In general, it’s best to make advance appointments for tours and tastings in Mendoza. I recommend visiting no more than three wineries per day: one late in the morning, one for lunch and one in the afternoon.

Viña Cobos

During his time working for Nicolás Catena, Paul Hobbs completely changed the winemaking culture of Mendoza, and, in 1997, he founded his own winery. In the sleek tasting room of this contemporary glass-and-concrete building, we sampled some of the most beautifully crafted wines of our entire trip. The Viña Cobos Bramare line focuses on single-vineyard Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Tasting them together emphasized not only the difference that terroir can make, but also the focus and elegance of which Mendozan wines are capable.

Achaval-Ferrer

This winery’s 16-year-old brick building doesn’t look like much, but some of Mendoza’s most deliciously complex wines are crafted inside. The owners attempt to bring out the qualities of the vineyards’ soils as much as the fruitiness of the grapes. Sitting in a stylish dining room, we tried a Bordeaux-style blend and three single-vineyard Malbecs. The wines exhibited lusciously ripe fruit as well as appealing earthier notes such as tobacco and iron, integrating them with real finesse.