60 Best Sights in Wine Regions, Argentina

The gray adobe building with its uneven slate roof almost disappears against the background of bushes and mountains. This enormous estancia property (whose boundaries date back to 1658, when the Jesuits owned it) is owned by a French family who named it after a native tree. In addition to the winery, where you can undertake three tastings, Atamisque includes a trout farm, a 9-hole golf course, a restaurant, and lodge.

Built in 1897, Lagarde is one of the oldest wineries in Mendoza, and it's led by Sofía and Lucila Pescarmona, third-generation sisters who now cultivate grapes and make wine. Tour the 19th-century property before enjoying lunch or dinner alongside the centenary vines at Fogón, a delicious tasting and à la carte menu with many ingredients sourced from the organic garden; you can also enjoy a picnic on the grounds. Those after a fully immersive eno-gastro experience can sign up to the cooking school.  Lagarde rents an adorable two-bedroom cottage on its Perdriel estate.

The Zuccardi family set up here in 1950 and has since expanded to the Valle de Uco, but their location in Maipú remains an important base for producing their popular, fully organic, Santa Julia range. The extensive tourist offerings here include harvest experiences and olive oil-making sessions in season, as well as tastings, cooking classes, and dining at one of two restaurants for lunch, including Pan y Oliva, where every dish uses the house olive oil. Be sure to appreciate the exhibitions, which support local artists' work.

This modern winery in the heart of Lujan is Santiago Achaval (co-founder of Achaval Ferrer) and Roberto Cipresso's personal project. They make a series of exciting, exclusive Malbecs, producing just 40,000 bottles from different wine regions in Argentina. The dollar price tag (tours start at $30) reflects the exclusive pours and attentive experience. There's also Mater House, a small lodge, worth staying at. 

Extending 66,733 hectares (164,900 acres) over wild, high country, this provincial park has few trails other than those used by expeditions ascending the impressive Cerro Aconcagua (Aconcagua Mountain). You can get multiday permits for climbing it either through your tour operator or on your own at the Mendoza Tourist Board Visitor's Center in Parque San Martín; it's open weekdays 8–6 and weekends 9–1. Day permits (to visit as a tourist, not trekker) are only available online.

Trendy young winemaker Matías Riccitelli made his name with innovative and eye-catching labels and fortunately what’s in his bottles live up to all expectations. At his Las Compuertas–based winery, enjoy a short guided visit of the premises before sampling some vintages on the balcony overlooking the vineyards. Book in for lunch at Riccitelli Bistró, helmed by chef Juan Ventureyra, for a delightful, plant-based six-course menu, many of whose ingredients are cultivated by Juan.

Susana Balbo—Argentina's first licensed female winemaker—has been making a name for herself since 2001, when she pioneered the making of a high-quality Torrontés. Today, she and her family make reds, whites, and rosés, which you can enjoy in the tasting room or over lunch at one of the two restaurants on-site, Osadía de Crear for tasting menus, and Espacio Crios for picnics and light snacks.

This showstopping winery was built by the Zuccardi family to celebrate their newfound passion for the Valle de Uco, following the success of their other family winery in Maipú. In the heart of Paraje Altamira, this winery's impressive architecture is made of local natural materials that reflect the wild, rocky landscape while incorporating artistic touches, such as a colorful cupola and twisted metalwork door. The efforts have paid off; it's thrice been crowned the world's best vineyard. You can tour the estate, taste the family's top wines in the wine bar, or have a paired lunch at the excellent Piedra Infinita restaurant ($$$$).

This winery made its name on single variety Malbec, but today it has expanded to a handful of other varieties as well. Today it's owned by a renowned vodka distiller, and you can learn about the evolution of the company and its different single-site Malbecs in Mendoza.

Approaching this ultramodern winery on a lonely dirt road, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d discovered a flying saucer instead. But, as your tour guide will tell you, every part of the futuristic building has a function—whether it’s to make the best use of gravity or to direct the sometimes brutal winds that whip through. The wines come from the local estate, which sits at an altitude of 1,200 meters (3,940 feet), which you enjoy at Crux Cocina restaurant.

Surrounded by miles of vineyards, with the majestic Andes as a backdrop, this red-brick bodega blends beautifully into the scenery. Inside, the large reception and tasting room—with leather furnishings and high ceiling of reeds and open beams—evokes an old Mendocino mansion. The open kitchen at one end serves two- and six-course tasting menus; you can also participate in a cooking class with two days' notice. 

At this landmark bodega and museum, great concrete wine-storage tubs are exposed in a cavernous old building that survived three earthquakes and now functions as part of the museum. Wine and espumante are served in the lovely garden or at a wine bar in the front room.

A contemporary Mayan pyramid rising from the vineyards fronts the towering Andes at this landmark winery owned by the fourth generation of the Catena family. Descend from a crystal cupola through concentric spaces to the tasting room, which is surrounded by 400 oak barrels. The winery is due to open its first restaurant and cellar in 2022. 

The newest winery in the Clos de los Siete complex, Diamandes has some of the most striking architecture in the valley with a steel diamond in the center of the showpiece winery. Most visits focus on the four-course pairing menu from which you'll taste the Bordeaux-inspired wine portfolio with local cuisine.

In 1855, Felipe Rutini left the hills of Italy to found a winery in the raw land of Coquimbito, Argentina. His descendants planted the first grapes (Chardonnay and Merlot) in the now-popular Tupungato District of the Valle de Uco. Today, Bodega la Rural is still family-owned and -operated. The winery's well-known San Felipe label was created by Alejandro Sirio, a famous Spanish artist. Inside the original adobe barns the Museo del Vino (Wine Museum) displays leather hoppers, antique pressing machines, vintage carriages, 105-year-old tools, and even an amazing mousetrap.

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. 

The first winery to be constructed in the Clos de los Siete complex in Vista Flores, Bodega Monteviejo is not only an icon in the local wine scene, but also in the cultural scene, boasting rotating art exhibitions, regular concerts, and Mendoza's top rock festival each April. A visit to this winery includes an informative tasting, a tour of the wine-making facilities, and a walk up to the stunning rooftop with jaw-dropping views over the valley. There is a great restaurant on site, too.

In 1895, English engineer Sir Edmund Norton, built the first winery in the valley south of the Mendoza River and much of the historical building is still intact. Today production is much larger and there's a wide portfolio. Tours with tastings and other vineyard experiences are available with advance reservations, and the stylish on-site restaurant, La Vid ($$$$), welcomes lunch guests for a five-course tasting menu or à la carte dishes.

On a knoll with an Andean backdrop, this ultramodern winery has breathtaking architecture that draws the eye to cavernous winery halls and into the circular barrel room where a grand piano sits center stage. This complex also contains Galería Killka art museum featuring Argentine and Dutch artists' works, a wine bar, a sculpture garden, a pretty chapel, and a restaurant serving four-course tasting menus, making it easy to spend a leisurely afternoon here.

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. 

Wines up to 60 years old are stored in the main cellar of this traditional winery, established in 1898 and still owned by the same family. Easily accessible by tram from Mendoza, this is a great budget option with free tours and a range of tastings. The restaurant, upstairs from the wine store, serves à la carte and fixed-menu lunches, and there's also an on-site museum documenting Mendoza's winemaking history.

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).

In a hot, dry, wide open valley 35 km (22 miles) from town and with vineyards planted in every direction, Callia produces fantastic Syrah. The winery looks modern, but inside its superstructure is the old bodega (albeit with all new equipment). Take a guided visit that ends with a tasting. It's owned by Salentein, the formidable Dutch-owned company that also makes wine in the Valle de Uco.

From Mendoza traveling 47 km (29 miles) north on Ruta Provincial 52, passing through Canota, you arrive at Villavicencio, the source of mineral water sold throughout Argentina. The nearby Hosteria Villavicencio offers a simple lunch menu.

Farther up the road, the Camino del Año begins its ascent around 365 turns to El Balcón atop the pass at Cruz de Paramillo (3,000 meters/9,840 feet). Look for the ruins of a Jesuit mine, the Arucarias de Darwin (petrified trees found by Darwin in 1835), and the 1,000-year-old petroglyphs on Tunderqueral Hill. From the top of the pass you can see three of the highest mountains outside of Asia, all over 6,000 meters (20,000 feet): Aconcagua to the west, Tupungato to the south, and Mercedario to the north.

At Km 67, the road straightens and descends into Uspallata, where you can continue west on Ruta Nacional 7 to Chile or take the lonely road north on Ruta 39 (which turns into Ruta 412) onward to Barreal in San Juan Province, 108 km (67 miles) away. The road to Barreal crosses a high desert valley, where the only sign of life is an occasional ranch obscured by a grove of alamo trees.

At Los Tambillos, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Uspallata, the route is intersected by the Inca road that ran from Cusco, Peru, through Bolivia and into northern Argentina. The site is surrounded by a fence that protects traces of the original road and remains of an Inca tambo (resting place). A map shows the route of the Incas.

The mountains to the west get higher and more spectacular as you approach Barreal. At the San Juan Province border, the road becomes Ruta 412, and is paved the remaining 50 km (31 miles) to Barreal.

Founded by a charming French couple, Philippe and Brigitte, who came to Mendoza to start a new life in wine-making, you can book in for a free short tour at this boutique winery. The garden is available should you wish to bring your own picnic. 

Carmelo—a legendary garage winemaker—is the passionate owner of this operation. He answers the phone, greets you at the door, and personally conducts tours (in Spanish only), drawing wine from the barrel and entertaining guests with anecdotes and fascinating facts about everything from growing grapes to preserving corks. The winery may be nothing fancy, but Carmelo has a cult-like following and he exports his red blends around the world.

Getting to this boutique winery requires a car, but the drive to reach the home winery of one of Argentina's top winemakers, Alejandro Vigil, is worth it. Enjoy a short tour ahead of the lunch and dinner tasting menus before sampling his renowned El Enemigo wines. Guided visits and tastings are also available. One of the few winery restaurants that opens for dinner.

There's a lot going on at this unassuming little winery. It doesn't run fancy tours, but workers will stop to show you how they make sparkling wine, turning the bottles slowly on the many racks. Everything is certified organic—from the wine to the garlic and tomatoes that grow out back. Book in for a three-wine tasting (500 pesos).

The president of Moët & Chandon was so impressed by Agrelo's terroir (the soil, climate, and topography that contribute to making each wine unique) that he decided to build the first foreign outpost of his family's company here in 1959. Today the winery is producing vino espumante (sparkling wine) in great quantities. Chandon is popular, so book ahead for private tours. The pretty bistro serves a tasting menu paired exclusively with sparkling wine.

When the Ortiz family bought this 1890-constructed bodega from Kendall Jackson in 2003, CEO Patricia Ortiz and oenologist Fabián Valenzuela decided to make more food-friendly wines. Tours begin in the vineyard, followed by tank, barrel, and bottle tastings. In summer, a two-horse carriage driven by a local gaucho takes you on a fun yet educational tour of the vineyard and to visit the resident llamas. Stay on for a farm-to-table lunch created by executive chef Soledad Nardelli.