You can not miss the opportunity to enjoy, live and be excited with breath-taking landscapes and unforgettable moments!
Arrival Day
Your flight arrives at the
Mendoza
International
Airport
and you will be greeted by your host just outside the secure area, then driven by private car to an exclusive hotel
located in the center of
Mendoza
. Our tour begins with an afternoon departure from the hotel to see the city of
Mendoza
. At night we will have a special dinner at one of Mendoza´s top restaurants
Francis Mallman 1884, which the British newspapers
The Times and
The Daily Telegraph has rated the seventh-best restaurant in the world.
Day 2
After breakfast we start to explore the
Lujan de Cuyo district, the cradle of Argentina´s wine renascence, which put
Argentina
back on the wine map with its stunning Malbec.
Your tour starts at Bodega
Catena Zapata. Besides the striking, Mayan-pyramid inspired architecture, Catena Zapata offers unparalleled views of the
Andes
and the surrounding vineyards. The winery symbolizes a family´s pride in its roots and a keen desire to show to the world the uniqueness of
Mendoza
as a wine-producing region.
Your next stop is Bodega
Finca Decero, a new winery with a superb view of the
Andes
mountain range. The privileged characteristics of the terroir and the weather conditions of the area allow the cultivation of outstanding red grapes. After our tour and tasting we are going to have an exclusive gourmet lunch at
Ruca Malen, enjoying its delicious cuisine as well as a vertical wine tasting.
From the foothills of the Andes Mountains, the focus of Ruca Malen is producing wines that speak of the land and a commitment to the environment. Drawing their water directly from the snow capped mountains, the Ruca Malen winemakers grow some of the best fruit in Argentina
Your tour ends with a visit to the Bodega
Tapiz, owned years ago by Jess Jackson and his Kendall-Jackson wine group. Carolina Fuller is a charming Anglo-Argentine guide with a great passion, expertise and infectious enthusiasm for wine making. She will show us the vineyards and explain planting, pruning and harvesting techniques, encouraging tastings at every stage of the process, from grapes to bottle. Tapiz usually includes a horseback ride through the vineyard !
We´ll have dinner at
Club Tapiz, located on an estate built in 1890 and surrounded by vineyards, which is regarded as one of Mendoza´s best restaurants.
Day 3
After breakfast, we are going to visit the exclusive high-altitude wine growing area of
Uco
Valley
.
Well inside the first mountainsides of the
Andes´
foothills, the Uco Valley presents the highest altitudes at which wines are produced in the
province
of
Mendoza
: up to 1,400 meters above sea level. The best wines are produced from grape varieties that have short ripening cycles, especially Chardonnay, Semillon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.
Our first visit will be to Bodega
Salentein, a modern winery located at the foothills of the
Tupungato
Mountain
. They are producing one of the best Pinot Noir Reserves. The property is comprised of three estates on more than 1,000 acres, some of which perch higher than 5,500 feet above sea level. We will also visit The Killka Convention Center, their cinema and
Art
Gallery
.
We continue for lunch at one of the great rising stars of the region, ¨La Tupiña¨, located at Bodega Altus. We will have the opportunity to enjoy the regional cuisine of the well-known chef Lucas Bustos. The lunch begins with tapas and white wine, then moves on to the dinning room where we have a stew (locro), then a meat course (baby goat ¨a la tupiña¨ and lamb comfit, accompanied with pureed potatoes and leeks, baked tomatoes and lemon and mint sauce), and finally an amazing dessert (bitter chocolate terrine with raisins). Each course is served with a different
Altus
wine. The whole lunch experience takes about three hours !
Our last stop is
Andeluna Cellars. Originally part of a well-known Argentine wine family's estate, the property was sold in 1995 to H. Ward Lay, the son of Frito-Lay founder Herman Lay.
A longtime fan of
Argentina
, Lay also owns a 200,000 acre hunting estate in
Patagonia
. This beautiful place is the inspiration for the name Andeluna, which was chosen to symbolize the romance and heritage of the Argentine moon illuminating the magnificent
Andes
Mountains
that frame the
Uco
Valley
near the town of
Tupungato
. Andeluna is a wine lover's paradise !
Return to
Mendoza
by
6:30pm
.
We'll celebrate that last night at the famous
Bistro M, the main restaurant of the Park Hyatt, Mendoza City´s only five-star hotel. Bistro M serves traditional Mendocinean dishes prepared in the French style.
Day 4
Breakfast and check out of the hotel. Rest of the day free for personal activities. Optional: City Tour with famous Latin American Handracft Shop ¨Ayllu¨ or Mendoza Plaza Shopping Mall. Transfer out to the airport. End of our services.
Price per person (Minimum 2 person party):
Huentala Hotel (4*): USD $1190
Sheraton/Intercontinental Hotel (5*): USD $1290
Discounts for 3-8 person party.
Please note:
This exciting package
is a totally private wine experience and is NOT a group tour. Available all year round.
Our tour includes:
Mendoza Holidays Winner ¨Best of Wine Tourism Awards 09/10¨
