South America Wine Country

The Vines Resort & Spa, Uco Valley. We begin in Argentina’s Uco Valley, at The Vines Resort & Spa: thirty-three villas by the architects Bormida & Yanzon within 1,500 acres of private vineyards, each with a private deck, an outdoor firepit and a view of the mountains or the vines. The twelve two-level Andes Condor Villas have private pools, The Sanctuary is a residence for a family or four couples with its own pool and wellness area, and Francis Mallmann designs every menu, with the seven fires of Siete Fuegos at the heart of the evening.

Wine as the thread. Guests blend and hand-bottle a wine of their own, pick and stomp grapes beside the winemakers at harvest, or taste through the Winemakers Village, a cluster of specialty wineries within the resort. There are sunrise rides toward Manzano Histórico, treks into the Andes to the waterfalls of Guardia Vieja, and a five-kilometre trail through the vines.

Why the Uco Valley. The valley’s vineyards are planted high, many above a thousand metres, where cold nights and strong sun give Malbec, Argentina’s defining grape, its colour and freshness. Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir do well here too, and many of the country’s most admired estates have built cellars in the valley in recent decades. Harvest visits can include picking and the first fermentations, and the quieter months suit long tastings with the winemakers.

When to go. The valley keeps the Southern Hemisphere’s seasons. Harvest falls roughly from February to April, autumn turns the vines gold beneath the snow on the Andes, and from September the vines leaf again into long, dry summer days. Winter, from June to August, is cold and clear, with snow on the peaks and fires lit in the villas.

Getting there. Mendoza’s airport (MDZ) is about ninety minutes away by road, reached by domestic flights from Buenos Aires or a short flight across the Andes from Santiago de Chile, so the valley pairs naturally with a few days in either city. Our Mendoza and Uco Valley guide covers the region.

For a longer Argentina journey, continue south to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego, where Los Cauquenes looks over the Beagle Channel; our Argentina guide sets out the route. Wine lovers may also enjoy Chianti in our Mediterranean Hills collection, or the Pinot Noir country of Central Otago. Further wine country in South America is available by conversation.

Mountains and vineyards meet again in Alpine Escapes, and the far south, as far as the Antarctic ice, continues in Wild Frontiers.