Argentina

Argentina is probably the most important wine-producing country in South America, and since the 1990s, once of the most dynamic wine-producers in the world.

Vines probably arrived in Argentina by four different routes. The first was directly from Spain in 1541 when vines are thought to have been cultivated, without great success, on the Atlantic coast around the river Plate. A year later, seeds of dried grapes were germinated as a result of an expedition from Peru to the current wine regions immediately east of the Andes. Another expedition from Peru in 1550 also imported vines to Argentina, while the fourth and most important vine importation came from Chile in 1556, just two years after the vine was introduced to Chile’s Central Valley.

Argentina’s wine regions are widely dispersed but are almost entirely confined to the western strip of the country bordering the foothills of the Andes, where the climate is continental, with the four seasons clearly defined. The vineyard area extends from the 23rd to the 42nd parallel in the south.

Mendoza, In the far west of the country, only a (substantial) mountain range from Santiago in Chile, this is by far the biggest and most important wine-growing province in Argentina, accounting for more than 70% of all Argentina’s wine production. Vineyard elevations range between 600 to 1,600 m (1,970 to 5,249 ft) above sea level.

The southern area of Patagonia is much cooler than the higher-yielding areas to the north. The cooler climate and heavier soils of the valley, combined with a long, warm ripening season under clear skies, make it ideal for the production of good-quality white wine. The valley is shaped by a river that runs from the west into the Atlantic, forming a green canyon surrounded by arid desert on both sides. Humidity and rainfall are markedly higher than further north.