The Uco Valley, around 100 kilometres south of Mendoza city, is a wine region at 900 to 1,200 metres above sea level in the Andean foothills. The combination of altitude, intense mountain sun, and the sharp temperature swings between day and night (often 20 degrees Celsius or more) produces wines with distinctive concentration and freshness — qualities that have attracted considerable international investment since the late 1990s.
The valley is divided into three subregions: Tupungato, Tunuyán, and San Carlos. Some of the most ambitious wineries in Argentina operate here, including estates designed by well-known architects that have become attractions in their own right. Several bodegas offer lunches among the vines with the Andes as backdrop — one of the better versions of wine tourism in South America.
The drive from Mendoza through the foothills to the Uco Valley is scenic. A car is the most practical way to visit; organised tours from Mendoza city run daily in the high season. The valley is at its most spectacular in autumn, when the vine leaves turn yellow and red against the white mountain backdrop.