Mendoza Food & Wine Walk: Mercado Central, Empanadas & Malbec
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Mendoza sits at the foot of the Andes in a desert that was turned into vineyards by an irrigation system the Huarpe people started and the Spanish extended. It is the centre of Argentine wine and a small, flat, extremely walkable city with tree-lined streets watered by open canals called acequias.
The wineries are in Maipú, Luján and the Uco Valley and none of them are walkable. This tour is deliberately an in-city one: it covers what Mendoza eats, and it tastes wine properly at a city wine bar with a sommelier rather than shuttling you around three bodegas.
We start at the Mercado Central for jamón crudo, olives from San Rafael, goat cheese, and a sandwich de lomo. Then empanadas mendocinas, which are baked rather than fried and are filled with hand-cut beef, egg and olive, from a shop that makes a few thousand a day.
Then the wine: a vertical of Malbec from different altitudes, plus a Bonarda and a Torrontés, with a proper explanation of why altitude produces the tannin structure Argentina is known for.
We finish with alfajores and coffee on the Peatonal.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, entirely on foot.
The wineries are in Maipú, Luján and the Uco Valley and none of them are walkable. This tour is deliberately an in-city one: it covers what Mendoza eats, and it tastes wine properly at a city wine bar with a sommelier rather than shuttling you around three bodegas.
We start at the Mercado Central for jamón crudo, olives from San Rafael, goat cheese, and a sandwich de lomo. Then empanadas mendocinas, which are baked rather than fried and are filled with hand-cut beef, egg and olive, from a shop that makes a few thousand a day.
Then the wine: a vertical of Malbec from different altitudes, plus a Bonarda and a Torrontés, with a proper explanation of why altitude produces the tannin structure Argentina is known for.
We finish with alfajores and coffee on the Peatonal.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, entirely on foot.
Meeting point:
View on map
Mercado Central, Las Heras and Patricias Mendocinas, Mendoza
We meet at the Las Heras entrance to the Mercado Central. Your guide will have a small sign with your name.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Mercado Central: The covered market, with your guide on Mendoza's desert agriculture and the acequia irrigation that made it possible.
Stop 2 - Jamon crudo, olives and cheese: A picada board of cured ham, San Rafael olives and goat cheese, eaten at the market counter.
Stop 3 - Sandwich de lomo: Beef loin in a crusty roll with lettuce, tomato and a fried egg - the market's lunch and a serious piece of engineering.
Stop 4 - Empanadas mendocinas: Baked, not fried, filled with hand-cut beef, egg and olive, with the crimp that tells you which shop made them.
Stop 5 - Plaza Independencia and the Peatonal: A short walk through the centre with your guide on the 1861 earthquake that flattened the city and the grid that replaced it.
Stop 6 - Malbec tasting: A vertical of Malbec from different altitudes, plus a Bonarda and a Torrontes, with a sommelier explaining what altitude does to a grape.
Stop 7 - Alfajores and coffee: Dulce de leche between two biscuits, rolled in coconut or covered in chocolate, with coffee to finish.
Stop 2 - Jamon crudo, olives and cheese: A picada board of cured ham, San Rafael olives and goat cheese, eaten at the market counter.
Stop 3 - Sandwich de lomo: Beef loin in a crusty roll with lettuce, tomato and a fried egg - the market's lunch and a serious piece of engineering.
Stop 4 - Empanadas mendocinas: Baked, not fried, filled with hand-cut beef, egg and olive, with the crimp that tells you which shop made them.
Stop 5 - Plaza Independencia and the Peatonal: A short walk through the centre with your guide on the 1861 earthquake that flattened the city and the grid that replaced it.
Stop 6 - Malbec tasting: A vertical of Malbec from different altitudes, plus a Bonarda and a Torrontes, with a sommelier explaining what altitude does to a grape.
Stop 7 - Alfajores and coffee: Dulce de leche between two biscuits, rolled in coconut or covered in chocolate, with coffee to finish.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide (maximum 8 guests)
• All food tastings listed in the itinerary
• A guided tasting of four Argentine wines, or soft drinks if you prefer
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
• All food tastings listed in the itinerary
• A guided tasting of four Argentine wines, or soft drinks if you prefer
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off unless stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. Tours run rain or shine; Mendoza is very dry.
Other notes
Runs Monday to Saturday at 09:30. We do not run on Sundays, when the Mercado Central is closed and the city is largely shut.
The siesta is real in Mendoza. Much of the city closes between about one and five in the afternoon, which is why this is a morning tour. There is an evening bar scene on Avenida Aristides Villanueva, and your guide will send you there.
Wineries: Maipú, Lujan de Cuyo and the Uco Valley are all outside the city and not walkable. This tour is an in-city food and wine walk by design. If you want a bodega day, ask us and we will arrange one separately - it is a full day.
Minimum age 18 for the wine tasting; younger guests are served grape juice and soft drinks.
Water: Mendoza's tap water comes off the Andes and is excellent.
Money: Argentina's inflation remains high but the official and parallel exchange rates have essentially converged, so cards are now the sensible option. We price in US dollars.
Vendimia, the wine harvest festival in early March, fills the city completely and prices spike - book far ahead if you are travelling then.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is workable via cheese, olives, empanadas de humita and the market produce.
About 1.5 km of walking, flat and shaded.
The siesta is real in Mendoza. Much of the city closes between about one and five in the afternoon, which is why this is a morning tour. There is an evening bar scene on Avenida Aristides Villanueva, and your guide will send you there.
Wineries: Maipú, Lujan de Cuyo and the Uco Valley are all outside the city and not walkable. This tour is an in-city food and wine walk by design. If you want a bodega day, ask us and we will arrange one separately - it is a full day.
Minimum age 18 for the wine tasting; younger guests are served grape juice and soft drinks.
Water: Mendoza's tap water comes off the Andes and is excellent.
Money: Argentina's inflation remains high but the official and parallel exchange rates have essentially converged, so cards are now the sensible option. We price in US dollars.
Vendimia, the wine harvest festival in early March, fills the city completely and prices spike - book far ahead if you are travelling then.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is workable via cheese, olives, empanadas de humita and the market produce.
About 1.5 km of walking, flat and shaded.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| 大人 | $59 |
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