From Mendoza: 3 Wineries, Olive Oil Factory Tour & Tasting

About This Experience

This is the tour most visitors to Mendoza actually book, and the reason is arithmetic: three wineries, an olive oil mill and nine glasses of wine for the price of two glasses in a city bar. It runs every afternoon to Maipú, the oldest of Mendoza's wine districts and the closest to town, about half an hour from the city centre.

The three cellars are chosen to contrast rather than repeat. One is artisanal, one is an industrial-scale producer, and one specialises in sweet wine — so you taste the same region made three different ways instead of drinking three versions of the same house style. At each stop you are poured three wines and asked to compare them: young against aged, white against red against rosé.

The fourth visit is an olive oil mill, which sounds like filler and is not. Olives and vines share Mendoza's irrigated desert, and the tasting — bread with new oil, olive paste and preserves — is the only food on a tour that runs from two in the afternoon until eight in the evening.

Every entry fee and every tasting is in the ticket price. Nothing is collected at the door, which is not true of some of Mendoza's more expensive private days out. Guiding is in English and Spanish on every departure.

Highlights

• Three Maipú wineries plus an olive oil mill — four visits in one afternoon
• Nine pours in total: three wines at each cellar, compared side by side
• Deliberately contrasting producers — artisanal, industrial and a sweet-wine specialist
• Every entry fee and tasting included in the price, nothing paid at the door
• Bilingual English and Spanish guiding on every departure

What's Included

• ✓ All wine tastings at all three wineries
• ✓ Olive oil, olive paste and preserve tasting at the mill
• ✓ Entry and admission to every venue on the itinerary
• ✓ Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off in Mendoza city
• ✓ Air-conditioned and heated vehicle
• ✓ Bilingual guide (English and Spanish)
• ✓ Local taxes for foreign residents and cards issued outside Argentina

Not Included

• Lunch — the tour starts at 2:00 pm, so eat before you are collected
• Bottles bought at the cellar door
• Gratuities

What to Bring

• Photo ID or passport
• Sun protection — Mendoza sits at high altitude and the afternoon sun is strong
• A jacket for the evening; the return is after dark for much of the year
• A card that works abroad if you plan to buy wine

Good to Know & Caveats

• Departure is at 2:00 pm and return is around 8:00 pm — this is an afternoon and evening tour, not a morning one.
• The named cellars (Vistandes, Familia Cecchin, Esencia, Olivícola Pasrai) are listed by the operator as 'or similar'. The exact three depend on the day's availability, which is normal across Mendoza and not a sign of a downgrade.
• Nine pours across four hours is a real amount of wine. There is no lunch stop, so the olive oil tasting is the only food.
• Dietary requirements can be flagged when booking and are accommodated subject to availability.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time.

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup in Mendoza city is included — there is no meeting point to find. The van collects every guest in turn, which takes roughly 45 minutes, so the first person aboard is riding for most of an hour before the last one is. Ask for a later pickup slot if you would rather not sit through the loop. Pickups run from around ten hotels and hostels in the city centre; the tour leaves at 2:00 pm and returns at 8:00 pm.