664205 Mon Nov 02 14:39:31 -0800 2009 5 56 South America 0 5150245 Hi there, Anyone have any informed suggestions of worthwhile wineries to visit in Mendoza, Argentina? We will be there for two day and will be hiring a driver to take us around a few places, and hopefully enjoy an asado at one. Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks. Mon Nov 02 14:39:31 -0800 2009 28056 vlad 1 5150660 Hi, We are going in 2 weeks (never been) and just hired a guy who was recommended highly on various mendoza boards - Gustavo Delucchi delucchigustavop@yahoo.com.ar. He is very quick to get back, seems to know a lot about the area and all the wineries, and has booked all our our tastings/lunch for the day (in addition to driving us around). The only one I had a friend/food & wine rec for is Achaval-Ferrer winery (which he also suggested). His rates were also MUCH more reasonable then other tours I found online. Hope that helps! Mon Nov 02 17:15:29 -0800 2009 5150245 21877 smallgirlbigcity 2 5151288 @smallgirlbigcity I received the following quote from another guide: ---------------- LUJAN DE CUYO REGION 09:00am Pick up at the Hotel 09:30am CATENA ZAPATA (tour and tasting) cost free 11:00am ACHAVAL FERER (tour and tasting) cost $30 pesos each 12:40pm SEPTIMA WINERY (tour and lunch) cost $140 pesos each 03.30pm BENEGAS lYNCH (tour and tasting) cost $30 pesos each Return to Mendoza City at 5:30pm.. ---------------- Do these costs mesh with yours? Thanks. Tue Nov 03 02:32:51 -0800 2009 5150660 28056 vlad 3 5171987 Our quote was not broken down as a fee per stop, just one lump sum per person - for the Lujan de Cuyo area (Achaval Ferer is one we are visiting) it was 100/each. He also gave us estimates for just the car and a driver if we would have rather done that and it was about $50 cheaper, but I'm sure we would easily spend that in tasting fees. Tue Nov 10 23:34:53 -0800 2009 5151288 21877 smallgirlbigcity 2 5155603 I second Achaval-Ferrer. When my fiancé and I went, we were the only people on the tour! They did what I believe is called a "vertical" tasting--where you sample a wine at various stages of maturation to better understand how flavors develop. I wish we'd bought a few more bottles to send back home! We also did a tour at Ruca Malen. This was a tour that concluded with a leisurely, wine-paired lunch on a covered patio overlooking the vineyards. (This may be how we ended up getting such an intimate tour at Achaval-Ferrer! We may have been feeling a bit drowsy, but we soldiered on--we're tough like that...) Wed Nov 04 11:27:22 -0800 2009 5150660 96861 jennitrixie 3 5159460 Great info. Any other tips? Thu Nov 05 16:25:30 -0800 2009 5155603 28056 vlad