The Ultimate South American Wine Tour: Chile & Argentina

Day 2: Private Maipo Valley Wine Tour

Located just south of Santiago, the Maipo Valley is affectionately known as the ‘Bordeaux of South America’. One of Chile’s most important wine-producing regions and home to some of its most prestigious wineries, this region is best known for its rich and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon and the country’s signature red, Carménère.

You’ll enjoy a full-day private chauffeured wine tour around the Maipo Valley, stopping at two boutique wineries to tour the vineyards, learn about the region’s unique terroir and climate, and savour a tutored tasting of their wines. The tour includes a vineyard lunch with perfectly paired wines.

Day 4 & 5: Wine Tasting Tours in the Casablanca Valley

Check out of your Santiago hotel this morning, as you head for the colourful and bohemian port city of Valparaíso, and an elegant four-star hotel in the hillside suburb of Cerro Alegre.

The next two days are dedicated to exploring the Casablanca Valley, a fertile region nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Chile’s Central Valley. Blessed with cool coastal air, this region is Chile’s most important white wine producing area, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc its main stars.

Savour two days of private chauffeured wine tours around the Casablanca Valley, visiting a total of four family-run wineries. Learn about the region’s unique terroir and climate, and its contribution to these delicious whites, plus Pinot Noir, which also thrives here. Both days include vineyard lunches where the region’s excellent seafood offers a perfect match to these refreshing and aromatic whites.

Day 7: Private Mendoza Wine Tour

Home to 75% of Argentina’s vineyards, Mendoza is the country’s largest wine region, and its undisputed star. Over the next four days, you’ll be exploring four of its sub-regions to discover how the terroir and climate contribute to the different styles of wine.

First to Luján de Cuyo, Argentina’s first DOC, which is home to a mix of quaint, historic wineries and small, ultra-modern boutiques. Malbec is the main grape variety grown here, though Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Torrontés also feature. You’ll visit two wineries in the north of this sub-region for tours and tastings, and enjoy a vineyard lunch.

Day 9: Private Uco Valley Wine Tour

While Luján de Cuyo and Maipú feature some of Mendoza’s best-known wineries, the Uco Valley is home to some of its most exciting and innovative wine producers. Today’s tour takes you around 90km south of Mendoza city to explore this high-elevation region, which has developed a reputation as the ‘Napa of the South’.

White wines are more prominent here, with the region producing some of the country’s finest Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as offering a unique spin on high-altitude Malbec. Your tour includes two winery visits with tastings, a vineyard lunch, and some of Mendoza’s most spectacular views.

Day 11: Fly from Mendoza to Salta

After breakfast, your private driver will transfer you to the airport for a domestic flight to Salta, the historic capital of one of Argentina’s largest and most beautiful provinces.

Check into your boutique hotel, nestled in the historic quarter of colonial Salta, then set out to uncover the rich history and heritage of this city on a half-day tour. Admire the city’s glorious architecture, visit striking landmarks like Salta Cathedral and San Francisco Church, and take the cable car up San Bernardo Hill for stunning city views. During the tour, you’ll stop for a traditional lunch.

Day 13 & 14: Wine Tasting Tours in Cafayate

After breakfast, check out of your Salta hotel and begin the picturesque drive through the dusty red canyons of the Calchaquí Valley to Cafayate. You’ll spend the next two nights staying at a stunning wine retreat on the outskirts of town – and the next two days touring the wineries of Cafayate.

With its high altitude, dry climate and hot days followed by cool nights, the conditions here are ideal for Torrontés, the only 100% Argentinian grape variety. This aromatic, dry white wine is the star of the region, though Malbec, Malbec rosé, and Cabernet Sauvignon are produced here too.

Both days include visits to two wineries where you’ll tour the vineyards, meet the winemakers, and taste a selection of their wines. A vineyard lunch paired with local wines is included on both days.

Day 16: Private Buenos Aires City Tour

Discover the fascinating city of Buenos Aires on a half-day city tour. This tour can be adapted to your wishes, with options including the historic centre where you can see the iconic sites of the Casa Rosada (Pink Palace), Teatro Colón, Plaza de Mayo and the city’s main cathedral. You may wish to wander among the famous graves in the Recoleta Cemetery or discover the colourful districts of San Telmo and La Boca. Following your tour, you have the option to visit some of the city’s museums, such as the Museum of Latin American Art or the Fine Arts Museum.

In the evening, experience a Buenos Aires’ institution with dinner and a tango display at one of the city’s finest tango shows.