Mendoza Wine Tour: Luján de Cuyo, Maipú or Uco Valley?
4 min read
If this is your first wine day in Mendoza and you want the simplest option, the half-day tour to three wineries in Maipú and an olive oil factory costs €30.31 per person and is rated 4.7/5 from 1,416 reviews, the most of any wine tour on GetYourGuide for Mendoza. If you want the high-altitude vineyards of the Uco Valley instead, plan on a full day and a long drive.
Three regions, three different days
Argentina’s tourism board places Maipú about 15 km east of Mendoza city, with vineyards between 650 and 850 metres. Luján de Cuyo lies about 20 km south, at an average of 900 to 1,100 metres, and is called the cradle of Argentine Malbec. The Uco Valley is 80 to 130 km south, with vineyards at 1,000 to 1,500 metres. In practice that means Maipú and Luján de Cuyo fit into half a day, while the Uco Valley does not. The two Uco tours below both list about 1.5 hours by car from Mendoza to the valley.
Maipú: the short, low-cost half day
The tour to 3 wineries and an olive oil factory lasts 6 hours. Pickup is at hotels in Mendoza city from 2:00 pm, the page says collecting everyone takes about 45 minutes, and the return is at about 8:00 pm. You visit an artisanal winery, an industrial winery, a sweet-wine cellar and the olive oil factory, with three wines at each winery; entrance fees and tastings are included. The tour is bilingual in English and Spanish. The page says return times can vary by up to one hour with traffic, so do not book a flight or dinner tight against it.
The half-day wine tour with tastings costs €28.52 and takes 5 hours. It visits two wineries in Luján de Cuyo or Maipú, chosen from a list that changes each day, plus an olive oil factory on the regular option. The guide speaks English, Spanish or Portuguese and groups can reach 40 people. Lunch is not included; the page asks you to eat before the tour.
Uco Valley: a long day, with lunch
The semi-private tour of two top wineries with lunch is limited to 8 people and costs €133.70. It lasts 6 to 7 hours and visits two wineries in Luján or the Uco Valley, depending on availability on your date. The page lists a multi-course lunch with paired wines, tastings and mineral water as included, and says you are dropped off around 5 or 6 pm.
Two other ways to reach the Uco Valley are the private-driver day at €80.45 and the small-group tour with lunch at €196.99. The first lasts 8 hours and has two options: transfer only, or the full option with two tastings and lunch at a third winery. Check which option the price on your date refers to. The second lasts 6 hours, is limited to 15 people and ends with a paired lunch at Domaine Bousquet after a visit to Bodega La Azul. The rating of the second tour rests on 13 reviews, so treat it as a lighter signal than the Maipú tour.
| Tour | Region | Length | Group | Lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 wineries and olive oil factory | Maipú | 6 hours | Small group | – |
| Half-day wine tour | Luján de Cuyo or Maipú | 5 hours | Up to 40 | Not included |
| Top wineries, semi-private | Luján or Uco Valley | 6–7 hours | Up to 8 | Included |
| Uco Valley with private driver | Uco Valley | 8 hours | Private group available | Full option |
| Uco Valley small group | Uco Valley | 6 hours | Up to 15 | Included |
Our recommendation
For most visitors the Maipú tour with three wineries is the right start: short, the most reviewed, and tastings are included. Book a Uco Valley day if the setting and the altitude matter more to you than the hours in the car, and if you want a proper lunch with wine. None of these pages names a minimum age, so with children ask the operator before booking. To compare more options, see all wine tours from Mendoza or the wine tours by bike.
