To gain an intriguing insight into how Mendoza’s booming wine industry came to fruition, consider visiting one or more of these historic wineries. Each and every one boasts a special story, which can be discovered alongside a toothsome tasting.
Bodega Benegas
From one of the most important wine dynasties in Mendoza, this old winery oozes Argentine wine aristocracy. The poncho collection and small wine museum in Benegas add to the historical vibe and you’ll get to taste wine in the beautiful disused cement wine tanks underground.
Read more about Bodega Benegas.
Bodega Lagarde
In a beautiful old vineyard in Luján, you will be surprised by the rows of old vines on this rather busy street but it’s not just the vines that tell a story. In this historic winery, established in 1872, you’ll find the oldest white wine in the Americas – a 1942 Sémillon – which was forgotten about in a barrel and rediscovered many years later.
Read more about Lagarde winery.
Clos de Chacras
Pretty in pink, you can see the old construction style and enormous wine pools (which are now used for bottle storage) in this Chacras winery tucked away in the middle of the village. As well as the historical building, the family has a great story of a family business lost and found again.
Read more about Clos de Chacras winery.
Di Tommaso
The oldest still functioning winery in Mendoza, the quaint Di Tommaso winery is easy to visit and it conjures up years gone by. Accessible on the bike route in Maipú, it is usually flooded by backpackers and provides one of the more grassroots experiences in Maipú.
Read more about Di Tommaso winery.
Trapiche
This big old winery gives you an idea of the large production numbers in the past with its big fire burner in the middle and an abandoned train line running up to the door. Trapiche still push a lot of wine through their door, but the volume is nothing compared to that in the days when wine was transported out of the winery by train. A great opportunity to see how wine was historically produced in Mendoza and compare it with the modern day.
Read more about Trapiche winery.
Other historic wineries in Mendoza worth a visit
Maal Wines: New winemakers with new ideas in a beautiful abandoned old winery.
Carinae: When a French couple came to start their own new life in Argentina, they restored this old winery in Maipu to home their new project and wines.
Dante Robino: The core of the winery is around 100 years old, but it is perfectly preserved in a modern shell that you have to step into to discover the historic part.
