Greater Mendoza

Argentina's Malbec wine capital, with hundreds of wineries in Maipú, Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, and the high-mountain route along Route 7 leading to Aconcagua.

Mendoza lies in west-central Argentina at the eastern foot of the Andes. The provincial capital, Mendoza city, sits at about 750 m (2,460 ft), and the metropolitan area has around 1.2 million people. The climate is semi-arid desert, with under 250 mm of rain a year, and the region is an oasis made possible by irrigation channels fed by Andean snowmelt. Mendoza produces about 70% of Argentina's wine, with Malbec as its signature, and is a member of the Great Wine Capitals network. Seasons: the Grape Harvest Festival in early March is the liveliest time, and Mar–Apr has the best fall colors; Oct–Nov spring is pleasant; Dec–Feb summer is hot and is also the time to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue; Jun–Aug winter is cold and dry, when the mountain route may be closed and skiing is possible. Sightseeing falls into three parts: ① the city—Plaza Independencia and Plaza España, the Central Market, the Museo del Área Fundacional, General San Martín Park and Cerro de la Gloria, and the Aristides bar street; ② the wine regions—nearby Maipú (tasting by bike), Luján de Cuyo and Chacras de Coria, and the Uco Valley about 100 km to the south (high-altitude wineries such as Zuccardi and Salentein); ③ the high-mountain route—west along Route 7 past Cacheuta hot springs, Potrerillos Lake, Uspallata, Cerro Siete Colores, Penitentes and Puente del Inca to Aconcagua Provincial Park, where in summer you can go up to the Christ the Redeemer statue on the border; to the north there is also the “365 curves” road at Villavicencio. Getting around: the airport has flights to Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile, and the bus from Santiago over the mountains takes about 7 hours. Plan on 4–5 days. Most wineries require reservations and are often closed on Sundays; arrange a driver for tastings. Chinese passport holders need an Argentine visa, or an electronic travel authorization if eligible (check the latest rules from the consular authorities).

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