Photo: PP2025, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Mendoza for the harvest, then Buenos Aires
Nine days for a couple's anniversary in March: picking grapes and long winery lunches during the Mendoza harvest, then art and tango in Buenos Aires.
Into the vineyards
Getting there
Fly into Mendoza (MDZ), connecting in Buenos Aires or Santiago. The guest house is 40 minutes from the airport.
Where you're staying
The Terrazas de los Andes Guest House, a handful of rooms inside a Spanish-style winery from the late 19th century in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, with the vines at the door and the Andes behind them.
- Five nights, with breakfast; the winery's restaurant cooks with local ingredients and pairs every course
- Rated 9.2 on Booking.com
Photos: terrazasdelosandes.com
Evening
Dinner at the winery: an anniversary toast with the Grand Malbec, a few metres from where it was made.
Pick your own harvest
Morning
At Santa Julia, the Zuccardi family's winery in Maipú, Wednesdays and Fridays in February and March are harvest days for visitors. You start at 9:30 at the Casa del Visitante, take a crate and secateurs into the rows with a guide, and learn why the grapes are picked by hand.
- Book at least 24 hours ahead; the programme runs only during the harvest
- Wear closed shoes and a hat: the sun is strong at 800 metres
Photos: santajulia.com.ar
Lunch
Stay on at Santa Julia for empanadas from the clay oven, or the longer Menú de Fuegos y Huerta cooked over fire with vegetables from the estate garden.
- Lunch is booked with the harvest visit
Afternoon
Back to the guest house for a siesta among the vines; in March the evenings are warm and long.
Flagship day
A long lunch in the Uco Valley
Day 3 · Thu 4 Mar
Morning
With a driver, an hour and a half south to Zuccardi Valle de Uco in Paraje Altamira, a winery built from the stones of its own vineyards under the Andes, three times named the best vineyard in the world. The tour walks you through the vines and the different soils before the tasting.
- Tours at 9:30, 11:00, 12:30 and 15:00, by reservation only
- A driver for the day is about 150 to 200 US dollars with English (estimate); nobody should drive after this lunch
Photos: zuccardiwines.com
Lunch
Piedra Infinita Cocina, the winery's restaurant, serves a long tasting menu of regional dishes, each course paired with a Zuccardi wine, in a glass room facing the mountains.
- Lunch from 12:30; book at least 48 hours ahead, it seats 50
- Listed in the Michelin Guide
Photos: zuccardiwines.com
Harvest time
In Mendoza the grapes are picked from late February to April, and the city celebrates with the Vendimia festival, usually on the first weekend of March.
Fire and the Vía Blanca
The day
A hands-on asado and empanada class in Chacras de Coria, then the Vía Blanca night parade of the Vendimia queens in Mendoza.
Vendimia
The day
The Carrusel parade through the city in the morning; the show at the Greek Theatre at night, if you want the full festival.
To Buenos Aires
Getting there
Morning flight to Buenos Aires, in time for the San Telmo Sunday fair.
Where you're staying
Shoshana Hotel Boutique, a quiet townhouse hotel in Palermo, for three nights.
Art, then tango
The day
MALBA for Latin American art, a private tango lesson in the afternoon, and a real milonga after dinner.
Recoleta and the Colón
The day
The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, a guided tour of the Teatro Colón, and an anniversary dinner at a parrilla in Palermo.
Home
Getting home
Fly home from Buenos Aires Ezeiza.
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