In the so-called Vendimia, the harvest time, an intense calendar with cultural activities including departmental festivals and folk festivals spans over the first three months of the year and culminates on the first Saturday of March in the city of Mendoza with the National Grape Harvest Festival. Born as a popular celebration of the vine harvest, the Vendimia Festival has its origins in the era of the great migrations -when the harvest and wine making were completed, the bounties of nature were appreciated with dances and songs. During that celebration, people chose the most beautiful woman and crowned her with vine leaves and grape bunches. This simple tribute was the inspiration for the party that revives Mendoza every year. The Vendimia is the largest national festival and it is celebrated in the country since 1936. Today, the central act of this celebration is a stunning allegorical spectacle with great choreographies framed in a display of light and sound that develops in a scenario of 130 meters wide at the Frank Romero Day Greek Theater located in the middle of the hills. More than 800 artists on stage, 600 spotlights, and one and a half tons of fireworks give this party an incomparable magnitude. More than 30,000 spectators, locals and visitors from all over the world participate in this event, which culminates with the election and coronation of the National Grape Harvest Queen, who is in charge of representing the province for a year. The week after the central celebrations, the event is completed with the classic Rally de las Bodegas. However, the attractions do not end there, as during Easter the Classical Music Festival by the Wine Roads begins, with an exquisite combination of wine, good music and aesthetically pleasing environments that allow you to enjoy deferential tourist circuits during the traditional Easter celebrations. More than 40 concerts take place mostly in warehouses, but also in natural settings and special venues.

Mendoza is home to over 1,200 wineries that produce almost ten million hectoliters of wine a year, making it the most important winemaking center of South America. Since 2005, Mendoza is a Great Wine Capital of the World Wine Capital Global Network. Along with Melbourne (Australia), Bordeaux (France), San Francisco and Napa Valley (United States), Porto (Portugal), Bilbao and Rioja (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Florence (Italy) and Mainz – Rheinhenssen (Germany), our province network integrates this wine capitals of the world. This province from the Cuyo region is the heart of Argentina’s wine industry and from its major cities and towns, visitors can take tours that include museums, cava tasting, farms, old houses and stays in mountains lodges specially equipped for tourists seeking exclusive attention in contact with nature. There are over one hundred wineries prepared to receive visitors. The Wine Roads is a fancy name that refers to the ability to access to the world of sensations of wine in a simple and attractive manner. Walking these roads, visitors will be delighted by the landscape of manicured vineyards at the foot of the Cordillera and amazed by the contrasts between the wine industry with cutting edge technology and artisanal producers (little wine cellars run by the producers themselves) -a unique experience for tourists. The outing allows to learn about the processes of planting, harvesting, processing and tasting of fresh grapes and wines. This package tour includes the incorporation of accommodation infrastructure and gastronomy near the vineyards. In addition, prestigious wineries regularly organize wine courses and wine tasting seminars for the public. With specially planned itineraries, any time of the year you can visit each of the natural oasis valleys that make up the four vine growing areas: Center, Uco Valley, South and East of the province.

The natural scenery of Mendoza -rivers, valleys and mountains- makes up the main stages for the practice of adventure tourism. Water and mountain activities along the Andes are the most popular, with the possibility to practice them throughout the year, and designed to meet the most varied preferences, from those who want to enjoy the peaceful connection with nature to those looking for thrills. When the adventure takes place in water, the most adrenaline pumping activities are rafting, cool river, hydro, body boarding, boating, slippers, docky and kayaking. The great challenges of trekking are watching the Cerro Aconcagua from the Horcones Valley, Cerro Los Penitentes, or the confluence of the Rivers St. Clara and Las Tunas in the Tupungato Provincial Park. Other variants are Villavicencio Natural Reserve with trails between hot springs and streams, the Upper Valley of Potrerillos and towards the Uco Valley, the area of the Portillo Argentino, Manantiales Valley and the foothills. Southward the Atuel Canyon, Sosneado, Valle Hermoso, La Payunia, the Valley of Las Leñas, and Cerro Nevado are distinguished. The options are countless. The province also has eight dams where you can go sailing, windsurfing, water skiing and fishing. Aviation activities are offered in addition to water and mountain activities. Flights in paragliders or ultralights, balloon flights over vineyards, plane or helicopter, achieving a unique perspective of the city, its surroundings or scenic landscapes.