The Mendoza Wine Regions
The Mendoza is the primary wine-producing region of Argentina, with more than 80% of the wines produced here and 400,000 acres of vineyards already planted. To put this in perspective, Napa Valley has only 45,000 acres of vineyards and Bordeaux, the largest wine region in France, and the origin of Malbec, has 300,000 acres of vineyards. Argentina is clearly on the path of becoming a major and significant wine producer in the world.
The city of Mendoza is the capital of the Mendoza Wine Regions, of the Mendoza Province, with roughly two-thirds of the region’s population living in the big city of a million people. Enjoying downtown is an easy stop, with the Mendoza Airport (MDZ) just 20 minutes from downtown, located on the northeast edge of the city.
The primary wine regions are located to the west, south and southwest of the city. Many wineries are so close that you could stay downtown in one of their magnificent hotels, enjoying the city at night, and be back in wineries the next day. Miapú is the closest region, just a few minutes south of the city. Luján de Cuyo is to the west of the city by about 20 minutes. Valle de Uco, the up and coming flourishing wine region of Mendoza, is an hour southwest of the city. And San Rafael is a three-hour drive south of the city. San Rafael also has an airport with daily flights from Buenos Aires. All of these regions have delightful places to stay within the wine region.