Mendoza — Argentina’s famous winemaking region — is a laid-back province home to world-class cuisine and vineyards that have produced some of the world’s most notable vintages. In Mendoza, bunches of Cabernet Franc grapes hang on vines, patiently awaiting their moment to be picked in late summer. In the distance, the Andes Mountains watch over the vines’ annual cycle — the range’s jagged, snow-capped peaks like brushstrokes sharing a canvas with green vineyards and a cobalt sky. Learn more about Argentina’s modern winemaking story.
Mendoza vineyard
In 1853, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (the former president of Argentina) tasked French agronomist Michel Aimé Pouget with creating a winegrowing industry in the country. Drawing on experience from his native Bordeaux, Pouget took a selection of cuttings with him, including Semillón, Chenin Blanc and Malbec. Argentina’s signature red grape, Malbec, was so underwhelming in France in those days that it was only used for blending. In Mendoza, however, the variety adapted to the elevated mountain terroir with as much aplomb as the migrant descendants of the fourth- and fifth-generation winemaking families who crossed the Atlantic, often escaping war or poverty. A protagonist was born.
Italian and Spanish surnames mark the European connections — López, Zuccardi, Bosca, Catena, Durigutti — families that all have winemaking in their DNA. Their bodegas are dotted all around Mendoza, the province that produces three-quarters of all Argentine wine. Thanks to more than 320 sunny days a year, conditions are ideal for grape cultivation in this semi-arid, elevated desert watered by Andean snowmelt.
Village in Salta
The Andean Mountain Range forms the backbone of Argentina’s notable terroir. In Mendoza, vineyards start at around 2,130 feet above sea level in the eastern department of Maipú, climbing up to 5,580 feet in the northern province of Salta and even higher — an eye-watering 8,860 feet — in Jujuy, a province that borders Bolivia.
Besides the fame of its Malbec, the world’s fifth-largest wine producer also makes outstanding whites such as Torrontés, Chardonnay and Semillón, as well as other reds including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine critics are extremely discerning, and rightly so, when it comes to awarding the top 100-point score for the perfect vintage, but in 2024, Zuccardi Valle de Uco’s Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal 2021 and Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard’s White Bones Chardonnay 2022 both achieved the coveted rating, further cementing Argentine wine’s world-class reputation.
But wine doesn’t start and end in Mendoza. Salta’s elevated vineyards are nestled within a lunar landscape and breathtaking scarlet canyons, many dotted alongside the legendary Ruta 40, which runs the length of Argentina and is revered by road-trippers. Star grapes here include aromatic Torrontés, spicy Malbec and fresh Grenache. Jujuy’s fledgling Quebrada de Humahuaca wine region, meanwhile, shares terroir with Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca Trail network that’s home to epic mountain landscapes inhabited by small Indigenous communities. And, in recent years, exploration has taken winemakers to the Atlantic coast and Patagonia, where cooler maritime climates better suit grapes such as Albariño and Pinot Noir.
Wine tasting
TASTING TIMES
More than 200 of the 900 bodegas in operation in Mendoza open their doors to wine aficionados, making the city an ideal destination for those keen to sample vintages. In the Maipú Department is the family-run Bodega Santa Julia, which opened to the public in 2001 rather spontaneously, says tourism director Julia Zuccardi (after whom the winery is named).
“Back then, people would simply turn up and ask to look ’round, and the truth was that we had absolutely nothing organized in terms of offering a proper tour,” she says. “Anyone who was available, someone from the administrative team or an enologist, would just show these curious folks around.”
Before 2001, travelers mostly visited Mendoza for the mountain-related activities, such as trekking or taking on major expeditions such as scaling Mount Aconcagua — the highest mountain in both the Western Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere at 22,840 feet. Julia and her family paid heed to the change in visitors’ interests, and the intervening years have seen Santa Julia spotlight Mendoza in a host of ways. In the early days, Julia’s grandmother Emma created a link between wine and art, showcasing the work of local artists by organizing exhibitions and asking them to design labels for the bodega’s wines. Meanwhile, Julia’s brother Miguel has been producing award-winning extra-virgin olive oil, Zuelo, for the past 20 years, sharing his passion for Arauco, Picual and Coratina olive varieties.
Salta Province, Argentina
Today, the winery cultivates nearly 1,000 acres of certified organic vineyards, Argentina’s largest, and their biodynamic wines are named after farm animals, such as El Burro Malbec (The Donkey), with the labels designed by Julia’s young children. Visitors with an appetite can book a table at one of the bodega’s two restaurants, the Italian-inspired Pan y Oliva and the traditional La Casa del Visitante. These ventures laid the blueprint for the family to build and open Zuccardi Valle de Uco in 2016, chosen not once but three times as the World’s Best Vineyard for its stunning architecture. Naturally, 100-point vintages made by Julia’s viticulturist brother Sebastián form part of the portfolio. Depending on their budget, guests can sample a three-wine flight with a sommelier or book a lunchtime feast paired with top vintages.
Every bodega adds its own flourish for visits (it’s always best to book ahead), serving up chocolate and wine pairings, horseback rides through vineyards or fun experiences that include blending and bottling your own vintage. It’s practical to devote a couple of days each to key valleys Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, using either of the cities of Luján or Mendoza as a base.
Start at Bodegas López for a winemaking history lesson that dates back to the 19th century and, after a guided visit among its 90-year-old casks, refuel with lunch at award-winning Casa Vigil or Mil Suelos for Argentinian-style barbecue. Due to Uco Valley’s sheer size, be sure to allow plenty of time to explore its many notable geographical indications, such as Los Chacayes and Paraje Altamira, as well as the surrounding mountains on a horseback expedition. The more adventurous can follow in the footsteps of General José de San Martín and undertake a five-day crossing of the Andes.
Pre-colonial village of Tilcara
DINING OUT
In 2023, Michelin launched its debut guide to Argentina, which focused on Buenos Aires and Mendoza, and it was the wine region’s restaurants that picked up more stars than their counterparts in the regional capital. Michelin’s big winery winners were Casa Vigil and Zonda Cocina de Pasaje at Bodega Lagarde, which were both awarded single stars as well a green one for their commitment to sustainability; restaurants Brindillas and Azafrán picked up stars, too.
Other commended establishments included 1884 Francis Mallmann at the Escorihuela Gascón, Espacio Trapiche, 5 Suelos — Cocina de Finca at Familia Durigutti, Quimera Bistró at Achaval Ferrer, green-starred Riccitelli Bistró, Fogón (also at Lagarde) and Osadía de Crear at Susana Balbo Wines. “There’s been a huge boom in winery restaurant openings over the past decade,” says Sofia Pescarmona, the third generation to run Lagarde.
“When we opened Fogón in 2011, visitors were offered a simple barbecue in our courtyard,” she says. “Upscaling four years later, we then began searching for our gastronomical identity, a mission for excellence to show Mendoza in other ways.” Lagarde’s two restaurants serve different menus that bear a common denominator of regional cuisine and products at their core; Mendoza is renowned for heirloom tomatoes and roast kid goat.
With the bodega’s second venture, Zonda, named after the warm yet often destructive Andean wind, Sofia drew inspiration from her family’s 1897-constructed winery and the surrounding landscape, a treasure trove of 100-year-old vines and olive trees, to develop an immersive tasting menu experience that goes beyond the pleasures of eating and drinking. Michelin’s arrival has put Mendoza on the haute cuisine map, she says, and the guide’s annual inspections encourage her team to keep striving.
“Brazilians already knew what was on offer in Mendoza’s restaurants and wineries,” she says. “Now, the Michelin Guide has opened us up to a broader global audience, which creates an enormous challenge. Not only does it generate more demanding diners who have made specific detours to eat in Mendoza, but it raises the hospitality bar big time, but in a good way. “We stand out, though, with our relaxed attitude and sobremesa (the table talk that follows a highly enjoyable meal). Having a good time is part of our DNA — plus, we’ll never kick you out!” Sofia adds.
Colonial architecture
THE TIME FOR FINE WINE
The growth that’s culminated in the recognition from Michelin would never have been possible if Mendoza produced mediocre wine. Catena Zapata’s enology director Alejandro Vigil — known as the Lionel Messi of Malbec for racking up various 100-point wines — attributes today’s high quality to several factors that have gradually come together over the past 30 years.
“Entrepreneurs started investing in quality, flying oenologists in from all over the world to get to know Argentina and bring their techniques to the table,” he says. “Then there was brand development, with companies competing on a global scale. “New vineyards started being planted in elevated areas such as the Uco Valley as winemakers searched for cooler climates. These are some of the things that have led to a paradigm shift in the search for quality.”
Zuccardi, Catena Zapata, Per Se and Aleanna are some of Argentina’s bodegas to have been awarded wine’s highest possible accolade: those elusive 100 points. Now, Mendoza will continue to remain one of the world’s most exciting wine regions — for its world-class vintages, endearing hospitality and stunning Andean panoramas.
By Sorrel Moseley-Williams
