Wine Tourism
The owners of the most important wine plants of Mendoza welcome the tourist, show their installations, offer the possibility to taste and buy their favorite wines in the same place of its production. Many wineries preserve old oak barrels brought from or built by its founders.
The cities of Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, near to the capital city, host the larger number of wineries. Almost all of them are open to the public and can be visited. You should take into account the break hours, called siesta (nap), to avoid visiting the wineries in those hours; generally it goes from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Outstanding Wineries in Mendoza
Mendoza is the most traditional province as regards the wine-making industry, and the wineries situated here deserve each one a separate treatment. It is impossible to talk about Mendoza without mentioning each one of the wineries present in the province: López, Valentín Bianchi, San Telmo, Escorihuela, Cavas de Weinert, J&F Lurton, Trapiche, Flichman, La Rural, Norton, Félix Lavaque, Lagarde, Navarro Correas, Nieto Senetiner, Goyenechea, and Chandon.

Leoncio Arizu
Luigi Bosca`s Wines
Situated in Luján de Cuyo, since 1901, this winery is, no doubt, a reference when traveling all along the route of wine.
Leoncio Arizu - Luigi Bosca is one of the most awarded wineries at the international level: it has been awarded with important prizes and high honors since 1987 up to this date, winning important gold, silver and bronze medals.

Bodega Terrazas de los Andes (Terraza de los Andes Winery)
This winery belongs to Chandon Argentina and it exclusively devotes to the production of varietal wines. The concept of this winery encloses the benefit of height to produce unique-quality wines.

Museo del Vino- Bodega La Rural (Wine Museum – La Rural Winery)
The Wine Museum is situated in Maipú city, at 10 miles from the capital city. It belongs to La Rural Winery, unique in its kind in South America because of its features and elements in exhibition.
A short guided visit through its installations is enough to learn about the wine-making procedure, from distant periods up to nowadays. Besides, you can taste a special varietal wine in the wine bar of the venue, just for tourists.
At the end of the visit, the tourists are invited to the wine bar to taste a special varietal called Línea Museo, and buy the different products that are produced in the winery.
Recommended to buy:
• Felipe Rutini
• Colección Rutini
• Trumpeter
Days and times: From Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5.30 pm. Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Sundays from 10 am to 1 pm.

Fiesta de la Vendimia (Wine festival)
In Mendoza, the wine festival is a folk phenomenon. It dates back to the 17th century, taking into account that the wine industry has its roots in Mendoza from 1632. This celebration used to be held in colonial storehouses lighted by oil lamps where immigrants and native people disputed over the women present.

This is why this festival in Mendoza is synonymous of folklore, a series of traditions, beliefs and costumes, including the music, poetry, food, superstitions and parties. It is the “unwritten history of the people”, but passed on by oral tradition. The vine crop and the industrialization of its fruits represent a popular expression of love and support towards an activity that derives from collective work and richness of the soil.

Fiesta Nacional (National Festival)
Since 1936, every year, on the first weekend of March, Mendoza renews a festival: the Fiesta de la Vendimia (Wine Festival). This is the most important celebration for the people of Mendoza, since it is a celebration in honor of the most important industry of the province: the wine production. The vendimia is the harvest time of the grape; this is why Mendoza starts celebrating in January and February.
The Festival is carried out in January and February and ends in March, in the night when the “Acto Central”, the most important ceremony, takes place. The other main ceremonies are: "Bendición de los Frutos" (Blessing of the Fruit), "Vía Blanca de las Reinas" (Queen’s White Parade) and "Carrusel" (Carousel).

Hydrotherapy
Several centers with the best infrastructure offer the tourist the goodness of its thermal water springs, whose therapeutic value treats physical as well as psychic troubles, such as stress.
Among them, we find the thermal springs of Villavicencio, Cacheuta, Lahuen-Co, Pozos and Puente del Inca.

Sport Fishing
In rivers, streams, dams and reservoirs of the region you may practice this sport, where you can fish different varieties of salmons and other species.

Tour round the city
In the heart of Mendoza, you can visit the different museums such as the Foundation Area Museum, the main squares of the city, the city center and the residential area named “Quinta Sección”. You can also visit the beautiful park Gral. San Martín, the “Cerro de la Gloria”, (Mount Glory) and the Greek theater “Frank Romero Day”, where the Wine Festival is celebrated.

Museo del Área Fundacional (Foundation Area Museum)
This museum is situated in the heart of the historical center of the Old City, over the square “Pedro del Castillo”, in the same place where the Town Council functioned many years ago.
In its interior, you will find an underground chamber that preserves archeological remains of the town council, the first administrative institution of the colonial government that was destroyed in an earthquake on March, 20th, 1861, the remains of the Municipal Slaughterhouse and the Fruits and Vegetables Fair, which were built over the ruins of the first building.
The floor of the meeting rooms of the town council are made up by local floor tiles, and the blacktop sheet and red floor tiles that belonged to the slaughterhouse and the fruits and vegetable market respectively.
Among the exhibited objects there are dioramas, pictures and models that recreate the history and evolution of the city, apart from objects extracted in situ.
The sculptural collection of the museum comprises pictures and carvings of renowned local artists.
This museum offers a permanent service of guided visits, at the tourists’ disposal.
Days and times: Tuesdays to Saturdays from 8 am to 8 pm. Sundays from 2 pm to 8 pm.

The most important ski centers of Mendoza are Vallecitos, Penitentes and Las Leñas.

Vallecitos
This ski center is situated near Mendoza city, at only 49 miles. It is the oldest of the province and it counts with a total of 3 miles of ski runs and a total area of 198 acres. The base is situated at 2,900 meters above sea level (masl). There are mountain huts and an inn to stay inside the center. In winter, there is a daily service of transportation from Mendoza to the center.

Penitentes
It is situated at a few miles from the frontier with Chile, at 104 miles from Mendoza city.
The base of the ski center is situated at 2,580 masl and it has 21 ski runs for all the levels. There are many hotel complexes and, at three miles, you will find Puente del Inca, where there are other hotels to stay.

Las Leñas
Las Leñas is, no doubt, one of the most important ski centers of Argentina due to its unparalleled snow quality, ski runs for all levels, ski touring and superb areas to practice skiing in uncontrolled areas.
Located near Mendoza capital city, Las Leñas is the highest ski resort. The 568 acres of surface suitable for skiing show a quality internationally renowned, due to its dry weather.
It presents a slalom stage and 27 ski runs, among them, one of the longest ski runs of the world for the intermediate level (7,050 meters). You can get to the ski runs through 13 ski lifts and, if the weather conditions do not provide enough snow for skiing, Las Leñas counts with a modern system that makes artificial snow.

An indescribable experience for advanced skiers is to practice skiing in uncontrolled areas and sleep in the high mountain hut of Valle Hermoso or practice ski touring with sealskins.
With first-class lodging and gastronomy, ski and snowboard schools, among other services, Las Leñas is a classic.

How to get there: at 280 miles from Mendoza capital city, in Malargüe and at 746 miles from Buenos Aires, by plane, car or bus.
There are flights from Buenos Aires to Malargüe airport and from there a bus to Las Leñas. In high season, there are direct flights from São Paulo (Brazil) to Malargüe.

By car from Buenos Aires you should travel through national routes Nº 7, 188, 143, 14, 40 and provincial route 222 up to Las Leñas, 12 miles after Los Molles. The season goes from June 11th to September 24th and it is divided in high, mid, low and special seasons.

Weather: in winter, the cold is moderate during the day and the nights are very cold. The temperature goes from 11ºC (53ºF) to 29ºF (-1ºC).

Activities: skiing, snowboard, snowmobiles.

Services: lodging, gastronomy, nursery, clinic, institutional museum.

Las Leñas Ski Center offers several activities to enjoy the snow:

* Extreme expedition: this is a new proposal for advanced and expert skiers that would like to live an adventure in the snow, out of the ski center and with a specialized group of people.

* Apart from the classic trips to Mounts Torrecillas and Collar, you can also visit Valle Hermoso, El Desecho, and the lagoon Escondida, different options to discover the mountains and challenge your limits.

* Night skiing: Las Leñas invites to slip through more than 1,400 meters of lit and safe ski runs. After having dinner in the restaurant Elurra, you can ski down through the runs Minerva and Eros I.

* The after hour in Santa Fe welcomes the skiers with a drink to see the dusk in the mountain and then go down skiing by moonlight.

The Andes are specially fit for this activity, ranging from small mountains up to Mount Aconcagua (6962 masl), the highest mountain of America; in summer it is an attraction for climbers all over the world.
In the area of El Sosneado, the superior climbing is practiced. The lowest mountains can be climbed by people of all ages and even with no experience.

It consists in climbing a rock wall with highly technical equipment and trained guides.

There are many mountains and hills in the region to practice trekking. This activity can be practiced by everyone as there are lots of paths with different levels of difficulty, for persons with no experience and experienced ones, with narrow paths and mountain huts that allow longer trips consisting of one or more days.

Like trekking, the geography of the region is especially suitable for mountain bike. There are different options with different levels of difficulty, waiting for the enthusiasts of this activity.

Also through the mountains, several companies develop this activity, with a variety of different programs and circuits.
You will reach to different viewpoints and will have the possibility of taking pictures of unique landscapes and, if you are lucky, you will find some animals of Mendoza’s fauna, such as foxes, pumas, condors and guanacos.

Many companies offer this activity in many rivers of the area, among them Mendoza and Tunuyán rivers, getting in contact with the virgin nature and viewing stunning landscapes.
There are many proposals for different levels of difficulty, ranging from outings for the family to trips only for experts.

In the water mirrors of the region, you can practice sports such as windsurf, water skiing, diving, sailing, etc.

The landscape of the Andes Mountain Chain is special for this type of tours and may be combined with sport fishing or photo safaris.