Mendoza is a 2-hour flight west of Buenos Aires or a 6-7 hour bus ride through the Andes from Santiago, Chile.
There are a number of hotels in the city of Mendoza, but when I visited in April, we chose to stay at a small vineyard called Finca Adalgisa, located in the suburb of Chacras de Coria. The vineyard was small, but nice, and there was a winery on site serving Finca’s own wine along with small snacks. Here are some photos of the hotel.
Pool surrounded by the vineyards
Grapes - almost at harvest
The rooms - with hammocks on the patios
Outside Finca's Winery
We used Ampora Wine tours http://www.mendozawinetours.com/ for two day-long tours to different wineries in the Mendoza area.
Valle de Uco is a high altitude region where newer wineries have been developed – the wineries here all have spectacular views of the Andes and large and sprawling vineyards.
Bodega Salentein was our first stop in Valle de Uco. Salentein was opened by a Dutch company, and the vineyard exports 70% of its wine. We tasted 3 wines here, a Savingnon Blanc, an Rose, and a Pinot Noir. Bodega Salentein had magnificent views, and the cellars were large,spacious, new, and sparkling. Fun Fact: Pinot Noir grapes only grow at high altitudes in Argentina
Tasting at Salentein
The Winery at Salentein
View from the tasting at Salentein
Andeluna was just down the road from Salentein and our second stop of the day. This was another breathtaking property. The winery is 6 years old and goal of Andeluna vineyards is to produce the best Malbec in the world. We tasted 3 wines here, a Pasionado (made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec & Cabernet Franc), a Chardonnay, and a Reserve Malbec. Fun Fact: The winery is owned by Ward Lay, of Frito Lay
Interior of the winery at Andeluna
View of the Vineyards at Andeluna
O. Fournier was the 3rd and final winery of the day. Our tour guide referred to it at the “James Bond” winery and I’d have to agree. It was rather secluded and futuristic looking. There is a good photo on the vineyard’s website that captures the whole building. Unfortunately I have only one picture of myself here – I may have become less attentive with the camera after 3 tastings! We did have a lively lunch here, and had a chance to talk with each of the members of the tour group – each tour is kept to 6 -8 people so it was a good size to meet lots of different people. Our group consisted of Americans, Canadians, Irish, and English/Scottish (who were living in Chile)
At lunch, each course was paired with lovely wines to complement the course. Some highlights were: A sherry sorbet with ham paired with a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Urban Uco Torrontes. Lunch was served in a room with windows on 2 sides, surrounded by a pool of water. You can see it a little in the background of this photo.
I’ll post a similar review of the Luján de Cuyo wineries shortly!
Have you ever visited a winery? Where?
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