Wine enthusiasts who have already toured Napa and Sonoma valleys in Northern California, uncorked bottles of Champagne region of France, and tasted wine in Tuscany, you might want to go to Mendoza in Argentina for a unique tasting adventure in the Andes. Mendoza, like many wine producing regions, is astonishingly beautiful. The area is dry and sunny, full of lakes and rivers, and blessed with the snow-capped Andes as a backdrop.
The high altitude and extreme variation in temperature produces some of the best wines in America. This area of the world, often compared to Napa Valley some thirty years ago and viticulturists have embraced Mendoza with the belief that the combination of world class wines and stunning scenery will be the main focus of this area into the international limelight. There are many vineyards and bodegas that are available in and around the city of Mendoza, which makes it all the days of wine tasting. Travelers can ride, cycle or bus to the tasting rooms, where tours, explanations and good food await. It is also possible to rent an oenologist to accompany you to a more personalized experience. Many of the wineries have their own bed and breakfast, or unique housing for vineyard guests.
A good place to start a tasting tour is at Vines of Mendoza Tasting Room, which is centrally located and offers all the best wines of the region. Once you have tasted the different wines you can visit the vineyards that produce your favorites. Two top-notch locations are Tapiz and Achaval Ferrer offering great wine flights and interesting, informative tours.
Mendoza is a lively and beautiful city with 150,000 inhabitants and offers a variety of activities for all tastes. In addition to wine tasting, travelers can take cooking classes with chefs, world-class climbing in the Andes, hike through spectacular pastoral landscapes, try white water rafting, and enjoy the evening tango shows.
Another perk to visit Argentina, is that the dollar and the euro goes a little further here than it does in Europe or the United States. Travelers can easily fly to one of Argentina’s second major destination or head to Chile after tasting tour.
This guide to Argentina´s wine producing region was written by a Argentina travel expert at Argentina For Less available to help you custom design your Argentina vacations.