Mendoza Tour

La Primera Zona, home to the prestigious wine regions of Luján de Cuyo, Agrelo, and Maipú, is renowned for hosting many of Mendoza’s most famous wineries. Often compared to California’s Napa Valley, this area is a must-visit for wine enthusiasts seeking the best of Argentine wine. During this tour, you’ll explore three wineries and enjoy a delightful lunch at one of them. (B,L)

Antigal Winery
Located in Mendoza, Argentina’s premier wine-producing region, Antigal Winery benefits from the unique climate shaped by the nearby Andes mountains. The region’s high altitude, continental climate, diverse soils, and abundant meltwater contribute to the creation of exceptional wines. Established in 1897, Antigal is one of Mendoza’s oldest wineries still in operation. In 2011, its UNO Malbec earned international recognition, receiving its first accolade from Wine Enthusiast, a renowned U.S. wine publication.

Trivento Winery
Blending tradition with innovation, Trivento crafts wines that honor the distinct character of Mendoza’s terroirs while embracing the challenge of the region’s strong winds. Founded in 1996, the winery has grown significantly over the past 25 years. Today, Trivento owns over 1,600 hectares across Mendoza’s key wine regions and operates three wineries. It has become Argentina’s top wine brand in terms of sales.

Trapiche Winery – Gourmet Lunch at the winery paired with wines
The history of Trapiche begins in 1883, in a small vineyard called El Trapiche, in the district of Godoy Cruz, Mendoza. With more than 130 years of experience, Trapiche has earned its place as a pioneering brand in the introduction of French vines, the production of varietal wines, the import of French oak barrels and the use of stainless-steel tanks. Trapiche opens its doors to visitors from around the world and invites them to visit the winery, a fully restored and renovated building dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. The winery pays homage to all those who laid the foundations of Argentina’s wine industry and today still contribute to its further development.

Please note: Wineries subject to change without notice. Many wineries are closed on Sundays and holidays.

Option I: Boutique Wineries Tour
This morning, you’ll meet your driver and embark on a journey to explore charming boutique wineries and estates that specialize in limited batches of handcrafted wines. These wineries emphasize innovative and emerging wines, offering a unique experience that will captivate even the most experienced wine enthusiast. (B,L)
 
Matervini
This boutique winery is dedicated to experimental soils. Their founders, however, are not new to the winemaking world: Santiago Achaval and Roberto Cipresso former founders of acclaimed Achaval Ferrer. Today, through their new project, they aim to explore the oldest geologies of Pre-Cordillera soils and their impact on wine personality and flavors. With a very limited production of wines and concentrating on high quality, these pioneers are already making a revolution in the industry.

Susana Balbo Wines
In 1999, after working for more than 20 years as a consultant winemaker for national and international wine companies, Susana decided to make her dream come true and started to build Susana Balbo Wines at Dominio del Plata in the heart of Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. After more than 10 years of steady growth in foreign markets, another one of her dreams was fulfilled: her children, José, a winemaker who graduated from UC Davis (California) and Ana, a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University San Andrés (Buenos Aires), decided to go on with the family tradition and join Susana Balbo Wines team. Dominio del Plata stands out for its architecture, specially designed to cater to the production of high-end wines. The winery produces around 3,000,000 bottles and exports to more than 36 countries all over the world, making the United States one of its main markets.

Finca Decero Winery – Gourmet Lunch at the winery paired with wines
Finca Decero, once a bare patch of soil in the Argentine foothills of the Andes, is now a one-of-a-kind vineyard, where each vine is nurtured by hand and winemaking is without compromise, only committed to quality. Decero, as its name suggests, started from scratch and has since adopted a sustainable and sensitive approach to winemaking. This allows the natural attributes of their Remolinos Vineyard to shine through in each of their single vineyard wines. They offer a five-course lunch at the winery paired with their wines.

Option 2: Mendoza Hiking + Riccitelli Vineyard

Today we will hike in the Andean foothills before enjoying a wine tasting lunch at one of Mendoza’s premier boutique wineries. Just one hour from the city of Mendoza isLa Crucecita Village, a very picturesque village with stone houses. This is a popular hiking trail for locals with several options available to reach a bell tower standing tall upon a stone wall originally built in the 1800s. The hike features rolling terrain of moderate difficulty along a creek with excellent Andean views.

After working up an appetite we will head to Riccitelli Vineyards for a five-course lunch and wine tasting. This small family winery is an expression of the winemaker’s lifetime of dedication, passion, and hard work. Matias Riccitelli, the winemaker, was born in Cafayate, the northwestern wine growing region, into a family of winemakers. Matias has worked under his father’s wing, a legendary Argentine winemaker in his own right, since the age of 8. After travelling the world studying great wine traditions and cutting his teeth at other notable Argentine wineries Matias opened Richitelli in 2009. Located in Las Compuertas, the highest sub-region of the Lujan de Cuyo, in the Andean foothills, Matias is crafting some of Argentina’s most exciting wines, with scores from 92 to 97 by Tim Atkins, Richitellis wines have definitely reached the top 100 of Argentina. (B, L)

Please note: Wineries subject to change without notice. Many wineries are closed on Sundays and holidays.

You will be transferred from your hotel to the Mendoza airport as your Argentina tour comes to an end. (B)