Piedra Negra Lurton was our first winery stop in our wine adventures through the Mendoza area of…read moreArgentina. The winery is named after the black stone soils of the Andean foothills. The winery is owned by French winemakers, Jacques, and Francois Lurton. This is the Lurton's fourth winery, but the first in Argentina. They planted the vineyards in the 90's with varietals of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Gris. They also have planted interesting French and Argentinian Malbec clones. The soil in their vineyard is a combination of sand, granite schist, alluvial deposits, and large rounded pudding stones. As they are located in the Uco Valley, they have minimal rain, and varying degrees of day to nighttime temperatures, as this is the arid climate zone of Argentina. When touring the wineries of Mendoza it is necessary to book a reservation in advance. You can email visitas@bodegapiedranegra.com to request a reservation. They don't take walk-ins like in the states. In Argentina from my experience, the wine culture is about providing an inclusive experience. Most tours start with a walk through the vineyards, a tour through the production facility, and then ends in a tasting room or if they have a restaurant, with a wine-paired lunch. Winery visits can at a minimum last 1 1/2 hours. It's time to slow down life here and enjoy. Take it all in. We found it ideal to visit only 2 wineries in a day as a result. As was typical of all our winery visits, you first need to check in with the gate guard. My limited Spanish came in very handy here. They confirm your reservation with the tasting room manager and then they allow you to pass through the gate. The guard will then direct you where to park and meet for the start of your tour. As we drove up to the winery we were welcomed by the beautiful large colonial villa style winery. Our tour guide met us outside and welcomed us warmly. She did not have it easy. Half the group was Spanish speaking and the other English. She was a pro though. She poured us a glass of Rose to enjoy outside on the upper balcony prior to the tour starting. The view was stunning. We walked through the spacious production area. We even got to walk on the grating above the tall stainless steel tanks! They use an organic philosophy in their winemaking process. We then went into the tasting room and selected from several different tasting experiences. We chose the option that gave us a chance to taste a variety of their wines. They provided us with a personal spittoon so you could remember your experience later. The wines were incredible. Well structured with a great flavor profile. I bought a lot of wine to take home from this winery. I really was impressed by the wines they made here. There wasn't anything that I didn't like here. They don't have a restaurant on site. So they just have the wine tasting and tour experiences here. We really enjoyed our time here and had a great conversation with our guide. She was very knowledgeable and informative.

We stayed at the Andeluna wine lodge during our stay in Mendoza. We really enjoyed their in house…read moreservices such as helping you with finding a driver, room service, they ship wines back to the U.S. for a fee, restaurant on site, complimentary breakfast during your stay, complimentary wine tour and tasting, the afternoon happy hour time in the outdoor area, the staff was great, and amenities were good. Also close by to other wineries. Food here was excellent and service was great. The only suggestion I have if considering building a pool for the lodge guests to enjoy and offering more activities like horse riding in the vineyards, asado in the vineyards, etc. They do offer other activities like wine blending and cooking class but we were unable to do those. I also recommend adding full length mirrors in the lodges because we found that it was missing. Overall, the wine was excellent and so much more affordable compared to here in the States! We personally loved their more forage Malbec and Cab Franc. I highly recommend the wine and wish they distribute to more wine shops in the U.S. the sommelier was super knowledgeable and I really appreciate that she shared tons of great info about how they grow their vines. Though the wines don't say organic on the bottles, they're pretty much organic because their wine process from start to beginning is all organic!

Beautiful winery! This was one of our favorite stops while in Mendoza. The breathtaking mountains…read moreserve as the backdrop to the property and it's a great place to linger over lunch and many glasses of wine. We enjoyed their wine offerings and definitely purchased some to take home. Make reservations in advance!

This place is SPECTACULAR!…read more If you are looking for great vibes, amazing service, delicious food and decadent wines this is then place for you. We arrived for our 1PM reservation and were greeted by Gisella who is chef kiss wonderful! You get the choice of (3) or (5) courses. The difference is the appetizers. You can either get 1 or all 3 and honestly just get the 3 is absolutely worth it. You are not timed, once you get a seating you have the place to yourselves through 6PM so if you want to hang out go to the outdoors space have a drink and wait for your meal, you absolutely can. It's not like other places where they are waiting to turn tables super quick. They had a saxophone player and when he wasn't performing he had all American songs in the background. The reservation ends with a tour of the bodega where they tell you about the story of the vineyard and you try a special wine. This place is worth ALL the hype for a great price. Strongly recommend it.

Fabulous experience. Love the setting, the atmosphere and especially the food. Wonderful service,…read morevery friendly and accommodating. Never experienced a luncheon event like this. Plan on staying 3 to 4 hours.

Bodega Atamisque is a winery located just inside the Uco Valley. This boutique winery was purchased…read moreby the current owners in 2006. The property includes a winery, golf course, restaurant and a small inn where guests can stay overnight. I took a tour of the winery. Joanna, the hostess, was very gracious and helpful in understanding the wine production and the property. They have a production of a few different lines. They produce a 100% petit Verdot, along with a Cab Sauv, Chardonnay, Malbec, Assemblage and others. Of the wines I tasted, most were a bit young, yet showed potential. The assemblage was the most enjoyable of the reds. The property was designed to blend in with the land and have a process where gravity (and not pumping or transferring) would be used. They sell their wines throughout Argentina and in several other countries. While I have seen more opulent vineyards, this one is worth a visit.

Overall, we had a great experience…read more Initially, it was a little tough to get to our table. It wasn't totally clear when we came in where to drive to get there. Then we finally parked and wondered around a bit looking for where to go in. Once we found the tasting room, there wasn't anyone at the door to greet us so we weren't sure if we should just sit or wait. Finally we spoke to someone at the bar and she told us to just sit where ever. Other than the arrival, this was a great tasting! We decided to do the tasting and cheese pairing. We started with a welcome drink of sparkling wine followed by 3 whites and 3 reds. The cheese board was not too impressive but I am glad we had something to nibble on. After the tasting, my husband and I hung out outside after by the water looking at the mountains. It was a very relaxing time and I am glad we made the effort to find the place!

My husband and I had a blast exploring the grounds and eating lunch/wine tasting during our…read morehoneymoon. The food was outstanding and we enjoyed the service and meeting one of the owners. Highly recommend this stop when visiting the wineries in the Uco Valley.

Bodgea DiamAndes is one of several wineries that can be found in the Clos de Los Siete group. Clos…read morede Los Siete was created by a group of French wine growers who came together to buy the land and then sell to create vineyards and wineries. DiamAndes is owned by the French winemaking Bonnie family. They left France in search of doing something different in the wine world. They soon found that possibility in the Uco Valley of Argentina. The region is arid, with limited rainfall and humidity. Making the vine diseases almost obsolete. At the foot of the Andes mountains, the elevation provides a nice wide range in the day and nighttime temperatures. Because of the limited rainfall, one of the main challenges is irrigation. Without water, there would be no vines in this area. So the Clos de Los Siete group built 190-meter wells that feed an underground aqueduct that provides access to water. All of their wines are aged in french oak barrels. When touring the wineries of Mendoza it is necessary to book a reservation in advance. They don't take walk-ins like in the states. In Argentina from my experience, the wine culture is about providing an inclusive experience. Winery visits can at a minimum last 1 1/2 hours. It's time to slow down life here and enjoy. Take it all in. We found it ideal to visit only 2 wineries in a day as a result. Like at other wineries, you first need to check in with the gate guard. My limited Spanish came in very handy here. They confirm your reservation with the tasting room manager and then they allow you to pass through the gate. The guard gave us a map and pointed out where to go. It is a bit confusing, as there are several wineries located on the same vast property. It took another 20 minutes from the gate just to get to the winery and park. Like all the other wineries. The view of the Andes mountains behind the rows of vines is stunning. As we got out of the car and started to walk up to the winery, we were impressed by the modern architecture of the cement winery building. The tasting room and production site seemed to blend and fuse into the Andes mountains. The cement path leading to the winery, from the eyes vantage, seemed to go on forever and would take you to the base of the mountains themselves vs. the winery. The buildings framed perfectly the backdrop of the mountains. We learned later that the Argentinian architects, Bormida & Yanzon, of DiamAndes, are famous for designing wineries in the area. We arrived very late for our reserved appointment, so we were not able to take the tour. We were warmly greeted and taken into the dining area instead. The dining area was stunning. surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the mountains and vines. Every table had a great view. Everything in the dining experience tied back to the foundation of wine. It played a part in telling the story of DiamAndes passion for wine. The table settings were even made out of old wine barrels. One of the salts for the bread dipping was tinted red after being exposed to Malbec. A lot of attention was made to the details. One of the plates served on was made of a melted wine bottle. Their pre-fixed menu was paired with their wine. The wine was a very different style than the other wines we experienced while in Argentina. In the winemaking process, they amp the ABV (alcohol by volume) up, leaving you with a higher ABV percentage. The majority of their wines were around 14% ABV. This is not typically the type of wine profile that I prefer. Their wines for me were decent. With each wine and food pairing, they explained the wine and dish. The staff was friendly, but the service was a bit slow. I could hear other tables complaining by the wait. We were in no hurry, but we did have to get up and find someone to get the bill at the end. The food was tasty, and beautifully presented.

Excellent stay in the heart of Uco Valley in the wine country. We found this hotel through…read moreMarriott's Tribute portfolio and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. The location is definitely off the beaten path and a bit hard to find at first but we really loved having the view of the vineyards all around the hotel. The staff were all fantastic and added to the experience. We really loved visiting Mendoza and would love to go back again.