of
the local delicacy - kid goat.
Before taking the road home to Mendoza, we make a detour to
Cerro Siete Colors (Seven Colors Mountain) a fascinating, multi-colored rock formation that is often the surprise delight of the day.
Return to Club Tapiz early evening.
Day 5: Valle De Uco
You will be collected at 9.00am and again we head south once more but this time to Valle De Uco, a high altitude vine growing area and the new frontier in Argentine winemaking. The current “it spot” for groundbreaking wines has attracted such luminaries as Michel Rolland, Paul Hobbs, and the Lurton brothers. The scenery is spectacular with the snow-capped
Andes forming a backdrop to miles of lush vineyards and sleepy villages.
The first visit is to
Andeluna, part owned by Ward Lay of Lay’s potato chips. The winery is modern with unparalleled views of the
Andes and excellent wines including an award winning Cabernet Sauvignon. In the old world tasting room there is a rare example of a cooling system providing wine tastings by the glass. Second up is
Clos de los Siete,
owned by seven French investors who were led by Michel Rolland and tempted by the limitless possibilities of planting without restriction. The property is divided into seven wine cellars which helps you appreciate the freedom that
Mendoza affords to the world’s great winemakers.
At midday we visit
O. Fournier, famous for its innovative architecture and award winning wines. Here we will enjoy a gourmet lunch in the concept winery and taste their impressive B crux Tempranillo.
We will return to Club Tapiz at 5pm.
Day Six: Depart
Mendoza
Our guide will collect you at Club Tapiz and drive you to the airport for your flight.
Please consult for Prices
|
