Known as the Napa Valley of Argentina, Mendoza is Latin America’s largest wine-making region with more than 800 wineries. Uco Valley in particular is known for its malbecs, cabernet sauvignons, syrahs and ruby red tempranillos, which benefit from 250 sunny days a year, very little rain, fertile soil and a cool micro-climate where the average temperature is 57 degrees F.
An hour’s drive southwest of the city of Mendoza, Uco Valley is a popular destination for travelers on the Argentina Wine Route. As well as producing the highest altitude (900-1,200 meters) wines in the province, the valley is renowned for its beauty. Covering 45 miles by 15 miles on the eastern slopes of the Andes, Uco Valley follows the northern course of the Tunuyan river as it flows down from the surrounding snow-capped peaks. As you visit the valley’s vineyards, looks out for almond trees and orchards too.
Practical Info
If you’d like to stay overnight, the main town in Uco Valley is Tunuyan. To get to the valley, you can either drive from the city of Mendoza (one hour), or alternatively, many Argentina Wine Route tours include stops at Uco Valley’s renowned vineyards.
This small town of less than 3,500 inhabitants mainly receives visitors who are on their way between Chile and Argentina, as it is either the first or the last population center between the countries, which are separated by the nearly 4,000-meter mountain pass at Los Libertadores. Uspallata had a flash of fame as Seven Years of Tibet was filmed here, due to the similarity of the area to parts of the Himalayas. But that was years ago, and Uspallata has since turned back into the quiet, oasis town that it once was, with access to both Santiago several hours to the west, and Mendoza, 60 miles to the east.
From Uspallata, there are a few main attractions, and these include Bóvedas Históricas Uspallata, an area containing egg-shaped kilns that were used for metallurgy (gold, silver, zinc, copper, etc) in the 17th century. Another human intervention is the presence of the disused railroad station, which was in operation as part of a TransAndean line until 1984. At nearby Cerro Tunduqueral there are pre-Columbian petroglyphs. Uspallata is also a good point from which to take a trip to the Cerro de Siete Colores, a very colorful spot in the Andes, at which you can see seven different colors in the rock, though most visitors report seeing more.
Practical Info
Uspallata is a smaller, quieter alternative to a stay over in Mendoza when crossing the Andes from Chile to Argentina or vice-versa. It is also the closest town to Los Penitentes, a medium-sized ski resort that runs most years from July to early October.
