Valle de Uco: Private Full Day Wine Tour with 3-Course Lunch

Valle de Uco is Mendoza wine country at its grandest: blue sky, dry fields, long rows of vines, and snow-covered Andes in the distance. This private day takes you along Route 40 to two wineries, where the wine matters, but so does the setting. You get a full day without the awkward shuffle of a large bus group.

I like two things right away: the private format lets you travel from your own accommodation and keep the day focused on your group, and the three-course lunch with selected wines turns the tour into a full food-and-wine outing rather than two rushed tasting stops. The main caution is practical: the schedule and winery lineup need confirming, since a past booking had a late pickup and only one guided winery visit.

Key points to know

• Route 40 leads into Mendoza’s high-country wine zone, crossing the Mendoza River on the way to Valle de Uco.
• You choose from three winery combinations: Salentein and Andeluna, Piedra Infinita and The Vines Private Vineyards, or Clos de los Siete.
• Lunch is part of the main experience, with three courses and reserve or premium wines served alongside the meal.
• The private group setup suits couples and small parties, especially if you want pickup from a hotel or rental in the covered areas.
• Guiding is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with winery visits arranged for reduced groups or privately.
• Confirm the pickup time and selected wineries before departure, because substitutions and schedule changes can occur.

Crossing Route 40 into Valle de Uco

The day begins with pickup at your accommodation in Mendoza, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Tupungato, Tunuyán, or San Carlos. From there, you travel south along Route 40 and across the Mendoza River toward Valle de Uco.

This route gives the day a useful sense of place. Mendoza’s vineyards do not sit in a naturally lush setting. The region is dry, and its vineyards exist because mountain water is carried down from melting snow and ice. Irrigation turns an arid area into an agricultural oasis.

As you head toward the valley, the scenery shifts between desert-colored ground, wide vineyard blocks, blue sky, and mountain views. San Carlos, Tunuyán, and Tupungato form the main parts of this wine area, each with its own position and local character.

The drive also helps explain why the wines taste the way they do. Pure mountain water, altitude, dry conditions, and large changes between daytime and nighttime temperatures affect the grapes. The result can be wines with strong color, clear acidity, and concentrated flavor.

You will spend a fair amount of the eight-hour day in the vehicle, so this is not a good choice if you want a quick tasting close to central Mendoza. It is a full-day outing for people who want to see the wine region itself, not just sample bottles in town.

Choosing between the three winery routes

The experience offers three possible combinations. Your choice matters because the wineries have different settings and identities. Availability can affect the final plan, and on rare occasions a listed winery may be closed or unavailable. In that case, a similar winery of the same standard is used.

Salentein Winery and Andeluna Winery

This pairing gives you two established names in the Valle de Uco area. Salentein is one of the best-known winery choices in the region, while Andeluna is also tied closely to the valley’s food and wine culture.

The day typically includes a guided visit at both wineries, followed by tastings. The important point is to check whether your selected package includes a full guided visit at each stop, not just a tasting or lunch visit. A previous booking had the guided portion at Salentein, while the meal at Andeluna did not include the expected second guided visit.

That difference may sound small on paper, but it changes the day. A winery tour usually gives you context about the building, winemaking process, vineyards, and local conditions. A tasting alone is more focused on the glass. If you care about production details, confirm the exact plan before you leave Mendoza.

Piedra Infinita Winery and The Vines Private Vineyards

This option gives you another pairing of high-end wine destinations in the valley. Piedra Infinita is connected with the Zuccardi wine name, while The Vines Private Vineyards offers a different view of modern, small-scale vineyard ownership and premium production.

The provided details do not specify which winery hosts the lunch for every departure, so ask for the meal location when booking. That question is worth asking because lunch is not just a break between tastings. It is one of the central reasons to choose this experience over a shorter wine tour.

Clos de los Siete

Clos de los Siete is another possible winery choice. The name refers to a well-known wine project in Valle de Uco, and selecting this option lets you build the day around a single named destination rather than the two-pair format listed above.

Because the exact visit plan can depend on availability, treat the three choices as preferred options rather than an absolute guarantee. If one is closed, the replacement is supposed to be of a similar standard, but you should still ask which wineries are confirmed before paying.

What the winery visits are like

Each option includes two selected wineries with a guide, a premium wine tasting, and a three-course lunch with drinks. The visits are arranged for reduced groups or private groups, which should make questions and conversation easier than on a large coach tour.

The guide speaks English, Spanish, or Portuguese. This is useful in a region where the value of a winery visit depends heavily on explanation. You are not only looking at vines and tasting a flight. You are learning how water, altitude, temperature shifts, and soil affect the finished wine.

The guide can also help tie the stops together. Without that link, two winery visits can blur into a parade of similar glasses. With good pacing, the contrast between wineries becomes part of the day.

One traveler specifically praised the guide’s command of local history, rating the guide 10 out of 10 while criticizing the itinerary problem. That is an important distinction. The guiding itself can be a strong part of the experience, but clear communication about timing and inclusions still matters.

You may be offered several wines during a tasting, with reserve and premium labels included in the day. The amount can vary by winery and package, so do not assume every stop includes the same number of pours or the same food pairing.

Lunch is a major part of the value

The three-course lunch is served with selected wines, and it gives the day a slower, more generous rhythm. Rather than eating quickly between appointments, you have time to enjoy the food and the views around the winery.

This is where the tour moves beyond a basic tasting circuit. Wine is easier to understand when you try it with food, especially when the meal is designed around the winery’s own bottles or preferred pairings. One past booking described the lunch as fantastic and said the tour included a good amount of wine.

There is one useful criticism to keep in mind: the first winery’s tasting did not include the hoped-for food pairing. If pairing matters to you, ask whether it is part of the tasting, the lunch, or neither. The description promises lunch with drinks, but it does not promise a food match at both wineries.

Dietary restrictions should be stated at booking. That gives the local operator a chance to plan the meal rather than leaving the request until you sit down at the table.

Why Valle de Uco wine tastes different

You do not need a technical wine background to enjoy this tour, but a little context makes the tasting more meaningful.

Valle de Uco is an irrigated wine zone in a dry part of Mendoza Province. Mountain rivers supply the water, much of it coming from snowmelt. That water makes vineyard growing possible and helps shape the chemical balance of the grapes.

The region’s temperature changes also matter. Warm days help ripen the fruit, while cooler nights can preserve acidity. The stated result is wine with intense color and flavor, along with acidity influenced by the water and thermal range.

Use the tastings to notice those differences. Ask what you are tasting, where the grapes were grown, and how the winery handles altitude and irrigation. The private or reduced-group setup makes these questions more practical than they would be in a crowded tasting room.

The mountain scenery is not just decoration. It helps you understand the scale and difficulty of farming here. The vines are part of a carefully managed oasis surrounded by dry country.

Private transport and the eight-hour pace

Roundtrip transportation is included, with pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in the covered Mendoza areas. That is a real benefit on a wine day. You do not have to drive after several tastings, and you can focus on the countryside instead of directions.

The pickup areas include Mendoza, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Tupungato, Tunuyán, and San Carlos. You need to provide the exact hotel or accommodation address when booking, or contact the local partner once you have it.

The private group format is especially useful if your party has different interests. One person can ask about winemaking, another can focus on food, and the group can discuss whether to spend more time at a particular stop. You are not sharing the day with a full busload of strangers.

Still, private does not mean completely flexible. Winery appointments are fixed by the wineries, and the day must fit within the eight-hour duration. A private vehicle gives you a better setting, but it does not guarantee that you can change the order or extend lunch.

The timing deserves attention. The published start time is subject to availability, and one past booking involved an 11 a.m. pickup despite an earlier time shown in the booking material. I would confirm the pickup time by email or message the day before. That simple check protects the rest of your Mendoza plans.

The $605 price and who gets value

The listed price is $605 per group up to one person. That wording is unusual, so confirm the final price for your party before booking. The value depends on whether the rate applies only to a solo booking or changes when additional people join.

At first glance, this is far more than a basic winery shuttle. You are paying for private transportation, a multilingual guide, guided visits at two wineries, premium tastings, and a three-course lunch with wine. For a solo visitor who wants a private day and would otherwise need to arrange transport, the bundled format may be practical.

For two or more people, ask how the group pricing works. If the price remains close to the listed private rate, the cost per person improves quickly. If it rises by each additional person, compare it with a shared wine tour and decide how much privacy and control are worth to you.

The price makes the most sense if you value the whole day: the long drive into Valle de Uco, the setting, the food, the guide, and the winery access. It is less compelling if your main goal is simply to taste Mendoza wine. In that case, a shorter local tasting may give you enough.

The mixed operational record also means the price deserves careful confirmation. Ask for the selected wineries, lunch location, pickup time, and number of guided visits. Those four details define what you are actually buying.

Who should book this Valle de Uco day

I would choose this tour if you want Valle de Uco as a destination in its own right. It suits wine lovers, food-focused couples, small private groups, and anyone who prefers a guide who can explain the region in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

It also works well for a special day when you want lunch in a winery setting rather than a series of quick tastings. The mountain views and dry high-country scenery give the outing a strong sense of place.

I would be more cautious if your schedule is tight or if you need a precisely timed morning departure. The drive is substantial, the tour lasts eight hours, and the exact winery plan may change. Confirm everything in writing.

Comfortable shoes are a sensible choice because the day includes winery visits. Bring your passport or ID card, and tell the operator about dietary restrictions when you book.

My booking advice

I would book this experience for the private transport, two winery visits, premium tastings, and full lunch. The best parts are the setting and the chance to understand Valle de Uco as a working wine region, not just a tasting-room address.

Before committing, send a short message asking for the confirmed pickup time, the exact two wineries, where lunch will be served, and whether both winery stops include guided visits. If the operator confirms those points clearly, this is a strong choice for a relaxed, high-end day in Mendoza wine country. If the answers are vague, choose a simpler tour with a more fixed schedule.

FAQ

How long does the Valle de Uco wine tour last?

The tour lasts eight hours, including transportation, winery visits, tastings, and lunch.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Roundtrip pickup and drop-off at your accommodation are included.

Where is pickup available?

Pickup is available from accommodations in Mendoza, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Tupungato, Tunuyán, and San Carlos.

Which wineries can be included?

The listed choices are Salentein and Andeluna, Piedra Infinita and The Vines Private Vineyards, or Clos de los Siete.

Will I visit two wineries?

Each option is arranged around two selected wineries with guided visits and tastings. A winery may be replaced by a similar one if it is closed or unavailable.

Is lunch included?

Yes. The experience includes a three-course lunch with drinks and selected reserve or premium wines.

Are the winery visits private?

The visits are made for reduced groups or private groups, and the overall experience is a private group tour.

What languages does the guide speak?

The guide service is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

What should I bring?

Bring your passport or ID card and wear comfortable shoes.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Reserve-now, pay-later booking is also available.