Ride and Wine: Biking to Vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina

Wine is one of the greatest exports from Argentina and as the number one exporter of malbec wine there is absolutely no shortage of them here. Mendoza, Argentina is the capital of wine making in Argentina with hundreds of vineyards in the lush valley alongside the foothills of the Andes. One thing you have to do when visiting Mendoza is go for wine tastings at some of the best world class vineyards. How you get to the vineyards is completely up to you, but I took advantage the beautiful scenery and wine tastings by bike riding! It’s a popular way to get around and make your way to the different vineyards and because where the vineyards are located is not much traffic, it actually feels safe to ride bikes side by side of cars unlike Buenos Aires which has crazy traffic and unofficial rules of the road that would require you to overcome several years worth of fears before riding a bike on one of the busy roads, no matter what kind of bike you’ve got or what kind of a great guide on dirt bikes you’ve flipped through.

If you are headed to Mendoza or maybe you already are in Mendoza and are looking for advice on a day of bike riding and vineyard tours, then you have come to the right place. It takes some planning to make a successful vineyard tour happen especially if you plan to ride a bike to them.

Start Early

You should start your day early for a bike vineyard tour by having a filling breakfast and by making it to the bike shop by 11 am. You can get there earlier and you should especially so if you want to bike to farther vineyards. By getting to the bike shop early, you will also have a better selection of bikes to choose from or just one that fits you better before all the preferred bike are rented out.

Wear sunscreen!

Even if it isn’t the hottest day, the sun over Argentina is piercing and can leave you with a painful burn from hours of riding your bike around so it’s important to wear sunscreen. If you’re wearing shorts make sure to slather some sunscreen on your thighs and knees and not just your face since those parts also get a lot of sun exposure.

Stay Hydrated

Bring along a bottle of water and drink water throughout the day. For one you’re going to be sweating a bit so you may get thirsty, but two, you are going to be drinking wine so try to balance out the H20 intake as much as you can before getting to the tasting room.

Ride on Recommend Roads

The company that rents out the bike to you will give you a map with all the points of interest and vineyards they recommend you to check out. If there is another vineyard you want to check out, ask them to show you how to get there. You should follow the routes they recommend to you because it’s likely going to be the most straight forward way to get there as well as the safest while riding a bike. Calle San Martin is probably the busiest street, but it’s also where many wineries and vineyards are located. The good thing about that street is that it’s not very busy in the afternoon, more so around 6 pm when people are making their commute back home.

Dress Comfortably

Ladies (and gents) I know you want to look cute going to vineyards, but riding a bike to the vineyard you should dress in long-ish shorts (bermuda style) or just wear pants. A sun dress won’t work well either unless your driving to the vineyard.I wore short-ish shorts and I was cat-called from beginning to end, but if that doesn’t bother you then disregard this point.

Grab Lunch at the Vineyard!

Many vineyards will have an asado lunch available which is a barbeque feast. You usually will be required to make a reservation for lunch, and usually the bike company can go ahead and take care of that for you. You can also ask your hotel to contact the vineyard and make lunch reservations for you.

After lunch, you can explore another set of vineyards and do more tastings!

Don’t Drunk Ride…

While wine tasting at all the vineyards is great, if you think you’re hitting your limits take a break and drink some water. You want to ride your bike responsibly and you don’t want to be buzzed or drunk on the road. Remember to drink lots of water, and be sure to eat something while you’re out there exploring the fruits of Dionysus.

…But Enjoy the Wine

You don’t have to spit out the wine or not finish the glass of wine to be proper or polite. Drink up and enjoy that glass you rode miles for!

Buy the Wine Later

Write down the names of your favorite wines from the tastings and instead of buying them at the vineyard and riding home with it (unless you have a backpack) you should buy it from a wine shop in town. For one, you don’t want to carry wine around with you while you’re visiting other vineyards and two, it can be a hassle to transport and ride with safely. You can find all the local wines from wine shops in Mendoza.

Use Public Transportation

Take the bus from Mendoza to the vineyards because it’s cheap and easy to do it. All of the bus lines that head to the vineyards have convenient stops near Plaza Independencia and on Plaza Chile. You’ll need to get a bus card to ride a bus and you can pick one up and load it at most kioskos in Mendoza.

How to Get to the Vineyards

You can take a bus from central Mendoza near Plaza Independencia to the vineyards in either Maipu or for $4.50 pesos each way and it’s safe and easy to do so. Find out where your stop is before hand because the busses in Argentina don’t have a marquee letting you know where you are. You should look at a map and take note of the major intersections or parks on the route and pay attention to the landmarks you go by while on the bus. You can always ask someone on the bus when you’re stop is coming up as well and usually a local will be able to let you know.

How to get to the vineyards of Chacras de Coria from Mendoza

To get to Chacras de Coria you can take either bus 115 or 116 on Line 1 (the top number on the bus will be 1 and the bottom number will be either 15, 16 or 206) You can hop on the bus from Plaza Chile on 25 de Mayo street and get off at Plaza de Chacras. From there you can walk 3 blocks on Calle Mitre and to your left will be Baccus Biking. It 100 pesos to rent a bike from there for the entire day. On the other side of the plaza, there is the Bike Station where you can also rent bikes, but my only experience is with Baccus Bikes and I highly recommend them as they have reliable single speed bikes.

How to get to the Vineyards of Maipu from Mendoza

To get to the vineyards in Maipu on public transportation, take bus line 10 on route 171, 172, or 173 and get off near Catamarca and Rioja. From there you can rent a bike from Mr. Hugo which is the one most hotels and hostels recommend which is on Urquiza 2288.

Final tip: Always consume alcohol responsibly. If you drank too much, hang out until you’ve sobered up or just call a cab. Regarding the bike, ask the vineyard if they can store the bike for a few hours and call the bike company and let them know of the situation. Happy wine tastings!

If you enjoyed this post, why don’t you follow Adrift Anywhere on Facebook or subscribe to get updates on budgeting tips, travel advice and tips!