2-Week Southern Hemisphere Wine Adventure

This is the big one. Two weeks, three countries, three of the world's most exciting wine regions. You will drink Malbec at altitude in Mendoza, taste Carmenere in Chile's Colchagua Valley, and finish with Pinotage and Chenin Blanc among the Cape Winelands of South Africa.

Is this trip ambitious? Yes. Is it doable? Absolutely -- if you plan the flights strategically and resist the urge to add more stops. This itinerary gives each region enough time to go deep, not just skim the surface.

Budget estimate: $150-300/day per person (mid-range). South America is excellent value. South Africa is even better.

Best time to do this trip: March-April (harvest season in all three regions, shoulder season for tourism). February works but is hotter.

The Route & Flight Logistics

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Days 1-5: Buenos Aires → Mendoza, Argentina

Day 6: Fly Mendoza → Santiago, Chile (2 hours)

Days 6-9: Santiago → Colchagua Valley, Chile

Day 10: Fly Santiago → Johannesburg or Cape Town, South Africa (overnight, ~12 hours)

Days 10-14: Cape Town → Stellenbosch → Franschhoek, South Africa

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Flights you need:

1. Home → Buenos Aires (international)
2. Buenos Aires → Mendoza (1.5 hours, $50-120 one-way on Aerolineas Argentinas or Flybondi)
3. Mendoza → Santiago (2 hours, $80-180 on LATAM or JetSMART)
4. Santiago → Cape Town (12 hours, usually via Sao Paulo on LATAM, or via Dubai on Emirates, $600-1,200 one-way)
5. Cape Town → Home (international)

Key booking tip: Book the Santiago-Cape Town leg first. It is the most expensive and least frequent route. Everything else is flexible.

Days 1-2: Buenos Aires (Warm-Up)

Day 1

Arrive in Buenos Aires. You are not here for wine (yet) -- you are here to eat steak and recover from jet lag.

Check into the Palermo Soho neighborhood. Walk the tree-lined streets, browse the boutiques, and settle in.

Dinner at Don Julio (possibly the best steakhouse in South America, reserve 2-3 weeks ahead). Order the entraña (skirt steak) or ojo de bife (rib eye), a bottle of Catena Zapata Malbec, and let the jet lag melt away. Budget $40-60 per person.

Day 2

Morning at the San Telmo market (Sunday) or Recoleta neighborhood (any day). Afternoon flight to Mendoza (1.5 hours).

Days 3-5: Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza sits at the foot of the Andes, and the mountain backdrop makes every winery visit feel cinematic. This is Malbec country -- the grape Argentina has made its own.

Day 3: Lujan de Cuyo

Hire a driver or rent bikes (several companies rent them along the Lujan de Cuyo wine route). Start at Bodega Catena Zapata -- the pyramid-shaped winery that put Argentine Malbec on the world map. Tasting $20-40. Then visit Bodega Lagarde (founded 1897, beautiful gardens, $15-25) and Achaval-Ferrer (single-vineyard Malbec specialist, $20-35).

Lunch at Bodega Ruca Malen -- their 5-course wine-paired lunch is legendary. Each course matches a different wine from their range. Budget $40-60 per person. Reserve ahead.

Day 4: Uco Valley

Drive 90 minutes south to the Uco Valley, where high-altitude vineyards (1,000-1,500 meters) produce Mendoza's most exciting wines. Visit Zuccardi Valle de Uco -- voted World's Best Vineyard multiple times. Their tasting experience ($30-50) in the stunning concrete-and-stone winery is unforgettable.

Continue to Salentein for their art gallery and tasting (free-$20), then SuperUco for a natural wine contrast -- low-intervention wines that show a different side of Mendoza.

Lunch at Piedra Infinita Cocina at Zuccardi -- seasonal Argentine cuisine with Andes views. Mains $15-25.

Day 5: City Day & Transfer

Morning at a Mendoza city winery -- Bodega Lopez offers free tours of their century-old facility. Walk the tree-lined streets of the city center.

Afternoon flight to Santiago (2 hours).

Pro tip: Mendoza's altitude (750-1,500 meters) intensifies both sun and alcohol. Drink water between wineries, wear sunscreen, and pace yourself. The Malbecs are generous.

Days 6-9: Colchagua Valley, Chile

From Santiago, drive 2.5 hours south (or take a transfer service) to the Colchagua Valley, Chile's premier red wine region. This is where Carmenere -- a grape lost in Bordeaux but found in Chile -- reaches its fullest expression.

Day 6: Arrive & Santa Cruz

Check into a hotel in Santa Cruz, the valley's main town. Visit the Colchagua Museum -- an unexpectedly excellent collection of pre-Columbian art, paleontology, and Chilean history.

Evening walk around the plaza. Dinner at Rayuela Wine & Grill at Viu Manent winery (mains $15-25).

Day 7: Apalta & Classic Estates

Visit Montes Winery in Apalta -- the hillside estate with feng shui-designed cellars and Gregorian chant playing for the aging barrels. Their Alpha M is a world-class Bordeaux blend. Tasting $15-30.

Continue to Lapostolle Clos Apalta -- the luxury wine hotel and winery built into the hillside. Their Clos Apalta blend is one of Chile's finest wines. Tour and tasting $25-50.

Lunch at Casa Lapostolle restaurant (mains $18-30).

Day 8: Carmenere Focus

Visit Viu Manent for a horseback ride through the vineyards followed by a tasting ($30-50) -- one of the most unique winery experiences in South America. Then Casa Silva, which runs both a polo field and an excellent Carmenere program. Tasting $10-20.

Evening asado (barbecue) at your hotel or a local restaurant. Chilean BBQ is different from Argentine -- more seafood, more chimichurri variations.

Day 9: Santiago & Flight

Drive back to Santiago. If you have time, stop at one of the Maipo Valley wineries near the city -- Concha y Toro (the most visited winery in South America, $15-25) or Almaviva (the Chilean-Bordeaux joint venture, tasting $40-60 by appointment).

Evening flight to Cape Town (overnight, 12 hours via connection).

Pro tip: Chilean wine prices are astonishing. Bottles that cost $40-60 in export markets sell for $8-15 at the cellar door. Buy what you love and figure out shipping later -- most estates will arrange it.

Days 10-14: Cape Winelands, South Africa

The Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are stunningly beautiful and absurdly good value. World-class wine, gourmet restaurants, and dramatic mountain scenery -- at a fraction of European or American prices.

Day 10: Arrive Cape Town

Arrive in Cape Town. Check into the City Bowl or Waterfront area. Spend the day recovering and exploring the city. Table Mountain cable car if the weather is clear.

Dinner at The Test Kitchen (book well ahead) or La Tete (nose-to-tail French cooking with South African ingredients, mains $12-20).

Day 11: Stellenbosch

Drive 45 minutes east to Stellenbosch, the oldest wine town in South Africa. The Cape Dutch architecture, oak-lined streets, and mountain backdrop are spectacular.

Visit Kanonkop -- the benchmark for South African Pinotage (tasting $8-15). Then Jordan Wine Estate for Cabernet and Chardonnay with views across False Bay ($10-20). Finish at Delaire Graff Estate -- the luxury wine and art estate with panoramic valley views and a tasting ($15-30) that includes some of the Cape's best Cabernet Sauvignon.

Lunch at Tokara -- their deli serves excellent wood-fired pizzas and salads with vineyard views (mains $10-18). The main restaurant upstairs is more formal and equally outstanding.

Day 12: Franschhoek

Drive 30 minutes to Franschhoek, the self-proclaimed food and wine capital of South Africa. Founded by French Huguenots in the 1680s, the town retains a distinctly French character.

Ride the Franschhoek Wine Tram -- a hop-on-hop-off tram and bus that connects 8 wine estates along the valley. All-day pass about $15. No driving, no stress. Recommended stops: Boschendal (historic estate, picnic lunches), La Motte (elegant Shiraz), and Haute Cabriere (sparkling wine, cellar carved into the mountain).

Lunch at one of the tram stops -- most estates have restaurants. Pierneef a La Motte serves Cape Malay-influenced fine dining (mains $15-25).

Day 13: Paarl & Swartland

Drive 30 minutes north to Paarl and the Swartland -- the frontier of South African wine, where a new generation of winemakers is producing exciting natural and old-vine wines.

Visit Fairview in Paarl (goats on the tower, cheese-and-wine pairings, $5-10 tasting) and Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines in the Swartland (some of South Africa's most acclaimed wines, $10-20 tasting).

Afternoon back in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek for any missed tastings.

Day 14: Departure

Morning at leisure. Final Cape Town exploration -- the V&A Waterfront, Bo-Kaap neighborhood, or one last wine stop.

Afternoon departure from Cape Town International.

Pro tip: South African tasting fees average $5-15 -- less than a single glass of wine in Napa. You can taste at 4-5 estates for what one Napa visit costs. The quality-to-price ratio is the best in the wine world right now.

Season & Weather

March is the sweet spot -- harvest is underway in all three regions, weather is warm but not extreme, and tourism is in shoulder season. April works too, with slightly cooler temperatures.

Budget Summary

More Southern Hemisphere Wine Guides

• Argentina Wine Region Overview
• Mendoza Guide
• Chile Wine Region Overview
• South Africa Wine Region Overview
• Stellenbosch Guide
• Old World vs New World Wine Regions

Word Count: ~1,500

Last Updated: January 2026

Author: WineTravelGuides Editorial Team