Friday March 5^th   2010.

Your bilingual wine guide picks you up from your hotel at 9.30am and we go to Lujan de Cuyo, a half hour drive south of Mendoza city. First stop of the day is Bodega Lagarde, one of Mendoza’s oldest bodegas and home of Argentina’s oldest white wine. A tour of the winery and vines is complimented by a tasting of their red and white wine. Next we visit the beautiful Finca Decero , a wholly Swiss owned winery, red brick amongst manicured lawns.   Paul Hobbs of California fame is the visiting wine consultant here and this is truly reflected in their very fine wines. Onwards for a quick tour around Ruca Malen winery,  followed by lunch at their in-house restaurant. Lucas is one of Argentina’s up and coming chefs and we challenge you to not enjoy the 5-step lunch during which you will taste Ruca Malen’s full wine range. In your free time that evening we suggest you watch the parade of "Harvest Queens" - the first celebration of the annual wine harvest, La Via Blanca is the parade of the beauty queens from each locality accompanied by floats, dancing and music. A good spot to watch from is the Plaza Independencia. (suggest you get there early - at the latest 21.00)


Saturday March  6tth

Spend the morning on your own, wandering the festive streets enjoying The Carousel - a spectacular sunshine parade of horse-drawn coaches, gauchos, bands, dancers and performers.
In the evening we will pick you up at 8.30pm to watch The Central Act – the big, impressive and   brilliantly choreographed celebration of the annual wine harvest. This spectacular, shown on TV, attracts Argentina's great and beautiful, including the President. It is held in the Griego Theatre, a 25,000-seat natural amphitheatre in Parque General San Martin. This is a celebration of the history of Mendoza, its wine and its women. The show concludes with a stunning firework display. We try to get you back to your hotel by 02.00 hours (traffic permitting).

Sunday March  7th
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel at 11.30 and we will visit Alta Vista, a French-owned winery that conducts excellent tours and tastings. Here you will taste their Grand Reserve, a highly-rated Malbec blend from three of their vineyards.   From here on to Clos de Chacras for a high-end 5-course gourmet lunch with a different one of the wines with each course.

Price per person: US$600  

  Our groups are small, never more than six people on wine tours and twelve people for the Acto central.  Transport is in a modern air-conditioned vehicle. The price includes a gift pack with Wine Republic magazine and one of our favourite wines.