Home > Ampora Wine Tours > Frequently Asked Questions
Wine Tours FAQ
Accommodation FAQ
Booking and payment process FAQ
Wine Tours FAQ
- Could you give me more information about your tours? How are your wine tours different from others?
First of all it is important to note that our wine tours are much different from the typical
“Napa style” wine tour. Many of our guests have told us so. You will not get impersonal tours, superficial tastings, and gift shops are pretty much unheard of.
Our goal is to provide you with an authentic “Mendoza Wine Experience” where you get to taste some of Mendoza’s best wines and visit the vineyards with the most personal and welcoming service. A wine tour is more than just driving from one winery’s tasting room to the next. We want you to get a feel for Mendoza, its unique ways of winemaking, its culture and interesting people.
Our guides are great company, chosen for their wine knowledge and personality, and will be like a local friend who makes your day twice as enjoyable. Back to top
- What kind of wine tours do you offer?
We offer three types of tours:
1. Organized, carefully planned tours in small groups: Every winery we visit shows winemaking in Mendoza from a different angle. The visits are exclusive and we have worked extensively with the wineries to tailor and fine-tune them specifically for us. For example in one bodega (=winery) you may taste wines from different terroirs, in another we will focus on the winemaking and taste directly from tanks and barrels, and a third winery has the history of the owners’ family that has made wine since the 19th century.
At the moment we offer small group tours to two destinations, our Luján de Cuyo / Maipú Tour and our Uco Valley Tour. We have found that the most enjoyable tours are those where you share the experience with a small group of like-minded people. This is why we have a maximum group size of 8 people.
2. Private Tours: Our Luján de Cuyo / Maipú and Uco Valley Wine Tour itineraries can also be booked privately, with private transport and your own guide. You can find more information and the private tour prices here.
3. Private Deluxe Tours: Our regular tours in small groups and our private tours already include medium and top range wine tastings, however, as wine lovers know, with wine there is virtually no limit on tasting even more top wines. In our deluxe tours we include tour elements of the highest possible quality, like tasting that 98 point bottle that Robert Parker liked so much, tasting different vintages, special lunches, and encounters with winery owners or enologists. If you want the best of the best, on our deluxe tours we will pull out all the stops for you.
You can find more information and the deluxe tour prices here. Back to top
- I have seen wine tours similar to yours offered by other companies at a much more expensive price, why do your tours cost less?
Since we go out in small groups we can offer tours with better wine tastings at a more affordable price than others. We base our prices on an average group size of 4-5 people per tour. Other companies base their prices on private tours for 2 guests and will not give you a group rate unless your own party consists of more people. Back to top
- What is the best way to travel to Mendoza? Can you help us with bus or plane tickets?
Mendoza can be reached by bus or by plane: Bus travel in Argentina is very comfortable. In the best class the seats are comparable to business or first class plane seats, which recline 180º horizontally. The overnight trip Buenos Aires to Mendoza lasts about 12 hours, you get to see a movie and get served a warm dinner, then you sleep. From Santiago de Chile buses to Mendoza take about 6-7 hours on a spectacular trip over the Andes. The cost is about half of the cost of flying. Ampora Wine Tours can make bus reservations for you and send you e-tickets for your bus travel. If you wish to travel by plane, you may be able to include the portion from Buenos Aires or Santiago de Chile to Mendoza with your international ticket. Or it may be cheaper for you to buy this section online: The carriers are LAN Chile www.lan.com and Aerolineas Argentina www.aerolineas.com. Given the choice, we would recommend LAN over Aerolineas.
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Accommodation FAQ
- If I don't stay in the city center, will you still pick me up for your wine tours?
Depending on where you stay and on which day your tour is we will either pick you up (from Club Tapiz or from lodges in Chacras de Coria) or organize your transport so you can meet up with our group at the first winery we visit.
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Booking and payment process FAQ
- Which payment methods do you accept?
You can pay online by credit card using PayPal, by international bank transfer, or by credit card/cash at our office. Back to top
- If I change my travel plans, will you refund my deposit?
Deposits for our regular wine tours are fully refundable if you cancel no later than 2 days before the tour starts.
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