Uco Valley: From the 1,000 m Line to San Martín's Tree

In the Uco Valley altitude is written into law. In 2017 Argentina's wine institute set the eastern edge of the Paraje Altamira IG on the 1,000 m contour line. Zuccardi says its Piedra Infinita vineyard sits at 1,100 m; Salentein says its winery stands at 1,200 m. Gualtallary, which Zuccardi places at up to 1,500 m, has no registered IG. Start among lime-coated granite, taste in a cellar with a compass-rose floor, and end about 1,800 m up at El Manzano Histórico, where San Martín rested on 29 January 1823. You can do it all with a driver who tastes nothing.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Stand Above the 1,000-Metre Line Wine · Price: high

   Zuccardi Valle de Uco, Paraje Altamira: the house says its finca sits at 1,100 m.

   In 2017 Argentina's wine institute drew the eastern edge of the Paraje Altamira IG on the 1,000 m contour line, with the Río Tunuyán to the west.

   Where: Zuccardi Valle de Uco, Costa Canal Uco s/n, Paraje Altamira.

   What: on the vineyard walk, find a lime-coated granite stone. The house says Finca Piedra Infinita is planted at 1,100 m and some boulders weigh up to 20 tonnes.

   How: book a tasting; visits run daily at 9:30, 11:00, 12:30 and 15:00.

   Backup: lunch at Piedra Infinita includes the winery visit.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Read the Compass Rose Nine Metres Down Wine · Price: moderate

   Bodegas Salentein, San Pablo IG: a cellar the house says has a compass-rose floor.

   Up the valley in the San Pablo IG, Salentein says its winery stands at 1,200 m and its vineyards above 1,300 m.

   Where: Bodegas Salentein, Los Árboles, Tunuyán, off Ruta 89.

   What: in the cellar, nine metres down at 12 °C among 5,000 barrels, the house says the central chamber's stone floor is a compass rose. Find the point facing west, toward the Andes.

   How: book the Experiencia Salentein (English 11:30; Spanish 10:30, 13:30, 15:30); the price is the same if you do not drink.

   Backup: Experiencia Luxury, English 15:00.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Climb to San Martín's Apple Tree History · Free

   El Manzano Histórico, about 1,800 m: the free top of the day.

   Top of the day: about 1,800 m, some 700 m above Piedra Infinita. On 29 January 1823 San Martín rested here returning from Chile.

   Where: the Retorno a la Patria monument, El Manzano Histórico, where routes 89 and 94 meet.

   What: Luis Perlotti's monument, inaugurated on 31 December 1950, carries an 8 m stone figure on top. Circle the pedestal to find the relief of San Martín resting at the foot of the apple tree.

   How: free, open-air.

   Backup: the reserve's museum keeps an offshoot of the tree.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Plan a driver who tastes nothing: Ruta 40, a national road, has a zero alcohol limit.

• No car? Bus Vitivinícola runs from Mendoza city to Zuccardi on Wednesdays and to Salentein on Sundays; tastings are paid at the wineries.

• Gualtallary has no registered IG: its producers have started mapping five subzones instead.