Rutini Wines is one of the oldest still-operating wineries in Argentina, founded in 1885 in Coquimbito, Maipu, by Italian immigrant Felipe Rutini. The original 1885 cellar and the family's historic Wine Museum still stand in Maipu, 18 km from Mendoza city, but the main visitor experience and most premium tastings now run from a state-of-the-art facility in Tupungato, Valle de Uco, opened in 2008 at 1,150 m altitude. The Tupungato winery sits 90 km south of Mendoza city on the eastern flank of the Cordon del Plata, with panoramic Andes views and 200+ hectares of high-altitude vineyards. Rutini was a pioneer of Argentine fine wine in the late 19th century — Felipe Rutini was the first to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Tupungato in the 1920s — and the modern brand is owned by the Rutini Family Foundation in partnership with Diaz Telli. Today Rutini produces three main brands (Trumpeter at the entry tier, Rutini in the mid range and the limited-release Felipe Rutini Gran Reserva at the top), with annual production around 6 million bottles. The icon wine is the Apartado Gran Malbec, a parcel-selection wine from a century-old plot at La Consulta that is consistently scored 95-97 points by Wine Advocate, James Suckling and Decanter, and the Encuentro Cabernet Franc from Tupungato is one of the most respected examples of the variety in Argentina.
Why visit Rutini
Rutini is the rare Argentine producer where you can taste 140 years of winemaking history alongside cutting-edge high-altitude viticulture in the same visit. The Tupungato facility is one of the most architecturally ambitious wineries in Valle de Uco — a contemporary stone-and-glass building set into a hillside with gravity-flow production, two private tasting salons and a panoramic restaurant facing the Cordon del Plata. The visit usually combines the modern cellar tour with a brief stop at the on-site mini-museum (a curated extract of the 5,000-piece collection housed in the original Maipu winery), giving travelers context that single-decade producers like Zuccardi or Salentein cannot match.
The other reason to come is the wine itself. The Apartado Gran Malbec is one of the few Argentine icon wines made from a true single-vineyard, single-vintage selection, and the Single Vineyard line below it gives you a way to taste how individual Tupungato, La Consulta and Altamira parcels express Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. For travelers planning a Valle de Uco day, Rutini pairs naturally with Salentein and Andeluna, all within a 30-minute radius.
The wines
Trumpeter (entry)
The everyday range — Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir — sourced across Mendoza estates. Argentina retail USD 8-14. Bright, varietally true, the most-sold Argentine line in international supermarkets and a strong value benchmark.
Rutini Estate
The mid-tier line, sourced from selected high-altitude parcels in Tupungato and La Consulta. USD 18-28. Longer ageing, more layered, longer finish than Trumpeter. Includes the popular Rutini Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend and the well-regarded Rutini Sauvignon Blanc.
Single Vineyard (super-premium)
Parcel-selection line that highlights specific blocks: Single Vineyard Altamira Malbec, Single Vineyard Tupungato Cabernet Franc, Single Vineyard La Consulta Chardonnay. USD 35-55. Lower yields, longer oak ageing, real sense of place. The Cabernet Franc is widely considered one of Argentina's top three of the variety.
Encuentro & Apartado (icon)
The flagship tier. Encuentro is a parcel-selection Cabernet Franc from Tupungato (USD 50-80). Apartado Gran Malbec comes from a century-old plot at La Consulta and is made only in years that meet a strict quality threshold (USD 70-120 in Argentina, USD 150+ in export markets). Both are aged 18-24 months in French oak and consistently scored 95-97 points by Wine Advocate, Suckling and Decanter.
Tasting & tour options
| Experience | Price (USD) | Duration | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic experience | 30-45 | 1h30 | Cellar tour + Wine Museum + 4-wine flight (Trumpeter and Rutini Estate) |
| Premium Single Vineyard | 50-70 | 2 hours | Tour + 5-wine flight focused on Single Vineyard parcels |
| Apartado vertical | 70-95 | 2 hours | 3-4 vintages of the icon Apartado Gran Malbec, sommelier led |
| Felipe Rutini Lunch | 110-150 | 3 hours | 5-course paired lunch in the panoramic Andes-facing dining room |
Reservations open via rutiniwines.com 60-90 days ahead; the lunch and Apartado vertical sell out fastest in summer.
Book your Rutini visit
Top rated Valle de Uco Wine Tour
Full-day small-group tour of Valle de Uco wineries with hotel pickup, three tastings and lunch at a top winery. English guide.
Private Driver — Valle de Uco
Door-to-door private transfer with English-speaking driver. Drink freely, return to hotel safely. Up to 4 passengers.
Hotels in Valle de Uco
Compare boutique winery hotels and lodges near Rutini in Tupungato and Vista Flores. Free cancellation on most properties.
How to get there
The Tupungato facility sits 90 km south of Mendoza city. Coming from downtown the route is RN 40 south to the Tupungato turnoff at Vista Flores, then RP 89 west — about 1h30 door-to-door. There is no public transport to the winery, so you have three realistic options:
- Self-drive: rental cars from Mendoza airport run USD 55-80/day. Free parking on site. Only viable if a non-drinking person in your group can drive home.
- Uber or remis: Uber coverage to Valle de Uco is patchy and expensive (USD 60-90 one-way). A remis booked round-trip with a wait is USD 130-180 from Mendoza. Most travelers prefer the latter or a tour transfer.
- Wine tour with transfer: operators like Mendoza Wine Tours, MendoVino, Trout & Wine and Ampora Wine Tours run small-group circuits (USD 180-280 per person, three wineries plus lunch) and private full-day options (USD 380-550). This is the easiest path for first-time visitors.
If you are coming from Lujan de Cuyo, plan 1 hour by car. See the full getting-there guide for airport transfers and bus options.
Best time to visit
Harvest (vendimia, March-April) is the peak experience in Tupungato — Valle de Uco harvests later than Lujan de Cuyo because of the altitude and cooler nights, so you can see grapes coming in well into late April. Daytime temperatures sit at 20-26 C and nights are crisp at 8-12 C. Spring (October-November) rivals it: rose bushes (planted as biological indicators of vine health) bloom along every row and the Andes still hold heavy snow. Summer (December-February) is hot in the daytime (26-32 C) but cools dramatically at night — book extra early because Valle de Uco accommodation is limited. Winter (June-August) is the contrarian choice: bare vines, dramatic Andes light with full snow cover, smaller groups, and the dining room feels especially welcoming with the cold outside. The winery is open Monday-Saturday year-round; Sundays remain closed.
Where to eat nearby
Tupungato and the wider Valle de Uco have some of Argentina's best winery restaurants:
- Siete Cocinas (Vista Flores) — chef Pablo del Rio's seven-region Argentine tasting menu, set in vineyards 15 minutes from Rutini. USD 90-130.
- Andeluna lunch — neighboring winery 10 minutes away, with a respected paired-lunch program facing the Andes. USD 90-130.
- Killka at Salentein — modern Argentine cooking at the Salentein art-and-wine complex, 30 minutes north. USD 80-110.
Where to stay
For a Rutini-focused itinerary, the smartest base is Valle de Uco itself. Top winery lodges include The Vines Resort & Spa (USD 580-1,100, 20 minutes from Rutini), Casa de Uco Vineyards & Wine Resort (USD 480-850) and Bodega La Azul (USD 350-580). For a Lujan de Cuyo base with a long day trip down, try Cavas Wine Lodge (Relais & Chateaux, USD 550-900) or Entre Cielos (USD 380-680). See our full Mendoza accommodation guide for neighborhood breakdowns.
Combine with other top wineries
A Valle de Uco day naturally pairs Rutini with the surrounding Tupungato and Vista Flores wineries. Top combinations:
- Zuccardi Valle de Uco — World's Best Vineyard 2020/2022/2023, 25 minutes south.
- Bodega Salentein — Dutch-built temple to Pinot Noir, 30 minutes north.
- Catena Zapata — most-awarded Argentine winery, in Lujan de Cuyo (1 hour north).
- Lagarde — Forbes #5 in 2024, in Lujan de Cuyo.
