Mendoza resurfaces as a destination for an express getaway -whether long weekend or not- thanks to the number of direct flights that connect it with nine airports in the country and four cities abroad, and the growing enogastronomic and hotel proposal.
The wine province has 103 weekly flights with Buenos Aires (Aeroparque and Ezeiza). And another 50 direct flights with Bariloche, Córdoba, Jujuy, Mar del Plata, Neuquén, Rosario, Salta, Santiago de Chile, San Pablo, Lima and Panama. All with high occupancy rate.
The airline Gol increased from 3 to 5 flights per week the direct route San Pablo Mendoza due to high demand. 85 percent of the passengers of that frequency are Brazilian, it is the highest percentage of occupation of foreigners of all the flights that the company has to Argentina.
Wine Route in Mendoza.
To enjoy the gastronomy of wine, visits to the vineyards and guided tastings, extra time is needed. It is important to calculate the distance to the wineries because most are in agricultural areas far from urban centers.
However, there are interesting proposals of wineries that can be reached on foot, by public transport (micros or tram), by taxi or in mobility applications from the city of Mendoza. Visits that can demand from one to three hours maximum.
Here a selection of wineries in the surroundings of the Mendoza capital that have alternatives of services and innovative wine tourism activities at different times (it is necessary to make a reservation because they have a limited space).
Trapiche, one of the wineries near Mendoza. Photo Trapiche
1. Trapiche Winery
It is located in Maipú, 20 minutes by car, from the city of Mendoza. Surrounded by a landscape of vineyards and olive groves. Open to tourism from Monday to Monday. You can visit the winery and tasting; lunch or dinner at the Espacio Trapiche restaurant and enjoy the afternoon at the Estación 33 wine bar.
Bodega Trapiche has a new experience called Master Class, to explore the vineyards, get to know the museum, the philosophy of making its wines and taste unique specimens. And a pairing class by the head sommelier, to taste the most representative cava wines of the winery accompanied by cheeses, nuts and jams.
The Espacio Trapiche restaurant is open at noon and at night, every day. Just being awarded the 17th place in the guide of the best 25 restaurants in the region and one of the six best restaurants in Argentina by Trip Advisor, The kitchen is in charge of chef Lucas Bustos.
Concerts in Trapiche.
Station 83 is another attraction offered by the winery that this year celebrates its 140th year of history. The proposal is next to an old wagon converted into a pulled wine bar. It offers selections of wine extracted from the barrels and a relaxed gastronomic proposal of ̈street-food. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 12 to 18 hours.
Another original activity is the Sea and Mountain tasting (at 10 o'clock) to taste wines from the different terroirs: two wines from the Atlantic, from the Costa y Pampa winery, and two wines from Mendoza, a Fond de Cave Gran Reserva and a Gran Medalla.
To know the identity of Trapiche, you can taste the Single Vineyards (at 10,11,12 and 14), from four different terroirs of the valued region of the Uco Valley. And the Signature wines tasting (at 11 and 16), of the award-winning wines: Gran Medalla, Terroir Series and Iscay.
- Reports: Nueva Mayorga s/n, Maipú; (0261) 520 7608; WhatsApp +54 9 261 305 3919.
2. Bodegas López
One of the few family wineries left in Mendoza. It is located in the town of Gutiérrez, in the commune of Maipú, 18 kilometers from the city and with many alternatives to get there by private car or public transport.
The façade of the family winery located in Gutiérrez. Photo Bodega López
López can be reached by Metrotranvía, a pleasant 35-minute walk, which starts from Belgrano Avenue, in the heart of the hotel of the city of Mendoza and lasts 25 minutes to Gutiérrez station. The stop is 3 blocks from the winery, in the middle of a quiet neighborhood of low houses.
Visitors to the winery founded in 1898, can take a free visit with a duration of 40 minutes, or private tours from $ 1,500 per person.
Another option is a full-day stay, under the concept Live the Lopez style, lasting 5 hours, for $ 14,375 with wine tasting and gastronomy of the winery.
Bodegas López was founded in 1898. Photo Bodega López
The Rincón de Lopez restaurant is open from Thursday to Sunday, from 12.30 to 14.30, and has a la carte options and 3 set menus accompanied by wines and sparkling wines.
- Reports: Ozamis Norte 375, Gutierrez. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10 to 17 and weekends from 10 to 12.30. Holidays consult. Activities with reservation in experiencias.bodegaslopez.com.ar, or to the cell phone 0261 5948023.
3. Los Toneles Winery
Just 10 minutes from downtown, and a few blocks from the Mendoza Bus Terminal, Bodega Los Toneles is ideal for those arriving or leaving the city for its strategic location. It is located between the South and East accesses, one kilometer from the entrance to the city of Mendoza and at the road junction that connects the municipalities of Greater Mendoza.
Restaurant Abrasado. Photo Los Toneles
The winery, its restaurant Abrasado and the Barceló lounge, with different gastronomic offers, is in an architectural space built in 1922, declared cultural heritage of Mendoza, in the town of San José, in the municipality of Guaymallén.
During the visit you can visit the large fermentation pools, the Great Hall and the old home of Don Francisco Armando, founder of the winery. It is open for tours and tastings from Tuesday to Saturday, from 12 to 20.
A new proposal is the space La Casona Art & Coffee, an art gallery run by Melisa Millán, from the family that owns the winery, who is a plastic artist and performs the curatorial and vernissage works. It has a specialty coffee service and signature patisserie (Tuesday to Sunday, from 12 to 20).
The Abrasado restaurant operates at noon and at night, from Tuesday to Saturday, in shifts from 12 to 14.30 and from 19 to 22.30. Sundays, only noon, from 12 to 14.30. Open menu to choice, or menus of 3 and 5 steps, of product cuisine and matured meats.
- Reports: bodegalostoneles.com
4. Wine Theme Centre
It is the place where oenological studies were born in Argentina. The Wine Thematic Center is in the Civic Park and in the same premises of the Congress and Exhibition Center of Mendoza. La Enoteca, as the historic building is known, is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 17 p.m.
Exhibitions at the Wine Thematic Center. Photo courtesy of Fondo Vitivinícola Mendoza
There in Avenida Peltier 611 of the City of Mendoza worked the first winery school in Latin America. The National School of Viticulture, between 1897 and 1939, created by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento with the advice of the French expert Michel Aimé Pouget, who brought the novelties in the field of plants and crop technologies and trained the first professionals of viticulture.
The space preserves the restored furniture of that time. The visit includes a tasting. The value of the ticket generated is $1000. and $500 for retirees and Mendoza. And admission is free for the disabled with a companion and for Falklands veterans. No reservation is necessary.
In La Enoteca or Wine Thematic Center there are tastings. Photo courtesy of Fondo Vitivinícola Mendoza
The visits are given in Spanish, Portuguese and English and two wines are tasted, Malbec and Torrontés. In addition, the Wine Center has a weekly agenda of artistic and cultural events, tasting courses for beginners and expert talks that can be consulted on the web enoteca.com.ar
- Reports: 611 Peltier Avenue; whatsapp at +54 9 2616 59-5405; turismo@laenoteca.com.ar
5. Bodegas Caro
Caro Winery. Wine Tourism
Located in Godoy Cruz in a historic neighborhood, just ten blocks from the border with the city of Mendoza, and steps from San Martín Avenue, where the main route of the Metrobus that connects the metropolitan area passes.
Bodega Caro was built in a historic property of 1884, which contains one of the oldest cellars in Mendoza. The space was abandoned for more than 20 years and the owners of Caro, Nicolás Catena and Barón Eric de Rothschild, acquired it in 2002 and began with the revaluation project.
The plan was to produce a unique wine that combines French and Argentine tradition in its flagship strains: Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The Catena family contributed all their knowledge of the high terroirs of Mendoza and their passion for Malbec, while Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) contributed with its centennial experience in making and aging Cabernet Sauvignon.
Guided tour in the winery. Photo Bodegas Caro
In English, Spanish or Portuguese, the tour of the winery is carried out by the tourism staff, which includes a circuit with augmented reality technology. Tourists learn about the history of Argentine viticulture, explore the production halls, the underground cellars and the main hall with the exhibition of Argentine art.
The plus tasting tour of 3 iconic wines costs $10,300; and the tasting of 3 wines from vintages of $ 46,000. Only with prior reservation caro@bodegascaro.com
In the same premises of the winery is the restaurant 1884 of chef Francis Mallmann, the first wine tourism restaurant in Mendoza and which was awarded among one of the best in Argentina in the international ranking Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants.
Wine Tourism. Caro Winery. Wine tourism experience. Tour with augmented virtual reality.
- Reports: Belgrano 1188, Godoy Cruz. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9.30 a.m. to 16.30 p.m. The tour and tasting demand one hour.
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