Rather than obsessing over the perfect blend, Santiago Achával wanted to make wine that would serve as the purest expression of a particular terroir. Achával-Ferrer, born in 1999, is best known today for its unusual single-vineyard Malbecs: Altamira, Bellavista and Mirador, each named for the individual vineyards whose harvests produce them—vineyards that, despite being situated within a few miles of each other, have their own nuanced microclimates and soil composition. The winery's luckiest visitors are received by Achával, himself, a gregarious former accountant and Stanford business school alum turned Malbec maniac.

This laboriously restored turn-of-the-century winery is noteworthy for its fabulous collection of antique ponchos, its gallery of heirloom winemaking machinery and its romantic family history. Owner Federico Benegas is a descendant of one of Mendoza's oldest winemaking families—a family that found itself compelled, as a result of an economic downturn that struck the region during the 1970s, to liquidate and sell off its holdings parcel by parcel. In 1999, Federico, who had left wine country to work in Buenos Aires, returned to his native Mendoza and purchased a vineyard originally planted by his great-grandfather, Don Tiburcio Benegas, patriarch of the Benegas clan and one of the Argentine wine industry's 19th-century visionaries. Today Benegas produces three lines, with the youngest "Estirpe" (or "lineage") wines named for favorite family characters.

In 2003, after a long and fruitful career in-house with some of Mendoza's biggest names, seasoned winemaker Walter Bressia opened his own shop. His winery in Luján is now a small but vibrant family business, known for masterful blends, premium sparkling wine and grappa. Visitors are earnestly welcomed, often by his own children, who are involved in every aspect of the winery's day-to-day operations. On the morning of my visit, it was Walter Jr. who served us wine directly from the tanks and showed us to the cellar, where bottles are hand-labeled with the elegant Bressia cherub. We were tasting "Lágrima Canela" ("Cinnamon Tear"), a Chardonnay-Semillon blend, when he excused himself to answer the phone; it was his father, calling to apologize he hadn't been able to welcome us personally.

The “pink house,” as the presidential mansion is known, is a popular site for visitors eager to see the balcony from which Evita spoke - or sung, in the case of the musical.

Pegging the Uco Valley as the next viticultural promised land, the infamous French wine consultant Michel Rolland founded Clos de los Siete in 1998 as an enclave of partner wineries that would bring Bordelais techniques to Argentine terroir. After visiting some of the valley's boutique producers, their cavernous tank rooms manned by lab-coated analysts can feel a little bit cold, but the project's role in bringing Argentine Malbec to international renown is indisputable, and there's no place like Monteviejo's sunlit roof terrace to enjoy unobstructed mountain views with your Malbec.

Over two hundred works of art from the wealthy Fortabat family’s private collection are exhibited in 6,800 square-meters of space on six floors encased under an enormous glass dome. The works are split into two distinct groups with an emphasis on a chronological narrative in Argentine art and a broader thematic collection from artists around the globe. Located in hip Puerto Madero, the building was designed and built by New York architect Rafael Viñoly reflecting the young, modern community who inhabit this part of the city. There is a shop, café and guided tours (in English and in Spanish) daily.

This network of tunnels that dates back to 1730 winds under the streets of San Telmo. Used as everything from sewers to (legendarily) fugitive hideouts, the tunnels have been restored and are now a great way to literally walk through the city’s history. The tour includes access to a historic San Telmo home, which shows how early porteños lived.

If you have the good fortune of being in Buenos Aires on a Sunday afternoon, head to the San Telmo neighborhood. One of the oldest areas in Buenos Aires, it comes alive with antique and artisanal vendors, street performers, hawkers, tango performances in the park and stalls selling vintage memorabilia. Walk down Calle Defensa, which becomes a pedestrian street for this weekly fair, but make sure to explore the side streets. It's here where you may discover stores selling only vintage road signs or a shoe store carrying hand-made leather tango shoes.

This contemporary art center set on the riverfront in La Boca features both Argentine and international artists. Exhibitions include work across multiple mediums, from paintings and sculpture to video and design. Be sure to stop by the rooftop café for the view.

Dedicated to the study of glaciers, this contemporary museum makes an excellent stop prior to visiting the area’s famed ice fields. Opened in 2011, the museum’s exhibits include models and photographs of the Patagonian Ice Fields as well as a 3D documentary and even an ice bar. Free transfers are offered from El Calafate, but the best way to visit is to stop en route from the airport to your lodge. Arrange ahead of time with your guide to include.

An active morning in the outdoors can do wonders to offset the repercussions of eating, drinking and lounging for hours on end. The precordillera (as the front range of the Andes is known) offers treks suitable for all fitness and energy levels, so if you can't imagine snowshoeing to Aconcagua base camp, opt for a scenic ramble and a picnic in the shade of poplars and willows. With any luck, you'll see condors, guanacos and mountain faces riddled with scars from departed glaciers.

From tiny family-run vineyards to industrial wineries and many variations in between, Mendoza and the Uco Valley are ripe for private tours, and Indagare knows the best guides. The breadth of options can be daunting and without guidance on what’s worth a visit, you may not experience the top producers of Argentina’s wine country. Contact the Bookings Team to arrange a tour

One of the best experiences to be had in Mendoza is a visit to a working estancia or ranch, where you can meet real gauchos, have a proper asado and go on a horseback ride or hike in the Andes. From 10,000 feet up, you’ll have a view of the surrounding valley and the ranch’s gorge, where a family of condors regularly takes flight. Contact the Bookings Team to arrange a tour.

Buenos Aires may be Argentina's indisputable center of gravity, but the fertile plains known as pampas that make up much of the country's vast interior have played just as pivotal a role in its history. Once the domain of hardy gauchos and fearsome caudillos, they are now home to cattle ranches and splendid country estates. Visit the charming village of San Antonio de Areco, capital of gaucho lore. Then head to a nearby estancia to spend the afternoon indulging in pastoral pleasures, starting with a lavish parrilla lunch. Before heading back to the city, catch a polo scrimmage or saddle up for a private lesson. While certain estancias are ideal for children, others cater primarily to adults; contact Indagare's bookings team to learn more about planning a día de campo.

Some devotees might say that tango, known for its intensity and sensuality, is among the loveliest expressions of Argentine national nostalgia. Indagare can arrange an evening of tango beginning with lessons at a private salon. After learning the basic steps with a bilingual instructor, put your skills to the test with local aficionados at an authentic milonga (as late-night tango halls are known) or head to the best tango show in town and enjoy performances by some of the most talented dancers in the country. Contact Indagare to book.

Buenos Aires is a sprawling (and sometimes overwhelming) mosaic; a guided overview will allow you to get your bearings with respect to its distinctive barrios and also check some essential sights off your list. You'll want to linger in the Recoleta Cemetery, the lovely labyrinth home to the tomb of "Evita" Perón, and see the Plaza de Mayo, where all manner of protestors, from peronistas to piqueteros – and most notably the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo – have congregated ever since the May Revolution of 1810. Cobblestoned San Telmo, known for its Sunday flea market and impromptu tango performances, is also a first-time must. Tours are easily customized, and members can contact Indagare's bookings team for a introduction to one of our favorite guides.

Mountain biking at the foothills of the Andes could mean anything from a leisurely ride around a glacial lake to a more arduos journey through craggy, uphill terrain. Contact the Bookings Team to arrange a tour

With its old-guard haberdasheries and new-wave boutiques, Buenos Aires is fertile ground for shopaholics of every stripe. Indagare's expert shopping guide will help you navigate the retail-rife neighborhoods of Recoleta and Palermo, where, depending on your wish list, you'll scout out one-of-a-kind leather jackets, custom riding boots, tango-ready stilettos and hand-woven textiles from Argentina's indigenous northwest. Contact our bookings team for an introduction.

Mendoza is surrounded by excellent opportunities to go white-water rafting on a glacial river fed straight from the snow on the Andes. This two-hour adventure on Class 3 rapids goes from heart-stopping action to leisurely coasting and ends with a hearty asado back at base camp. Contact the Bookings Team to arrange a tour.

Patagonia’s big mountains aren’t ideal for little kids. But families that want a bonding trip to the region before the tots get older can find ways to enjoy the natural setting in less adventurous ways. Plan an afternoon at La Usina, a rustic countryside restaurant set in a picturesque valley halfway between El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier. The restaurant is built into the ruins of an old mill and serves as a base for excursions such as mountain biking, easy walking, archery and horseback riding. When I visited, a young family was returning for an afternoon lunch after a morning spent on horses, shepherded by a real-life gaucho. The youngest child, who couldn’t have been more than five years old, sat comfortably on the same horse as his father, while his older sibling rode a smaller pony. The horses looked as calm as any parent could wish and the terrain gentle enough for young equestrians not entirely at ease in a saddle. I did not get a chance to try the food, but my guide said the restaurant is known for its traditional lamb roasts.

This wonderful art museum celebrates the diversity of Latin American art and is largely the labor of one man’s passion for art. (MALBA stands for Museo del Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires.) Eduardo F. Costantini spearheaded the creation of this institution, which is dedicated to showcasing the best of Latin American art. He donated many of the pieces of art from his own collection along with funds to support education and exhibition programs. Among the works in the permanent collection are paintings by Fernando Botero, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Wifredo Lam. Three young Argentine architects were selected to design the building that houses the museum, and it has become a beloved gathering place for the city’s students and art lovers.

The legacy of two influential, 18th-century Argentine families, the Museum of Decorative Arts is housed in what was once the Errazuriz-Alvear family residence. Throughout their travels, the families acquired a valuable collection of both European and Oriental works of art. The extensive collection includes arms, miniatures, sculpture, porcelain, tapestries, furniture and art. The interiors pay homage to a variety of classic European designs: Tudor, Neo-Classical, Baroque, Rococo and the Hercules Room of the Versailles Palace.

This national museum of fine art houses Argentina’s largest collection of 19th- and 20th-century Argentine art by some of the past century’s biggest names (Xul Solar, Eduardo Sivori, et al.) and, on the first floor, works by Rodin, Rousseau, Goya and El Greco.

Although the Southern Patagonian Ice Field feeds almost fifty glaciers, Perito Moreno is arguably the most famous. Located two hours from El Calafate, the glacier has gained popularity both for its accessibility and its status as one of only three Patagonian glaciers not retreating. Perito Moreno advances an average of two meters per day, and its face stretches five kilometers across Lago Argentina. The ice towers sixty meters above the water and reaches a depth of one hundred seventy meters below the surface.

Visitors arrive via car or bus (tip: avoid the large bus tours) and start their visit with a boat ride to a rustic visitor center where ice trekking excursions begin. Crampons and guides are required for both the two-hour mini-trekking walk and the more challenging “Big Ice” tour. Although these excursions are no longer done with private guides, it is well worth the frustration of a larger group to experience walking on an actual glacier. The trekking is challenging – not suitable for young children or the disabled – but it is safe, exciting and well within the abilities of anyone who has a basic level of physical fitness. Have your lodge pack a lunch to eat on the picnic tables near the visitor center after your morning trek.

Following the ice climb, your guide will drive you to the northern side of the glacier, where the park recently installed a circuit of wooden catwalks that offer unparalleled views of Perito Moreno. This is also the point from which 17,000 travelers gathered in March 2006 to watch a gigantic ice bridge rupture (YouTube videos of this phenomenon abound and are worth a watch). As the glacier advances, it eventually hits a series of cliffs that divide the two sides of Lago Argentina. The water level rises and the pressure eventually begins to chip away the underbelly of the ice, creating a soaring frozen arch attaching the glacier to the land. The collapse is truly spectacular.

Most visitors won’t get a chance to witness this phenomenon (it happens every few years and is impossible to predict), but everyone who comes to Perito Moreno will see the huge chunks of ice that calve as the glacier advances. Come armed with a camera and a quick trigger finger to catch this amazing sight on film.

Polo matches are generally played in the late afternoon at 4:30 pm so that it’s not too hot for the horses, players or spectators. It’s a fast, fun game to watch (remember that the higher the handicap, the better the player). There are only a handful of 10-goal players in the world. What makes the Argentine Polo Open, which is played in November, so special is that it’s a club-level tournament with professional-quality players; the total handicap of the team’s four players must be between 28 and 40, so some teams will have four 10-goal players. La Dolfina, the team led by Adolfo Cambiaso, is the league’s most successful team (Cambiaso’s La Dolfina apparel brand is sort of the Ralph Lauren sportswear of Argentina). The high-handicap season runs from October to early December. It’s best to have your concierge check and confirm the local schedule. For Indagare members interested in special access, including a polo lesson, contact the bookings team.

TIP: The dress code for polo is smart casual. Some people dress like they are at Ascot, but most people sport a sophisticated country look. White jeans and chic lightweight jackets are an elegant uniform. It can be little chilly as the sun sets, so bring a sweater or scarf. There is only outdoor seating, but there are lots of little kiosks where one can shop during the games.