Presidente Peron International Airport (NQN) serves Neuquen, the largest city in northern Patagonia and gateway to Argentina's oil-and-fruit-growing Comahue region, and a rental car here is the practical way to reach the area's vineyards, canyons and Patagonian steppe. The airport sits a short drive from downtown Neuquen, with international and local rental desks handling a steady flow of business and leisure travelers, and pickup is generally efficient given the airport's manageable size relative to the busier hubs of Buenos Aires or Bariloche.
From Neuquen, the Alta Valle wine region around San Patricio del Chanar and Anelo lies roughly forty-five minutes to an hour north along paved provincial routes, home to a growing cluster of desert vineyards planted in this high, dry corner of Patagonia. Heading southwest, the road toward the Andes and destinations like San Martin de los Andes or Villa La Angostura runs several hours through increasingly dramatic mountain and lake scenery, while routes east and south cross the flat, arid Patagonian steppe toward smaller oil towns and rural crossings.
Driving is on the right throughout Argentina, and while the main provincial routes near Neuquen are paved and reasonably maintained, many rural roads beyond the immediate valley turn to unpaved gravel with little warning, especially heading toward smaller settlements or oilfield access roads. Patagonia's near-constant wind is a genuine factor here, often strong enough to affect handling on exposed straightaways and to kick up dust on gravel stretches, so a firm grip on the wheel and reduced speed on loose surfaces are sensible defaults. Fuel stations cluster in Neuquen and the larger valley towns but thin out considerably on remoter routes, so topping up before any longer rural leg is worth building into the plan for a northern Patagonia road trip out of NQN and its surrounding wine country.