Many visitors to Mendoza Province are likely to stay in Mendoza City, as we did. Mendoza Province, home to over 1,500 wineries, has vineyards that are amongst the highest altitude vineyards in the world, averaging between 2,000-3,600 feet above sea level. The three wine regions nearest the city of Mendoza include Valle de Uco (Uco Valley), Luyán de Cuyo, and Maipu, all of which are situated in the eastern foothills of the Andes. The Atuel, Diamante and Tunuyán rivers that have their origin in the Andes provide the essential water for Mendoza’s vineyards. This unique geography contributes to making Mendoza one of the top wine areas in the world. From Mendoza city we drove to the three main wine regions (Valle de Uco (75 minutes), Luyán de Cuyo (40 minutes), and Maipu (15-20 minutes)). We began our explorations in Valle de Uco, the furthest way from Mendoza. We then worked our way back towards Mendoza city. This article will focus on the wineries, which we visited in the Uco Valley. In future articles I will focus on Spaswinefood's discoveries in the Luyán de Cuyo, and the Maipu areas.
Valle de Uco (Uco Valley)
Twice we drove to the Uco Valley from Mendoza city. On our first trip we ate lunch at Domaine Bousquet. Later we had lunch at Siete Feugos Restaurant followed by wine tasting at Vines of Mendoza. These were two awesome days for us. Zuccardi has opened a new winery in the Uco Valley. We did not visit this winery however, we heard that it is awesome from very reliable sources.
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| Wine Tasting, Domaine Bousquet © Spaswinefood |
Uco Valley, the newest wine region in Mendoza, has been getting international attention since 2012. The Tupungato vineyards at 3,000 to 3,900 feet makes Uco Valley one of the highest wine growing regions. The valley is known for its Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Semillon and Torrontes.
Award Winning Organic Wines at Domaine Bousquet
It was a pleasant drive from Mendoza to Domaine Bousquet, Tupungato in the Uco Valley. Domaine Bousquet is known for its award winning organic wines.
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| Domaine Bousquet Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
The first thing you see after you pass the guard station is the expansive estate vineyard.
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| Entrance to Domaine Bousquet © Spaswinefood |
When we arrived we discovered that the winery had a restaurant; so we decided to taste their wines with lunch.
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| Gaia Restaurant, Domaine Bousquet Entrance © Spaswinefood |
Domaine Bousquet's Gaia Restaurant is an absolute delight.
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| Gaia Restaurant, Domaine Bousquet © Spaswinefood |
The restaurant offers four and six course lunch options with wines.
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Lunch and Domaine Bousquet Wines © Spaswinefood
One of the pleasures for this Spaswinefood enthusiast is to meet the chef. Indeed such was the case the day we dined at the Gaia Restaurant.
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| Chef, Gaia Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
It was an amazing lunch at the Gaia Restaurant. We very much enjoyed getting to know Domaine Bousquet naturally elegant organic wines over lunch. It is also good to know that their wines are available through US Distributors. If you are interested in more about this winery check this article.
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| Gaia Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
Take the Scenic Route
On the way back to Mendoza after our lunch at Domaine Bousquet we took the scenic route 89. It took us along the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The Uco Valley is known for its spectacular scenery. Fortunately we got to experience some of its beauty.
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| Ranch Lands, Tupungato, Mendoza Province © Spaswinefood |
Even though it rained and the clouds move in it was a pleasant drive from Tupungato to Luyán de Cuyo along route 89. We passed by vineyards, through ranch lands and mountains as we travelled along this route.
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| Mountains, Luyán de Cuyo, Mendoza Province © Spaswinefood |
After passing through the mountains and reaching Luyán de Cuyo we then took the main highway to Mendoza city. It is quite a beautiful drive on this rural gravel road in the summer. Seeing the mountains through the mist was stunning for sure. These are the moments that you remember.
Vines of Mendoza Resort: A Perfect Vineyard Escape
Even through it was not our first trip to the Uco Valley we budgeted more than the general recommended driving time. In this case it was needed because when we arrived at the entrance to the estate we were told to drive to the other entrance. We did find the other entrance at the other end of the estate 10-15 minutes later. When we arrived the guard checked our reservation and gave us the directions to the restaurant.
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| Vines of Mendoza Resort © Spaswinefood |
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| The Vines of Mendoza © Spaswinefood |
After some navigating through the vineyards at Vines of Mendoza we finally arrived at Siete Feugos Restaurant.
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| Entrance Siete Fuegos Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
The setting for the restaurant at The Vines of Mendoza Resort is indeed impressive.
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| Siete Fuegos Restaurant, The Vines of Mendoza © Spaswinefood |
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| Siete Fuegos Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
A
restaurant with a name like Siete Feugos (Seven Fires) conjures images of asado in your mind.
However, if you are vegetarian do not skip this restaurant at the Vines of Mendoza Resort. We were most fortunate to have had lunch there. The food was excellent. This is where the internationally acclaimed Chef Francis Mallman has created regionally inspired dishes. The views from our dining table were amazing in all directions.
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Mountain View, Siete Fuegos Restaurant © Spaswinefood
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| Vineyard View, Siete Fuegos Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Pool View, Siete Fuegos Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Herb Garden, Siete Fuegos Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
After lunch we did a tour and tasting at the winery. To get to the winery from the restaurant there was more driving through the vineyards.
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| Tasting Wines, Vines of Mendoza © Spaswinefood |
The
Vines of Mendoza Winery is a micro fermentation winery that produces over 200
different wines. Located in the Uco Valley it has 1,000 acres under vine.
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| Vines of Mendoza © Spaswinefood |
For those looking to get away from it all staying at Vines of Mendoza Resort is the ideal vineyard retreat. While many visitors to Mendoza like to stay in Mendoza City, as we did, nevertheless staying in a vineyard is pure joy. Whether you spend a day or a week Vines of Mendoza is a must.
Zuccardi Moments
Wish we had more time to explore more wineries in the Uco Valley. From all reports Zuccardi's new winery in the Uco Valley is a must. We are most fortunate however to enjoy their wines while in Argentina. Later in Buenos Aires we selected this Zuccardi from the wine list.
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| Zuccardi, Valle de Uco, Tito 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Although two days was not enough time in the Uco Valley we did appreciate the time we spent at Domaine Bousquet and The Vines of Mendoza. Overall for Spaswinefood a week was not enough time to tour Mendoza's wine regions but it sure was a great second visit to Mendoza Province. The fact that we stayed in the city also cut into wine touring time. While in Mendoza we stayed at the Sheraton Mendoza, a great downtown location, with so many restaurants and sidewalk cafes all within walking distance. Downtown Mendoza has many good hotels options however, for those looking to getaway from it all then the option of a vineyard stay is a must. You can check out my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
February 2017
Mendoza, Argentina
© Spaswinefood
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| Mendoza City, Argentina © Spaswinefood |
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