Mendoza (the Andean foothills)
Argentina's greatest wine region unfolds at the foot of the Andes, where the city of Mendoza gives way to a sea of vines that runs right up to the snow-capped peaks. This is the home of Malbec, the grape that made Argentine wine famous the world over, and the heart of a way of life built around the table. The air is dry and clear, the light is sharp, and the mountains stand over every vineyard like a backdrop painted just for you.
What gives Mendoza wine its depth is the altitude. The vineyards here climb to some of the highest in the world, more than three thousand feet and rising into the Uco Valley, where cool nights and intense sunlight concentrate the fruit and give the Malbec its dark, velvety character. Meltwater from the Andes feeds the vines through old irrigation channels, and the combination of height, sun and snow-fed water produces wines of remarkable richness and color.
A few days here settle into a wonderful rhythm of bodega tastings and long vineyard lunches, the snow-capped peaks always behind you. You move between the historic estates of Maipú, the celebrated vineyards of Luján de Cuyo and the higher, newer wineries of the Uco Valley, each with its own character. We arrange a private driver and the table reservations, so the days unfold slowly, glass in hand, with nothing to do but taste, eat and take in the mountains.
