Argentina 's wines are growing in popularity, and most of the vineyards and wine industry are located in Mendoza province, in the Cuyo region. The wine harvest festival, Vendimia, which falls on the first Saturday of March, actually begins in January in various locations around the province and then zeroes in on the city of Mendoza. The celebrations include folkloric festivals, religious ceremonies to bless the grapes, crowning of the Reina Nacional de la Vendimia, sports events and a lot of wine and merriment on into April.

There's much more to do and see in and around Mendoza.In the center of the city, centered around Plaza Independencia and Plazas España, San Martín, Italia and Chile, you'll want to see:
Museo Popular Callejero which displays the changes in Mendoza's city streets since its founding in 1561
Palacio Municipal
Parque General San Martín , with the Cerro de la Gloria monument honoring San Martín and his army, is a forested park with a zoo and the amphitheater where many of the Vendimia events take place.

Beyond the city limits, you'll see:
Winery tours, such as those offered by Bodega Toso and Bodega La Rural with their demonstrations of wine making and tastings, of course
Parque Provincial Aconcagua , where Cerro Aconcagua, at 22974 ft (6962 m), is the highest peak in South America.
Puente del Inca is a natural stone bridge over the Río Mendoza and one of Argentina's natural wonders.
Uspallata is a beautiful valley, with the remains of a pre-Colombian mining site and petroglyphs.
Around Malargüe, you'll visit the lakes at La Niña Encantada, LLancanelo, Cavernas de Las Brujas, and the Bosque Petrificado, Petrified Forest.

Besides wine tasting, scenic sights and festivals, Mendoza provides year-round sports:
skiing, of course, at Los Penitentes, Los Molles and Las Leñas white water rafting and kayaking on the very fast Río Mendoza climbing, hiking and trekking on and other peaks and foothillsparagliding from 2997 ft (700m) Cerro Arco.