Chile & Argentina Wine Tour

Itinerary : Prices : Reserve : Dates

Three mesmerizing cities and two world-class wine regions: this trip allows travelers to explore the best of South America’s wine country, and immerse themselves in Chilean and Argentine culture and its gastronomy, all in one unforgettable trip. We recommend that visitors spend at least 5 days in Chile, 3 days in Mendoza, Argentina, and 3 days in Buenos Aires.

Day 5: Colchagua Valley. The Colchagua Valley is emerging as the new king of Chilean reds and today’s winery visits will no doubt demonstrate the quality of new wines coming from Colchagua particularly the Carmenere, Syrah and Malbec varieties. Our day will start with a visit to Neyen Winery which focuses all its production on one Bordeaux-style blend from their 115 year-old Carmenere vines. The Neyen de Apalta winery is the perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It was founded by the Rojas family in 2002 on the site of one of the area’s pioneering wineries that dates back to the late 19th century. Only ten minutes away is our next visit, Vina Clos Apalta, created in 1994 by Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle (of the Grand Marnier family) and produces some of the best QPR (quality/price ratio) wines in Chile. Since its outstanding debut 1997 vintage, Casa Lapostolle's Clos Apalta bottling has helped to establish Chile as a premier red-wine region. Owner Marnier-Lapostolle and her team created a blend of Chile's distinctive Carmenère variety, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the estate's oldest vines in Colchagua's Apalta sub-valley, then kept refining: fermenting in smaller lots, hand-de-stemming berries and constructing a gravity-flow winery. In 2008, they were awarded a 96 in Wine Spectator for their Clos Apalta wine as well as best wine in the world. We will have lunch at the Clos Apalta winery with a spectacular view of the valley.

 

Day 7: Mendoza. We will depart from the hotel and drive to the Lujan de Cuyo area, one of Argentina’s most traditional and developed wine regions just south of Mendoza. It is home to many of Argentina’s famous wineries where the best Malbecs currently are being produced. First, we visit and taste wines at Tapiz winery tasting directly from American and French oak barrels. Then we visit Achaval Ferrer winery known for producing some of Argentina’s most prestigious wines. Our next visit is to Ruca Malen, a new vineyard which has seen significant development in just a few years time. Here we will taste their fabulous wines and afterward their chef, Lucas, will serve us a delicious lunch of Argentinean meat, cooked in a “disco de arado”. We will end our day visiting with one of Mendoza’s pioneering winemakers, Carmelo Patti. As one of the most important wine makers in Argentina, he will share his passion for winemaking while preparing special barrel tastings.