Plan a trip
A route through the vines
Pick a country and a style, and we'll sketch a few days through it — real sub-regions in a sensible order, with what to expect at each stop and when to go, drawn from everything already on the site.
Where to
Style preference
Your route
A focused 3-stop route through Argentina
The character of this trip
A desert made green, with the Andes behind it
Mendoza is high desert turned into vineyard by Andean snowmelt, with irrigation channels, poplars and the mountains always in view. The trip here is a study in altitude: Malbec from the warm plain near the city, and fresher, more mineral wines from the cool, stony vineyards of the Uco Valley. Wineries sit close together, the sun is strong and lunch is an event, so start early and build the day around the table.
A focused route through what's currently documented
Argentina has 4 places mapped on Ampelos so far. The route below draws on the ones within reach of each other — enough for a short, honest route rather than a full itinerary — and will grow as more of the country is documented.
Stops
3
Total driving
~92 km
Behind the wheel
1h 40min
Worth setting aside
A long weekend
What to expect
Notable producers
- Bodegas López — A long-established family winery, known for traditional, long-aged wines such as Château Montchenot.
- Rutini Wines — The historic Bodega La Rural in Coquimbito, which houses a well-known wine museum.
- Familia Zuccardi — The family's Maipú winery, a pioneer of Argentine wine tourism.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (March), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (October–November), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.
~19 km · 20 min to the next stop
From Maipú, the route turns toward Luján de Cuyo. The climate here: continental desert.
What to expect
Notable producers
- Catena Zapata — Agrelo; the family that pioneered high-altitude Malbec, with a winery shaped like a Mayan pyramid.
- Achával Ferrer — Perdriel; known for single-vineyard Malbec from very old vines.
- Bodega Norton — Perdriel; a historic winery founded in the 19th century by an English engineer.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (March), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (October–November), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.
~73 km · 1h 20min to the next stop
Uco Valley feels different from Luján de Cuyo, in the glass and in the air: continental desert, then cool-nighted high-altitude desert.
What to expect
Notable producers
- Zuccardi — Paraje Altamira; the Zuccardi family's Uco winery, a leader in site-specific wines.
- Salentein — Los Árboles, Tunuyán; a large estate with high vineyards and its own art gallery.
- Clos de los Siete — Vista Flores; a group of neighbouring estates developed by French investors under the direction of Michel Rolland.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (March), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (October–November), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.