Contours Travel have teamed with Sydney based wine writer Jim McMahon who will lead a truly gourmet tour to Chile and Argentina.  Experience the finest of wines in many of the wine regions from the back drop of the Andes Mountains in Chile through to the Mendoza region of Argentina and on to the tango capital of Buenos Aires.

This 15 day itinerary includes tastings in wine making regions such as; Maipo, Cachapoal, Aconcagua and Casablanca Valleys.

Stay in four and five star hotels through to a luxury private rural retreat of Vina Tarapaca where one can horse ride around the estate, relax around the pool or stroll amongst the vines. The tour will take you to some of the best known of both big and small wineries of Chile and Argentina.  Moving towards the coast to the Casablanca Valley one will discover such wine styles as Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays for which this cool coastal region is noted.

The tour will also take in the sights of the Chilean capital Santiago, the vibrant cultural city of Valparaiso and the beautiful resort area of Vina del Mar, which translates to 'Vineyard by the Sea'.

As we depart Chile bound for Mendoza, the capital of the Argentine wine industry, we take a short one hour flight over the Andes and stay at the beautifully restored Hyatt Plaza Hotel situated in the middle of Mendoza opposite a magnificent park with gardens and fountains. From our base here in Mendoza we visit such  wine regions as Maipu, Tupungato and Uco Valley and sample the world famous Argentinean red and white wines whilst also taking in a tour of the state capital of Mendoza. One of the highlights of this tour is a lunch and winery visit to Chandon, the birthplace of Bodegas Chandon, an off-shoot of the French Moet & Chandon, Robert Jean de Vogue's first wine subsidiary outside of France. We will visit some boutique wineries as well as the biggest in Argentina – Trapiche.

From Mendoza we take a two hour flight to the nation’s capital  Buenos Aires. We will stroll through the shopping mall of Avenue Florida which offers 10 blocks of shopping, take in the Italian districts of La Boca and Recoleta  and visit the famous cemetery, home to the grave of Eva Peron. Your tour group will also visit the Presidential Palace and Palermo Park. The tour finishes with a tango dinner and show at one of Buenos Aries most famous tango halls, El Querandi Tango Club.

Priced from $10,590 per person twin share, the following is included: return economy airfares from Sydney with Lan Chile; 15 nights’ accommodation in 4 or 5 star hotels; all breakfasts, 9 lunches and 7 dinners, all offered with local wines in excellent restaurants & wineries; wine tastings in the most well-known wineries; cultural and sightseeing shows; all tipping (drivers/porters, waiters, concierge) and airport taxes. The reciprocity fee in Chile is also included in the price.

Your expert tour leader: Jim McMahon