Experience the best of Maipú

Maipú is one of Mendoza's oldest wine districts, on the flat irrigated plain south-east of the city. Narrow canals carry Andean snowmelt along tree-lined roads between vineyards, olive groves and orchards, and the town centre has a plaza, a church and a handful of shops and cafés.

Family estates and large cellars open for tastings of Malbec, and many visitors cycle from one to the next on flat back roads. Some producers also press olive oil, and local shops sell jams, chocolates and liqueurs. West of the vineyards the snow-topped Andes fill the horizon, and Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, two other wine areas, lie a drive away.

Mendoza cooks over wood, so asado, empanadas filled with beef and olives, and goat or lamb arrive alongside the local reds. The grapes are picked in February and March, and the province marks the harvest with a festival of parades and music.