While our beloved Venice 🏝️ was waking up to chillier than usual Florida mornings, we awoke to warmth and sunshine in Mendoza, Argentina — ready to take on the Hidden Gems tour we’d arranged through the hotel. After a restful night’s sleep, it was especially nice to have had someone else coordinate the day. This wine lover usually plans all of our travel, including the itinerary, bookings, and confirmations, so it was a relief to have handed this over to the team at Susana Balbo’s. And they did an amazing job!
The morning’s sustenance for the tough day of wine tasting ahead ~ thanks to La Vida Restaurant at Susana Balbo Winemaker’s House
We began the day traveling south from Luján de Cuyo to Valle de Uco with our driver, Francisco. The drive was about an hour and a half and parallels the Andes, which provided a breathtaking view (I cannot believe we actually saw the Andes!) Off in the distance, through the car windows and across the fields, the Tupungato Volcano and Cerro el Plata (which is a staggering 19,580 feet tall) were visible peeking out from the clouds. Both were tipped in snow which was such a contrast to the beautiful sunshine and the day that was already beginning to heat up.
Piedras Negras
Welcome to Piedras Negras! Our first winery of the day 
We’re ready to start the day! 
The special plot of Côt from which the Chacayes wine is made 
The Côt plot at Piedras Negras 
Our welcome glass of Rosé of Pinot Gris 
The barrel room 
Amphoras in the barrel room 
The wines of Piedras Negras (along with a selection of aromas for sampling) 
Our tasting set up 
My partner in wine checking out the aromas of the Malbec 
The view of the Andes from the tasting room
Our first tasting of the day was at Piedras Negras, a winery owned by renowned French winemaker François Lurton. We arrived and were met by our host, Belén. She invited us to start our day off right with a perfect Rosé of Pinot Gris. I’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy a Rosé of Pinot Gris, and it was delightful. Crisp, clean, refreshing…another excellent choice for my beach chair on Manasota Beach!
Much like the Carménère story from Chile, the Pinot Gris was a bit of a happy accident for Piedras Negras. When Lurton planted the vineyard in the early 90s, he brought both Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from France. However, the Chardonnay was actually Pinot Gris! We were told that Piedras Negras is now the biggest producer of Pinot Gris in Argentina with 42 hectares planted.
We had an engaging tour with Belén, learning about the winery and their winemaking process. Piedras Negras usually produces more than 1 million liters of wine, but this year, was hit by a hail storm a couple of weeks before our visit, which damaged an estimated 50% of this year’s harvest. Wine is already a tough business so that makes me sad for all the wineries in the region who were impacted. We should all drink more wine from Argentina to help them out! 😜
From our tour, we returned to the tasting room, where we tasted the 2024 Gran Lurton Corte Friulano, the 2018 Gran Lurton Single Vineyard, the 2023 Gran Malbec, and the 2019 Chacayes.
Friulano — traditionally grown in northeastern Italy — was a new discovery for me in Argentina.. Piedras Negras uses this in their Corte Friulano, and along with a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc. It creates a dry, crisp, and clean white wine, but one that can age for years.
Piedras Negras also grows Côt, which is a varietal of Malbec that they use to blend, and my favorite wine of the day was the Chacayes. The Chacayes is a 50/50 blend of Malbec and Côt, selected from small plots of each located at the front of the winery. I found it to have leather and spice, which I loved.
Our visit was the best way to begin the day, and Belén was a gem. She even assisted us in understanding how to ship wines home. It is a bit expensive, but she helped us reduce the overall cost of the endeavor. And of course, we already understood that we were going to want to take wines from this trip home with us.
From Piedras Negras, we made the short ride to Claroscuro Bodega de Arte, where we were ready for our five course lunch and pairing. All of the delicious wines at Piedras Negras had helped us work up quite an appetite!
Claroscuro Bodega de Arte
Claroscuro was quite the experience – both visually and gastronomically! This winery is very art-focused, and I love their saying “It is our wish at Claroscuro Art Winery that with a glass of good wine one can enjoy the comings and goings of one’s life”. What a perfect sentiment!
The winery was founded in 2012 when the owners were touring the Uco Valley and fell in love with this location. It started with 26 hectares of Cabernet Franc, and now consists of 140 hectares with 11 grape varietals.
This was not a tour, but through our lunch, we learned about the winery, and their process. We began with a glass of 2024 Rosé of Petit Verdot while awaiting our first course. A Rosé of Petit Verdot was another first for us, and because my partner in wine loves Petit Verdot, it was an intriguing start to our meal. We both liked it very much – crisp, cool, and dry. I can already see it picked in my Yeti cooler and sitting in the sand next to my beach chair! 🏖️
We continued with the following:
- 2023 Claroscuro Blancas de Uco paired with a delicious cold corn soup
- 2024 Gran Pinot Grigio paired with a carpaccio of squash
- 2023 Malbec paired with handmade pasta with tomatoes and basil
- Extra Brut Pinot Noir with a lemon mousse
The location AND the meal were just stunning. We loved the entire experience and our host was exceptional.
Despite how much we loved our visit, we had more wine to try! So off we went to our third and final tasting of the day.
SOLO CONTIGO
Our final visit was scheduled at Solo Contigo, not far from Claroscuro. This was yet another stunning winery, and the view of the peaks of the Andes persisted here. At this point in the day, the clouds had burned off, and I couldn’t get enough of the views.
Solo Contigo is a stunning vineyard owned by Canadians, and founded in 2009. They can produce up to 100,000 liters of wine in their winery, so it is a decent sized winery.
While we were visiting, we were the only people there, along with our host, Luis, and it was so calm and peaceful. The theme continued here with the Andes creating an unforgettable backdrop for the winery.
During this final stop, we tasted the following:
- 2022 Cabernet Franc
- 2022 Malbec
- 2023 Syrah
- 2024 Rosado
We appreciated all of them, but the Cab Franc was the clear winner for me. Bold, expressive, with spices and just enough fruit. This was quite the way to wrap up the day’s experiences. We were then off to begin the trip home…and in case you were wondering, this wine lover napped the whole ride back!
Wine experiences like this remind us why we fell in love with wine in the first place. It’s never just about what’s in the glass — it’s about the people who make it, the hosts who pour it, the landscapes that shape it, and the memories created around it.
Whether we’re raising a glass in Venice 🏝️ or beneath the peaks of the Andes (still can’t believe it – the Andes!!), wine has a beautiful way of turning moments into memories. We’re so grateful for the experiences we’re having on this trip!
So, watch for my next post where we’ll depart Luján de Cuyo, and head further into Mendoza to Tupungato for our final two days of wine adventures! If you’d like to travel along, subscribe, or you can also follow us on Instagram!
Venice Wine Experiences 
Let’s talk about wine!