Wineries. NW or Mendoza?
 

My fiance and I are big wine lovers and going to argentina for our honeymoon first two weeks of April. We are going to salta and the nortwest for part of the trip but having a hard time deciding how long to stay there and if we should also go to mendoza.

It has been suggested we can do wine tasting etc in salta just as we could in mendoza, but that salta and the northwest would be better because of a unique grape and the scenery, which would allow us to skip mendoza.

Can anyone provide info on the wineries in the NW? Would we be better skipping mendoza to spend more time in the NW if we can still accomplish staying at a winery and taking a day to visit several wineries for tasting? We like red and white wine equally. Does the NW also produce a lot of very good Malbec's and other reds along with the Torrentes grap?

We spent a couple of month in Argentina at the end of last year. We absolutely loved the 2 weeks we spent driving around the north west region. There are plenty of vineyards to try there, the largest being the ubiquitous El Esteco. They were close for the day when we visited Cafayate (Sunday I think)but there are plenty of others to try in the area.

Mendoza did not impress us as a place to visit (but I appreciate that others may love it). The bodegas we visited did not inspire but we probably jus did not pick the right ones. However, if wine is the primary purpose of your visit (as opposed to scenery) then Mendoza is going to provide much more variety.

I am sure flintstones will post regarding a lot more info on the wines of the North west soon.

Our last trip, (17 days), we had a private guide from Salta who drove us down to Mendoza via Colome (Cachi), Cafayate, Tucaman, etc. (we visited two nat'l parks too) and stopped at a few wineries. We did it this way since there are no flights that go from Salta - Mendoza without going thru BA.

Anyway, it was a really nice way to travel, the Andes are great. And, as cool as the NW is, I thought Mendoza was pretty too, as the Andes are also in the backgroud.

So, if you can do both, great. We were there the last couple of weeks in March, it was a nice time to visit both areas.

If you are in the Mendoza region and are looking to experience the wine country in a natural surrounding, as opposed to Mendoza city... which I personally think is more hectic than BsAs, try Giulio at Finca Arco Iris... tell him you are particularly there for wine and see what he can do... We had a great time and it really was a true respite... in a beautiful area.

The Feb Budget Travel magazine has a great article on Mendoza. I've never been to Mendoza, but have been to the NW and we did enjoy the wines in Cafayate. Lots of vineyards and lots of good wine, Torrentes as well as reds.

Here I am crellston,...
Well, the NW is definitelly different to Mendoza, I already told this and could sound arrogant or (Idon`t find a word...) but I am proud of announcing that the iwnes in CAfayate are not the volume of productions but he wines are great.
The torrontes, uhmmmm, many people adopted them as their favorite! You have to taste it. I already described it as a sunhine in the throat, as a piece of heaven... but it is better to feel it.
And besides wines, the sceneries are more varied in this area of the Andes... Nobody who came to Salta regreted. Many of the posters here and in other forum were "convinced" to come and nobody complained...
Vida Dura, I promise you will not regret.
We also have malbec, tanat, merlot, Cabernet sauvingnon, sirah, and most of our wines are only sold here and for export. The Mendoza wines can be tasted anywhere in BA.
In Cafayate the wineries are more or less close and you will spend one day to see them all.
Flintstones

If you are interested in wines (and wonderful food), I cannot imagine eliminating Mendoza from your itinerary. I would NOT stay in Mendoza...while it has its charms, and is definitely worth enjoying from another base, I would choose Chacras de Coria as my center. We have just returned from a four day stay in the region and highly recommend Lares de Chacras. The visits to the vineyards are spectacular, with the incredible backdrop of the Andes and wonderful Malbecs. Don't miss lunch at Altus...you will feel you are in paradise sitting in the vineyard indulging in the fruits of the land.
Another nice visit was to the winery, Achaval Ferrer...wonderful guide! Check out The Vines newsletter from Mendoza. If I can be of more specific help, I'll be happy to continue! Please don't miss Mendoza!