Ojo de Agua Winery, Mendoza: Tastings & How to Visit

When a Winery Is a Person

When people mention Ojo de Agua, the first thing that comes to my mind isn’t a grape or a tasting note. It’s Dieter Meier.

If you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably heard the sound. Dieter Meier is the voice and frontman of Yello, the Swiss electronic-music pioneers behind “Oh Yeah”. He’s also one of those rare characters who genuinely lived more than one life—artist, writer, entrepreneur… and yes, a professional poker player, according to his own story.

And then he ends up here, in Agrelo—part of Luján de Cuyo—building an organic project that feels nothing like the typical “polished winery visit,” the kind of place often discovered while exploring wine tours in Luján de Cuyo.

An Unlikely Project in Agrelo

Ojo de Agua is a full universe: organic wines, grass-fed beef, and restaurants tied to the same idea of “Argentina, but done properly.” The wines are overseen by Marcelo Pelleriti, one of the most recognized winemakers in Argentina, and you can feel that seriousness behind the label.

But the reason I chose Ojo de Agua isn’t just “because it’s organic” or “because the owner is famous.”

I choose it because it’s unexpectedly human.

The place is rustic in the best way—almost like an old house that happens to sit in front of a postcard view of the Andes, with a lake that makes you slow down, whether you want to or not. It doesn’t feel like a stage. It feels like you arrived somewhere real.

And for me, the heart of that experience has a name: Jaime.

Jaime is the guy who receives you, cooks, runs the pulse of the place, and somehow makes you feel at home inside a Swiss musician’s organic wine-and-beef world. That contrast is exactly why it works: you’re expecting something “conceptual,” and instead you get warmth, simplicity, and food that hits the table like someone actually cares.

There’s also something else that matters if you’re curating for clients: availability. Ojo de Agua isn’t the kind of wine you see everywhere. Their distribution is international and tied to specific channels (including Switzerland), and in Argentina, it’s often direct or limited—so it still feels like a find.

Final Thoughts

I wouldn’t send someone to Ojo de Agua with a checklist. I’d send them with the right mindset: go ready to be surprised, go ready to relax, eat well, drink something genuinely serious—and meet the people who make the place feel alive.

If visiting Ojo de Agua Winery sounds like your kind of experience, our private wine tours in Mendoza are designed to include places like this—projects where organic farming, food, wine, and people come together in a genuinely relaxed and human way.

Planning your visit? We include Ojo de Agua Winery on our private wine tours in Mendoza — tell us your dates and we build the day around what is happening in the cellar that week. Ask Peter for a proposal.

How to Visit Ojo de Agua

• Where it is: Uco Valley, Mendoza.
• Getting there: roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes by car from Mendoza city (Ruta 40 and then secondary roads). Because tastings involve wine, most guests come with a private driver or on a guided tour.
• Visits: a quiet, low-key stop with high-altitude vineyards. Tastings are by appointment and groups stay small.
• Best time of year: harvest runs from late February through April and is the most vivid moment in the vineyard; September to December gives you green vines, snow still on the Andes and easier availability.
• Peter’s note: we add it when we want a quiet, low-key stop with a great ratio between what you taste and what you pay.
• Pairs well with: a bigger, more scenic Uco Valley winery earlier in the day for contrast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a reservation to visit Ojo de Agua?

Yes. Tastings are arranged by appointment and groups are intentionally small.

How far is Ojo de Agua from Mendoza city?

It is in the Uco Valley, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes by car.

What kind of visit is Ojo de Agua?

Simple and honest: high-altitude vineyards, no spectacle, and one of the best ratios in the valley between what you taste and what you pay.

Should I combine Ojo de Agua with another winery?

Yes. It works best as the calm counterpoint to a larger, more architectural winery earlier in the day.

Planning the whole day? Start from our guide to wine tours in Mendoza, see the wineries we visit most often, or send us your dates and we reply with a private itinerary.