8 Best Sights in Wine Regions, Argentina

This 19th-century winery close to downtown Mendoza was brought into the 21st century by the local Millán family. Besides producing a great selection of wine, visitors can enjoy the art gallery (curator Paula Dreidemie is available for private tours), guided visits, and tastings (from 1800 pesos). Book in for lunch or dinner at Abrasado restaurant, which specializes in dry-aged beef. The winery also produces award-winning olive oil. 

A small joint enterprise between the Catena family from Mendoza and the Rothschild family who own Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, CARO crafts Argentine blends with French accents. Visit includes ducking down into the historic cellar before sampling three vintages. Come in the evening and you might catch some tango. Tastings take place Monday to Friday. 

Caffeine fans can get their espresso fix at Bonafide. The Bonafide brand was the first to bring a coffee roasting machine to Argentina in 1917, and it now has locations city-wide. On the corner of Sarmiento and 9 de Julio near the central plaza, enjoy a steaming cup of joe with medialunas (sweet croissants) and alfajores (cookies with dulce de leche, sweet caramelized milk jam).

Mendoza has no shortage of heladerías (ice cream shops) ranging from artisan producers to national chains. It's a favorite pastime of locals to sit down to a few scoops, at any time of the day or night. Try local flavors, including wine ice creams, at Soppelsa (on Belgrano and Civit), Perin (on Sarmiento and Belgrano), Michel (on Belgrano and Montevideo), and Bianco & Nero (on Aristides and Belgrano).

On the site of the original cabildo (town hall), the Foundation Museum explains the region's social and historical development. Of note is the display of a mummified child found on Aconcagua, with photos of his burial treasures. Excavations, made visible by a glass-covered viewing area, reveal layers of pre-Hispanic and Spanish remains.

Home of former governor and senator Emilio Civit, this 26-bedroom 1873 mansion was the gathering place of the Belle Epoque elite. Today it's the Museum of the Cuyo's Past with paintings, antiques, history books, and artifacts from Argentina's War of Independence on display.

Dating back to 1896, this 971-acre park has more than 50,000 trees from all over the world. Fifteen km (9 miles) of paths meander through it. You can stop and smell the roses (a dedicated garden contains hundreds of varieties), observe aquatic competitions from the rowing club's balcony restaurant, or set the kids free on the numerous playgrounds. Scenes of the 1817 Andes crossing by José de San Martín and his army during the campaign to liberate Argentina are depicted on a monument atop Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill), a steep 20-minute walk up from the park's center. The stadium here (built for the 1978 World Cup, which Argentina won) hosts popular soccer matches; the amphitheater (capacity 22,500) fills to the brim during Vendimia, the annual wine-harvest festival; and there are markets and open aerobics classes on the weekend.

In Mendoza's main square you can sit on a bench in the shade of a sycamore tree and watch children playing in the fountains, browse the stands at the daily artisan fair, or stroll past the historic Plaza Hotel (now the Park Hyatt) on your way to the shops and outdoor cafés on pedestrian-only Calle Sarmiento, which bisects the square.