Mendoza is the ultimate escape from the noisy and busy city life in Buenos Aires. This picturesque and leafy city is only a two hour flight from Buenos Aires and is home to Argentina’s wine country and the incomparable Malbec. In addition to more than 1000 wineries and haute cuisine, visitors arrive year round to join in on the many adventures that the Mendoza area has to offer. Overlooking an incredible view of the Andes mountains, this province is an Argentinian gem in our opinion.

The purpose of our visit was the wine of course, and we felt guilty cheating on our California Cabernet Sauvignon. We were simply enjoying the Malbec that much! Originally from France, we learned that there is a distinctly different personality in the Malbec from Argentina. As a result, Argentina is now home to more than 70% of the Malbec vineyards in the world and is recently becoming popular throughout. This is precisely what we love about tasting.

In Tuscany, for example, we had a wonderful time tasting Chianti (Sangiovese grape) and learned so much about the uniquely intricate process. In California, the focus is on the highly acclaimed Cabernets. Such is the particular process of the Malbec grape in Argentina. Each region, no matter where in the world, translates to a completely different experience and offers exclusive wine to appreciate.

There are three main wine regions in the Mendoza province: Luján de Cuyo, Valle de Uco and Maipu. We visited the following:

Luján de Cuyo

Bodega Luigi Bosca: Luigi Bosca is commonly recommended in Buenos Aires and offers a fantastic tour and tasting. I am not a big fan of the sparkling wine (espumantes), but this place has a delicious variety to choose from.

Bodega Norton: Malbec single vineyard tasting and tour. A taste is provided throughout the different stages of the fermentation process and you have an opportunity to visit the beautiful, and rustic underground wine cellars. As if wine weren’t enough, the cuisine is definitely something to brag about in the Mendoza province too. Here’s a peek at what we had for lunch at Norton. Highly recommended.

Bodega Carmelo Patti: Spent some quality time with the man himself and absolutely loved him. He works hard everyday and is passionate about his wine. His wine is also distributed in the US (well, when he is ready to release it). Make sure to try the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, it is fantastic and available on Amazon…just saying! 

Valle de Uco (wine tour)

Bodega Domaine Bousquet

Bodega Corazon del Sol

Bodega O.Fournier

The bodegas we visited in this region were all equally fantastic! Not only did we enjoy incredible (Malbec) wine, but the view was breathtaking throughout the entire day. Nothing but vines, blue skies and mountain splendor (refer to featured image above). Our favorite region during this trip!

Although we were only in Mendoza for three days, we were fortunate to spend three weeks in Argentina developing a genuine appreciation for the bold and purple Malbec wine. So, next time you are in doubt, go with a Malbec from Argentina. You will be glad you did. Cheers! Check out the video below and don’t forget to visit the gallery (click here) to see more pictures.