Uco Valley, Mendoza: One-Day Private Wine Tour Experience

About This Experience

The Uco Valley is ninety minutes south of Mendoza city and roughly a kilometre and a half above the sea. It is the newest of the three regions and the one people fly in for: vineyards at 900 to 1,500 metres, with Gualtallary reaching close to 1,600, and an architectural showpiece at the end of every gravel road.

This is a fully private day with a certified sommelier as your guide, and it is structured as a deliberate contrast. The first stop is a boutique producer known for Rhône varieties as well as premium Malbec, where you taste straight from the tanks before sitting down in a room facing the Andes. The second is one of the valley's landmark wineries — a property whose architecture is as well known as its wine, and which did much to make the Uco Valley what it now is.

Between them the car stops for photographs with a glass of sparkling wine in hand, which sounds like a gimmick and is genuinely the memory most guests come back with: snow on the peaks, vines to the horizon, nobody else in frame. Lunch is Argentine — empanadas and steak done properly.

One thing to understand before booking, because it is unusual on this site: the price buys the day, not the wine. The private car, the sommelier, the photographs, the water and a bottle at the photo stops are included; the winery entry and tasting fees and the à la carte lunch are paid directly at each place. Budget for those on top.

Highlights

• A fully private day in the Uco Valley with a certified sommelier
• A boutique Rhône-and-Malbec producer, including tastings straight from the tank
• One of the valley's landmark wineries, as famous for its architecture as its wine
• Scenic photo stops with a glass of sparkling wine and the snow-capped Andes behind
• Argentine lunch done properly — empanadas and steak

What's Included

• ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off in Mendoza
• ✓ Private driver and comfortable car for the whole day
• ✓ Guidance throughout by a certified sommelier
• ✓ One bottle of wine at the scenic photo stops
• ✓ Bottled water during the tour
• ✓ Photographs taken for you

Not Included

• Winery visit and tasting fees — paid directly at each winery
• Lunch — ordered and paid à la carte at the restaurant
• Gratuities

What to Bring

• ID or passport
• A card for the winery fees and lunch, which are paid on the day
• Warm layers — the Uco Valley is far higher than the city and cools fast
• Sunglasses and sunscreen for the altitude

Good to Know & Caveats

• The price covers the private car, the sommelier and the day's planning. The winery fees and the lunch are paid directly on the day, so budget for both on top of the ticket.
• It is a nine-hour day, of which about three hours are driving — the Uco Valley is roughly ninety minutes each way.
• The valley sits between 900 and 1,500 metres. It is meaningfully cooler than Mendoza city, and the wind picks up in the afternoon.
• Fully private: the car, the sommelier and the itinerary are yours alone.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time.

Meeting Point

Private pickup from your hotel or apartment in Mendoza, in the morning. Drop-off is wherever suits you at the end — your accommodation, or somewhere in the city to carry on the evening.