Transfer IN OUT APT/HTL/APT

Mendoza
Reception and transfer from Mendoza Airport to the hotel. City Tour around Mendoza.

Visiting Wineries: Wine Sampling and Tasting - Di Tommaso and Zuccardi Wineries
Breakfast. We begin the tour towards Old Di Tommaso Family Winery, located in Russell, Maipú. This winery, has its origins in the Friuli region, Italy and has profited from its experience of past generations to obtain internationally great level awarded wines. We will carry out a brief visit to the vineyards belonging to this old winery and, in its cellar, an expert on wine tasting will develop a one-hour-lasting course on wine tasting, including 3 different wines and then, we will be presented with three bottles of varietal wines.

We will continue the tour visiting an important winery; Familia Zuccardi’s Winery. We will learn about the Santa Julia wines. The visitor is introduced to the birth, making and tasting of wine, accompanied by specialists that would like the visitors to relax and get to know their exclusive wines. We will go into the tourism cellar to continue inside the winery and will finish this visit with wine tasting. At midday, we will walk through the “parrales”(vineyards) as part of “enoturism”. There, we will have a typical lunch: “empanadas” (meat pies), asado (Argentinean barbecue) with salads and 3 different types of wines. We will be presented with a bottle of a varietal wine. We will come back at 4 pm.

Visiting Wineries: Wine Sampling and Tasting - Chandon e Catena Zapata Wineries
Breakfast. We will go to the famous Chandon Winery: first branch of Moet & Chandon outside France. It has 1333 hectare of vineyards located on a high area of Mendoza river and Valle de Uco region. After the visit, we will taste wine and will be presented with a bottle of Chandon Champagne. We'll go to traditional Lagarde Winery, where we'll walk around the vineyards, observe the presses, the stainless steel tanks, as well as the old wooden barrels. We'll round up our visit tasting two varietal wines at their old 19th century country house.

In one of its rooms, we'll enjoy a seasonal five-course meal paired with their best wines.We continue towards a winery with a Mayan piramid design: Catena Zapata, which architectual concept, is a real tribute to the art and cience of making wines. Inside the winery, there is the circular cellar, with its 4000 oak barrels, surrounds the wine tasting room. An important technological structure, sustains the making process, devoted only to the obtaining of great wines: Nicolás Catena Zapata, Catena Alta, Catena, Alamos. Going back to the hotel. Rest of the day off.

High Mountain
Breakfast at the hotel. During the trip we can see the Potrerillos dike. 100 Kms (62 miles) away from the capital city we can find Uspallata, which is where the huarpe’s native occupation took place during the prehispanic era. We’ll then visit the villages of Picheuta, Polvaredas and Punta de Vacas, from where we may reach the famous village of Los Penitentes.

Further on, in Puente del Inca, 2.720 meters over sea level, Las Cuevas river has drilled the mountain forming this way a natural bridge from where thermal water emerges from the edge. Nearby we can find the Mountain Climbers Cemetery. Close to the frontier, a wonderful natural viewpoint allows us to see the Aconcagua Hill in all it’s splendor. An unpaved road which starts at the International Route, allows entering the beautiful Horcones Lagoon and the Provincial Park of Aconcagua. If weather helps, we will be able to climb up to Cristo Redentor Monument, 4.200 meters up.