Mendoza

What Mendoza teaches: altitude

Mendoza's vineyards sit at 900 to 1,500 metres, in the rain shadow of the Andes. The days are hot, the nights are cold, and that swing preserves the acidity that makes high-altitude Malbec taste alive instead of heavy. Mendoza teaches altitude, the invisible ingredient you can taste.

The wines

Malbec is the headline: violets, dark plum, velvet tannin. The Uco Valley's high-altitude bottlings add freshness and mineral grip. Cabernet Franc is the insider's pick.

Where to go

Luján de Cuyo, close to the city, is classic Malbec country. The Uco Valley, an hour south, is the frontier: Catena Zapata's Mayan-pyramid winery is the region's monument, Zuccardi's concrete temple in Altamira won world's-best-vineyard awards repeatedly, and Salentein pairs wine with an art gallery and Andes views that don't look real.

Eat

Asado is the format. Siete Fuegos at The Vines resort, Francis Mallmann's seven open fires, is the pilgrimage version. Most Uco wineries serve long vineyard lunches; book the wine pairing and surrender the afternoon.

Getting there

Fly into Mendoza from Buenos Aires or Santiago. Harvest runs February to April; the Vendimia festival in early March is the city at full tilt.