Wine tasting and cycling around the vineyards of Mendoza

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
10
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
77 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
71st/454
Top 20%
continent
South America
country
Argentina
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$50 ($60-$100 in 2019 prices)
Time of year visited
February
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Cycling Restaurant recommendations Vineyards
All Tags
Mountains Steak Wine
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary

The most famous wine region in Latin America . . . making your way cycling from one superb vineyard to the next . . . stopping off for lunch overlooking the tallest section of the Andes range . . . sounds awful right?

Whilst Mendoza has a sea of vineyards spread out across a wide area, Chacras de Coria is jam packed with vineyards in a manageable sized area that is geared for cyclists who can easily make their way between them.   If you can, give yourself an extra day to head off to some of the other regions, but make Chacras de Coria your base

Highlights
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#1 Jumping on the bike with only a rough idea of where you're going and searching for the stunning vineyards

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#2 Sampling the wines themselves. As with all alcohols, the setting and story of the wines help with the flavour, and the friendly staff are only too happy to tell it

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#3 Eating in one of the many world class restaurants on offer, not just at the wineries but also the town itself

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#4 Chilling out in some of the villas nearby as you work off your mini wine hangover

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#5 Sitting in one of the shaded vineyards, working your way through a lunch menu with wine pairings, looking out across the vines and to the towering Andes range behind

  • Pick up your bikes in the morning anytime after 10am from Baccus (Wine Tour) Bikes at Av Bartolome Mitre 1552.  They will also give you a map and are super helpful for recommendations
  • There are a raft of vineyards to check out, but I would in particular recommend for following:
    • Bodega Viamonte for a pleasant tour, beautiful grass area for chilling out and a wide open view of the Andes range
    • Having lunch (must reserve) at Bodega Lagarde
    • Finishing off at the Weinert Bodega y Cavas for a more factory-driven approach to wine making
  • Drop your bike off back at Baccus Bikes anytime before 630pm and, if you still have the energy,:
    • Eat locally at El Mercadito
    • Take a 20min drive to Mendoza for dinner at the wonderful Azafran
    • Continue to boozing, but change to beer at the local Patagonia Cerveceria

Travel Tips

  • Baccus Bikes offered good bikes, within easy walking distance from the centre and were very helpful in giving you maps and tips for your route, including with vineyards would be open at what times, when the tours would be etc.  It was around USD20 for the day between 10am and 630pm and would certainly recommend them
  • Bike routes – there are a series of clearly marked bike routes, but occasionally you have to cross or cycle along a main road.  At no time did we feel unsafe, but also just be cautious in how much wine you drink . . . and which side of the road you’re on!
  • Booking ahead – there are a host of vineyards in Chacras de Coria and the surrounding area, so you won’t be lacking for choice.  But it may be worth booking a couple of places that really catch your eye – for example we had heard great things about Bodega Lagarde, so booked ahead (your hotel will be more than happy to help out).  If you don’t book, again not to worry, just ask either the place you’re staying or your bike rental company for tips
  • Have lunch at Bodega Lagarde, which was I think one of my favourite lunch experiences anywhere in Latin America.  The courtyard under the trees with the vines and Andes range glimpsing through in the background was stunning; the staff were wonderful; and the five course lunch menu with wine pairings were 10/10.  I don’t remember how much the lunch cost as there were quite a few variables and a few of us, but it was in the range USD30 – USD60 per head.  Just do it
  • Bodega Viamonte was a lovely vineyard with a chilled out tour that you can finish at the end by relaxing on the beautiful grass area and wandering through the vines with a clear open view of the Andes range.  The tour was around USD8 per person and included some snacks to go with the wine
  • Weinert Bodega is built more like a factory, but don’t let that put you off as the architecture of the all brick building and history behind the first vineyard to make 100% Malbec really draws you in.  The tour takes you through the cellars and allows you to sample a variety of wines in the cool underground bar at the end.  Tour is around USD10
  • We tried a few restaurants in our time in Chacras de Coria and they were all very pleasant.  In particular I would recommend:
    • El Mercadito in Chacras de Coria for its nice outside area and good food
    • If you have a group of 5 or more, see if you can book the cellar room in the Azafran Restaurant in central Mendoza.  Being in the cellar means you have to wear ponchos to keep yourself warm as you look through the shelves for which wine you fancy next.  Its around a 20min cab ride, but is outstanding
  • There are a variety of places to stay in Chacras de Coria.  We stayed in two:
    • Casa de Coria.  Beautiful villa will nice gardens and well laid out swimming pool.  Centrally located and very helpful staff.  Would recommend
    • La Masia.  Slightly further outside the main central part of Chacras de Coria, but the owner, Alejandro, and beautiful villa more than make up for it.  Offer Alejandro a bottle of wine and he will most likely bring out some cheese and bread to have a chat, very interesting guy.  I would also recommend
  • For further afield vineyards that you wouldn’t cycle to, I would recommend Bodega Andeluna and Bodega Salentein which, although rather ugly from the outside, has a fantastic underground cellar
Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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