4 Best Sights in San Rafael, Wine Regions

One of the country's oldest wineries, Goyenechea was founded in 1868 by a Basque immigrant family that had the foresight to build not only a solid brick winery, but also 60 houses for the working families, a school for their children, a repair shop, and a chapel. As you pass through the arched caves where wine ages in bottles, you can see the piletas, huge concrete vats that held 8,976 gallons of wine when the industry was focused on quantity, not quality. Family members, now the sixth generation, often lead free tours, which are in Spanish.

The Swiss-French brothers who own this winery produce a limited quantity of wines from their own grapes including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Guided tours of the spotless facility include crushing, fermentation, and tasting areas.

In 1897, the Suter family journeyed to Argentina from Switzerland and planted the first Pinot Blanco variety in the country. Today, the fourth generation continues to produce good value white wines, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and sparkling wine. A winery tour leads you through a labyrinth of underground caves filled with huge oak casks—used more to evoke atmosphere than to store wine.

Bianchi is the largest of San Rafael's wineries, receiving thousands of visitors a year to its lush, garden setting, which is 5 km (3 miles) from the center of San Rafael. Book in for horseback riding or e-biking through the vineyards to work up thirst for a tasting in the family cellar, which includes their renowned sparkling wine.