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Mendoza
Transfer to International Airport Mendoza to hotel. We dedicate half a day to visit the city of Mendoza, famous for its legendary trees, wide sidewalks and its great order and cleanliness. Founded over 400 years ago by the first colonists, this city offers a lot of history and culture. We will visit La Alameda, the historical zone where Pedro del Castillo founded this large city in 1561, where most shops and civic life was concentrated until it disappeared with the 1861 earthquake. The town council was, in the old days, where the Foundational Area Museum is nowadays. There are still remains of what once was the San Francisco church. We continue to the new city, post-earthquake.
We visit its principal avenues, the downtown, the Plaza Independencia (Independence Square), the civic neighbourhood with the Government House, the Law Courts and the General San Martin Park going along the Civit Avenue, entering the park through the Portones (Gates). We can enjoy the beautiful woods in the park, as well as the Rosedal (rose garden) next to the lake and the clubs located in the area. We also meet the Caballitos de Marly (Marly Little Horses, replica of the ones in Paris), the Fuente de los Continentes (the Fountain of the Continents), etc. Then we climb the Cerro de La Gloria (The Glory Mount) where there is a monument to the Ejercito Libertador (the Liberator Army) and very near it, the Greek theatre Frank Romero Day.
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We visit renown wineries
Breakfast at the hotel. We begin our journey visiting the museum of the Ruttini family winery, learning about the work in the vineyards and how wine is produced and enjoying an exclusive wine-tasting. We continue with the Zuccardi family, where we learn about tasting Santa Julia wines. We first start by the cellars and then we go through all the buildings, finally enjoying of another tasting. After midday we walk along the vineyards towards the Casa del Visitante to enjoy a regional lunch made of empanadas, barbecue and typical regional dessert tasting varied types of wines. We return to the hotel in the afternoon.
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Breakfast at the hotel. We dedicate the day to 2 wineries with national and international renown: Chandon and Catena Zapata. The Chandon Argentine winery was the first one created by the firm Moet & Chandon, outside French territory. Claude Moet founded la Maison Moet in 1743, in Epernay. The property spans on 1.300 hectares located on the superior region of the Mendoza river in the Uco Valley. The outstanding types of wine are the Syrah, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Malbec, depending on the altitude levels of cultivations. In the Uco Valley, the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir outstand. The owner group LVMH stand for Luis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy. We leave this place to go to a classic in Mendoza: the Lagarde winery.
We walk along the places where the old wooden barrels are. We taste the different types of the vineyards. We have lunch with the exquisite wines. Finally, we go to an atypical place, with its Mayan pyramid design standing out in the Catena Zapata winery, where both art and wine can be breathed. The region is special and the plantations are more than 20 years old. There is a dome from where cubic spaces appear from the subsoil, where the round cellar presents a great number of oak wooden barrels. The scene is completed with an enological structure supporting the manufacturing process of the wine, obtaining an incredible quality of wines such as the Angelica Zapata. The day has been intense but well-spent by visitin 3 great properties dedicated with passion to this business, then we return to rest at the hotel.
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Road to Tupungato Valley
Breakfast at the hotel. We travel to the southwest, ascending over 1,300 meters over sea level to the Tupungato Valley, in Mendoza province to visit the Andeluna Cellars, a property with high quality vineyards with lots of history. This wine place has 80 hectares and nearly 4,500 sqm with an installed capacity of 1 million liters and 1,250 barrels in the cellar. After visiting this winery, we continue to Salentein, located 1,200 meters over sea level on the Andean Mountain Range. We can have lunch at its restaurant Killka. This winery´s structure is strange, with a cross shape, with 4 wings, each wing is a winery with 2 zones, one over ground level where the stainless tanks are located and a subterranean level where wines are made in oak barrels. The 4 wings meet in an only spot sharing the bottling zone. We will enjoy a wine-tasting before going to the manor house where we will have accommodation. There are optional activities such as walking around the vineyards, riding on bicycle or tasting in the winery cellars. We are awaited by the cozy fireplace with an atmosphere full of species aroma flowing in pure air.
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We say goodbye to Salentein to travel to San Rafael
Breakfast at the hotel. Free morning to enjoy the manor house and its surroundings. After midday we set off to San Rafael, towards the south of the province. We will stay there with enough time to perform optional activities. |
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San Rafael
Breakfast at the hotel. During the morning we will visit the Bianchi winery, whose most important production is Champagne. Its main characteristic is that the barrels as well as the winery are below the ground level. This place has a special room to wine-taste while enjoying the sight of the gardens and vineyards. The most famous wines are the Bianchi Chablis, Don Valentín Lacrado, 1887, Bianchi Family, among others. We leave the place to have lunch and in the afternoon we go to a family farm: Jean Rivier. This place is run by its owners who have a limited production with grapes from their own vineyards. We walk along the milling and fermentation area, then we descend to the subsoil to watch the aging in wooden barrels. We perform some wine-tasting giving special emphasize to the Jean River Tocai Friulano and the Assemblage Blanc. Once finished the visit, we return to the hotel. |
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Algodón Wine Estates
Breakfast at the hotel. We set off towards Algodón Wine Estates to have lunch enjoying the sight to the golf club. This small winery is dedicated to the limited production of high quality wines, located on Sierra Pintada with 800 hectares dedicated to the wine industry watered by thaws which favors the minerals on the soil. It has olive and walnut trees giving the place other activities, too. We start returning in the afternoon. |
