What are the best wineries and vineyards to visit in Mendoza, Argentina?

You could also check http://www.garavagliawinery.com.ar/

Forget the city of Mendoza, head for the city of San Rafael (some 230km-145 miles South of Mendoza). You'll be able to visit vineyards that are within walking distance of the city centre or a very short drive away: Jean Rivier - Very good wines! La Abeja - Nice settings Bodega Bianchi - great Champagne!!!! and a few more.... As well as the vineyards and you'll be able to visit the beautiful region of San Rafael, do rafting and ziplines in the Atuel Canyon. (Check out Euca - an amazing attraction park built in a forest.) Go fishing or hiking near the Reyunos Dam and enjoy the beautiful scenery all around. Visit one the most beautiful lake I have ever seen: Lake El Nihuil

Just spent the weekend of July 29-31, 2011 in Mendoza, Argentina. Stayed in a terrific little posada called Posada Borravino (owner is from Andorra, although his wife is Argentine, best service, great tips for where to eat, which vineyards to visit). The posada is in a town just outside Mendoza called Chacras de Corio which has a lot of small family owned vineyards. I recommend the following wineries and their tasting menus: - Clos de Chacras: small winery inside Chacras de Corio - O. Fournier: large winery with the most stunning modern architecture you will ever see in a winery; very delicious tasting menu; restaurant is set at the edge of a small pond with views onto the Andes. - Ruca Malen: small winery, great tasting menu, views of the Andes.

Escorihuela Gascon (http://www.bodegasescorihuela.com/), Ruca Malen (excellent lunch), Carlos Pulenta, Tapiz, Dolium and Carmelo Patti are some of my favorites. But there are a lot of great ones. Good luck! Go to 1884 for dinner.

It depends on what you are after (History building, hi tech or traditional wine making, wine quality, etc). In Mendoza we have over 100 wineries open to tourism. To give you just a few different style wineries we recommend: -Carmelo Patti (Garage wine making, traditional wine making). -Catena Zapata (for high wine quality and Maya style architecture) -Ruca Malen(for amazing pairing lunch experience) -Trapiche (for old and beautiful architecture) -La Azul (it's a tiny winery in Uco Valle, region that you defensively has to visit). For more activities visit our hotel blog (http://www.laresdechacras.com/blog) we normally post activities that we do in Mendoza and recommend to our guests. Cheers!

Salentein - http://www.bodegassalentein.com-  is one of the best winery to visit (with art include) and http://www.familiazuccardi.com/ too, where you can taste the best wines and a delicious olive oil ¡¡¡cheers!!!

I direct marketing for an importer that specializes in Argentine wines, but I will mention them separately to avoid any conflicts. Here is our guide to traveling to Mendoza: http://vineconnections.com/download.php?resource=2031 First, here are some links that might be helpful for planning: http://www.vineconnections.com/pages/links/argentina-links/index.html Here is a great book about Argentine wine written by Laura Catena: http://www.amazon.com/Vino-Argentino-Insiders-Country-Argentina/dp/0811873307/ Among our producers, the wineries that are open to the public are Susana Balbo's Dominio del Plata and Mendel.  Mendel is a true boutique winery experience -- a lot of the wineries in Mendoza are impressive because of their scale; Mendel is the opposite but they still make some of the top wines from Argentina. Dominio del Plata is a larger winery that makes Crios, BenMarco, and Susana Balbo.  Susana Balbo is one of (if not the) leading female winemaker from Argentina.  She is well-known for Torrontes. One thing to note is that Argentine wineries expect you to make appointments. Next, it is important to understand that Mendoza is actually huge. From Mendoza to the wineries in the Uco Valley is close to 1.5 hours. It's like trying to cover the Russian River Valley and Silverado Trail in the same day. So I will break it up into smaller regions and provide recommendations within each region. Day 1 – (Uco Valley) - Clos de Los Siete (Monteviejo), Salentein (good lunch spot), O´Fournier, La Azul, Other options could be Kaiken, Lurton, Sophenia, Andeluna. Day 2 – (Luján de Cuyo) Catena Zapata, Achával Ferrer, lunch at Pulenta Estate, Luigi Bosca, Alta Vista Day 3 – (Luján de Cuyo) Vina Alicia, lunch at Septima or Ruca Malén, Walter Bressia Day 4 – (Maipú region) Carinae, Benegas, Familia Zuccardi, Carmelo Patti If you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out to me (marketing (at) http://vineconnections.com).

If you're a foreigner who wants to see that the bodegas are at Napa standards: Salentein, Catena and Pulenta Estate If you want a phenomenal meal with great atmosphere: Lagarde If you want a small vineyard with fantastic wine: Mendel For the wine overall: Achával Ferrer, Pulenta Estate, Lagarde, Carmelo Patti

Consider booking a tour with Trout & Wine: http://troutandwine.com. Also recommend staying at Casa Lila, a really charming B&B.