Traipsing the Argentine Vineyards

Visitors who can’t make it out of Buenos Aires [1] will find wine bars where they can sample the country’s best, and restaurants around the country carry a broad selection.

But true aficionados should spend at least a week in and around Mendoza [2]—not nearly enough time to visit all the 100-plus wineries around the provincial capital.

Day 1

Arrive at Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini (Ezeiza) and transfer to a Buenos Aires hotel. In the afternoon, visit central historic sites like the Plaza de Mayo [3], the Casa Rosada [4] presidential palace, and the Congreso Nacional [5].

Day 2

A full-day city tour will include the colonial neighborhood of San Telmo [6], the colorful immigrant barrio of La Boca [7], and the northern barrio of Retiro [8]. Enjoy a predinner visit to a lively wine bar.

Day 3

Take a morning flight to the provincial capital of Mendoza [2], center of Argentina’s largest wine-producing region. In the afternoon, visit wineries of Maipú [9], in the city’s eastern suburbs.

Day 4

Tour the wineries of nearby Luján de Cuyo [10], with lunch at Ruca Malén or another winery. Have dinner in the fashionable Chacras de Coria [11] neighborhood before returning to Mendoza.

Day 5

Take a breather from the wineries, with a tour or rental car excursion up the Río Mendoza valley for views of Cerro Aconcagua [12] (the Western Hemisphere’s highest summit). Or, check out the view from the statue of Cristo Redentor [13], a peace monument on the Chilean border near Las Cuevas. Have dinner at 1884, adjacent to Mendoza’s Escorihuela winery [14].

Day 6

An excursion to the provincial capital of San Juan [15], home to several lesser-known wineries, allows a side trip to the offbeat Difunta Correa shrine [16].

Day 7

Travel to high-altitude wineries of the Uco Valley [17], southwest of Mendoza, with special attention to Bodega O. Fournier or the state-of-the art Bodegas Salentein. Overnight at Salentein or San Rafael.

Day 8

Take a full-day tour of San Rafael [18] wineries, returning to Mendoza in the afternoon.

Day 9

Hop a morning flight to Buenos Aires and on to the city of Salta, with an afternoon city tour.

Day 10

By bus or rental car via the scenic desert canyon of the Quebrada de Cafayate, make your way to the town of Cafayate, home to the finest vintages of the white varietal torrontés. Visit wineries and take a side trip to pre- Columbian ruins at Quilmes in nearby Tucumán Province.

Day 11

Visit additional wineries near Cafayate and travel overland to the picturesque desert village of Cachi for an overnight. If possible, detour to Bodega Colomé near Molinos or, alternatively, spend the night at its hotel.

Day 12

Return to Salta via Parque Nacional Los Cardones and the precipitously scenic Quebrada de Escoipe.

Day 13

A morning flight to Buenos Aires [1] leaves the afternoon and evening free for sightseeing and perhaps a tango floor show [19].

Day 14

Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Buenos Aires before an evening departure.