Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 96

MENDOZA
The sophisticated metropolis of
MENDOZA , with a population of around
a million, has the country's best wineries
on its doorstep. Set in a valley less
than 100km east of the Andes' loftiest
snow-covered mountains, downtown is
characterized by elegant, fountain-filled
plazas and wide, sycamore-lined
avenues. An earthquake in 1861 laid
waste to Mendoza's former colonial
glories, but the modern, low-rise city
that rose in its wake is certainly no
eyesore. Mendocinos know how to enjoy
the good life, and, along with taking
their siestas seriously (many businesses
close between 1pm and 4pm), they
enjoy dining at the city's many fine
restaurants and alfresco drinking along
the spacious pavements.
Mendoza makes an ideal base for
exploring some of Argentina's undisputed
highlights. Hundreds of bodegas , offering
wine-tasting tours, lie within easy reach
of downtown. Tour operators run a range
of white-water rafting, horseriding,
paragliding and skydiving excursions,
and those looming peaks offer skiing
in winter and world-class mountain
climbing in summer.

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7000m, an irresistible magnet for
experienced climbers. Further south
down the Andean cordillera is the
see-and-be-seen resort of Las Leñas ,
whose powdery slopes deliver some of
the best skiing in South America. Come
summer, snowmelt rushes down the
mountains, swelling rivers and creating
ideal white-water rafting conditions,
especially along the Cañon de Atuel near
the small city of San Rafael .
At the foothills of the mountains, the
same sunshine that pummels the region's
inhospitable, parched desertscapes also
feeds its celebrated grapevines. Wine
enthusiasts will feel right at home in
the eminently liveable city of Mendoza ,
the region's urban hub, which offers easy
access to Argentina's best bodegas .
North of here, the provincial capital of
San Juan and the village of Valle Fértil act
as good bases for two of the country's most
striking UNESCO World Heritage-listed
parks: the bizarrely shaped rock formations
of Ischigualasto (also known as Valle de la
Luna), and, just over the border in the
province of La Rioja, the wide-bottomed
canyon, pre-Columbian petroglyphs and
rich wildlife of Talampaya . For more
arresting scenery, make for the tumbleweed
town of Malargüe , which is within easy
reach of the cave network of Caverna de
las Brujas and La Payunia , where guanacos
roam across lava-strewn pampas.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
At the junction of the city's two principal
thoroughfares - Avenida Sarmiento

VISITING WINERIES
Barrel-loads of wineries offer free tours and tastings (some also have restaurants offering
gourmet lunches), with the majority in the satellite towns of Maipú (15km southeast),
Luján de Cuyo (7km south) and the eastern suburb of Guaymallén , all accessible by public
transport from the city centre. Many Mendoza-based tour companies offer half- or full-day
winery excursions, but if there are four of you, it can be more fun and cheaper to rent a taxi
and hit the bodegas of your choice independently (call ahead for appointments; also note
that most close on Sun). Or if you want to exercise between swills (but maybe spit the
wine out?), rent a bike in Maipú from Bikes and Wines (AR$60 per day; T 0261 410 6686,
W bikesandwines.com), arm yourself with their winery map, and cycle a 40km circuit, stopping
at vineyards along the way. To reach Maipú from downtown Mendoza, catch colectivos #171,
#172 or #173 from Rioja (between Catamarca and Garibaldi) and ask to be let off at Plazoleta
Rutini (45min).
If time only allows for one winery, walk around the corner to Bodega La Rural (Mon-Fri
9.30am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-1pm, T 0261 497 2013) at Montecaseros 2625, which has an
informative on-site wine museum. For expert advice on which wineries to visit, pick up a free
copy of Wine Republic magazine from the tourist of ce or speak to the helpful staff at Vines of
Mendoza (see p.103).