Are you a wine connoisseur? Yeah, me neither but I like to drink it. Since living in Buenos Aires, and wine being such a big staple in Argentine culture, it’s hard not to develop a profound love for it — especially malbec wine.  

Mendoza, a province in Argentina and over 600 miles from the capital of Buenos Aires, is known as the wine region of the country. Think Paso Robles or Napa Valley for reference. Mendoza produces all types of wines from syrah, malbec and cabernet sauvignon. Plus, it holds 75% of the total vineyards in the country. 

Alright enough of the mini stat and history lesson. Let’s get to the good stuff! 

WHO IS THIS GUIDE FOR?

If you’re looking to make a quick stop to Mendoza or simply want to add this to your bucket list because you’re a self-proclaimed wine lover! Below is a one day guide to help you navigate the wineries in Mendoza featuring my honest recommendations and tips.

TRANSPORTATION IN MENDOZA

It’s important to note that wine vineyards or bodegas are not located in the capital of Mendoza, but rather nearby towns such as Maipú (approximately 30 minutes away) and Valle de Uco (over 1 hour away). It’s best to pick one location, we [the bf and I] chose Maipú for its proximity and we woke up a bit late…oops. The forms of transportation to Maipú include the following:

• TAXIS – There’s taxi’s all over the city and are rather accessible. They’re also super safe! Note: they only take cash (Argentine pesos) Cost will depend on your drop off point (winery). Based on rising inflation, it’s hard to give you an amount in dollars but at the time (November 2019) it was around $500 pesos one way.  
• BUS – You can opt-in to take the bus. There’s a local city bus that drops you off at the Maipú bus terminal, but it’s likely you have to walk from there or find a taxi to get you closer to the wineries. 
• CAR – If you want to have more control over transportation, rent a car. Although, not advisable if you’re going to be wine tasting and no one wants a sober friend…just saying. 
• UBER –  Alright, so yes, there’s Uber leaving the city of Mendoza BUT it will be hard to find an Uber in Maipú. Trust me, we learned the hard way. 

TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATION

However you choose to get there, make sure you find a way to get back! Once you’re in Maipu, it’s hard to find an Uber or taxi’s to take you back as they’re not as accessible. My recommendation —  hire a taxi driver (negotiate a fee), to drive you from bodega to bodega. Option two, if you’re looking to save a little more money, you can call ahead to your wineries and find out about their remis (taxis) and reserve one at each bodega for them to have one ready for you.

WHAT WINERIES SHOULD YOU VISIT?

So there’s a lot, like a huge list and they’re everywhere and quite a distance from each other so plan accordingly. Below is a list of some top wineries in Maipú based on reviews:

• Bodega Trapiche – 4.5 stars (more on this below)
• Bodegas López Mendoza – 4.7 stars (more on this below)
• Bodega Tempus Alba – 4.5 stars
• Bodega MEVI – 4.1 stars
• Bodega Viña el Cerno – 4.6 stars
• Bodega Domiciano – 4.6 stars
• Cecchin Family Winery – 4.6 stars

We decided to do two main wineries  —  based on locals recommendations and our limited time. Below are the two wineries we visited and why I suggest you add them to your list. 

Bodegas López Mendoza

This was our first stop. Right away, we were greeted and joined a free guided tour through the winery. What I liked about this place is that they walk you through their wine making process from the viticulture to the packaging. If you love learning, this is the tour for you. At the end, they take you down to a wine cellar where you get to taste four different wines. The best thing is that this tour is optional and did I mention FREE. A plus to this place,  it’s so charming with great pic opps *wink wink*. Check some of them out below!

Trapiche

Alright so Trapiche is the Beyonce of wines (stream Black is King). They hold many awards including New World Winery of the year 2019. We arrived with no reservation (which btw you should make a reservation here beforehand). Lucky for us, they were on their last tour of the day and made an exception for us. This guided and mandatory tour is not free but it’s rather inexpensive. We paid $500 Argentine pesos each (rate for November 2019). Their tour was focused more on their history. They end the tour at their wine tasting station where they serve up to four wines. What’s incredible about this winery is the views. You can see miles of vineyards and the Andes mountains in the backdrop. A perk of this place is they have a restaurant, so if you want to end your day there and have dinner (make reservations here) you can enjoy their local culinary. Trapiche also offers 20% off their wines as part of your wine tour package, which was amazing!

Winery Recommendations

Decide what wineries you want to visit, call ahead for reservations, pour wine, sip and enjoy. It’s that simple! Will you be making your way to Argentina’s wine country anytime soon? Comment below. 

Pin this to your Pinterest board so you can reference it when planning your Mendoza trip.