Mendoza, the gateway to Argentine wines

With almost 150.000 cultivated hectares, and with altitudes ranging from 430 to 2000 metres above sea level, Mendoza is the province that produces the most wine in Argentina, concentrating 75% of the total vine cultivation in this country. 

Located in the west-central part of Argentina, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, Mendoza is the most important wine-producing province and one of the main wine-producing centres in the world. Like most of the Cuyo region, Mendoza has an almost desert-like climate. 

Its average annual rainfall is 220 mm, while Bordeaux, for example, has an average annual rainfall of 850 mm. Local producers are regulated and limited in the provision of water for vine irrigation, with drip irrigation currently being the most widely used, especially on steeper slopes and in more adverse geographical situations. 

The presence of the Andes, which acts as a barrier to the humid winds from the Pacific, together with the distance to the Atlantic Ocean, shape the climate, generating ideal conditions for vine cultivation. The altitude, the continental climate, the heterogeneity of soils and the water coming from the thaw are key factors for the production of excellent quality wines, which are added to a marked winemaking tradition.

Mendoza's territory can be divided into five large sub-regions, which give the varieties their particular characteristics: Valle de Uco (Uco Valley), comprising the departments of Tunuyán, Tupungato and San Carlos; the First Zone, comprising the departments of Luján de Cuyo and Maipú; and the North (Lavalle and Las Heras), East (San Martín, Rivadavia, Junín, Santa Rosa and La Paz) and South (San Rafael, Malargüe and General Alvear) oases, covering practically the entire province.

The high degree of development reached by viticulture, originated in 1850 with the reconversion of European vines, added to new research driven by a generation of restless producers, has led to the identification of micro-regions with differential terroir attributes, reflecting the diverse character of Argentine viticulture. It is specifically in Malbec where this quality is best appreciated. 

The diversity of the soils, clearly marked by the mountain slopes and the course of the thawing rivers, has allowed Mendoza to have 33 GIs (Geographical Indications) and 2 D.O.C. (Denomination of Origin). (Denomination of Origin), the first one being Luján de Cuyo, and years later, San Rafael. 

With 20% of the total area of Malbec planted in the country, Mendoza is the main producer of this grape. Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cabernet Franc wines also stand out among its predominant varieties.  Among the white varieties we can find excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, among others. 

Whoever has not tasted a wine from Mendoza, simply does not know Argentinean wine yet.   

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