Winemeister

Until recently not well known in the US or Europe, Argentina is the largest wine producer in the southern hemisphere. It's diverse mix of microclimates makes for an equally interesting mix of wines and flavors. Argentina is best known for the strongly flavored red Malbec, but has plenty of other wines in its various regions.

History

Like most countries outside of Europe, Argentina does not have thousands of years to look back on for its wine making history. However, most people are surprised to hear that it does actually have deep roots going back to early immigration from Spain and Italy. Over the last few centuries, Argentine wine growing regions have expanded to cover vast areas in the northern part of the country and along the Andes mountains.

Statistics

With over 200,000 hektar under vines, Argentina is the largest wine producer in the southern hemisphere passing Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and its neighbor Chile. According to the national wine institute of Argentina, domestic consumption reaches over 700,000 hl per year (over 18 million gallon). According to the statistics of the California Wine Institute, Argentineans consume about 30 liters of wine per year - less than the worlds big wine nations, but more than three times the amount in the United States. Argentina also exports more than 200,000 hl per year, primarily to the US and Europe.

Regions

Argentina has seven official wine regions (Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Salta, Catamarca, Neuquen and Rio Negro). Most of Argentina's well-known wineries are located in the growing region known as Mendoza Valley, which is really a 2000 km stretch along the foothills of the Andes mountains in the north-western part of the country. Mendoza is made up of 10 official regions:

Lujan de Cuyo

Maipoe

Godoy Cruz

Uco Valley

Lavalle

Las Heras

San Martin

Rivadavia

San Rafael

General Alvear

((MAP))

As a general rule, the Southern and Eastern regions tend to grow more mellow wines compared to the spicier and more intense Northern wines. This is due to the microclimates that tend to get more temperate towards the South and East whereas the North-West is located at higher altitude and in a warmer area leading to harsher growing conditions, lower yields and more intense tastes.

Usually the region is not identified on an Argentine wine bottle, instead it carries the "Mendoza Valley" identifier along with the name of the winery, sometimes preceded by the Spanish word for winery "Bodega".

For most wine consumers outside Argentina, the signature grape of the country is the red Malbec, a dark velvety red wine that is known for leaving a deep purple stain on your tongue. However, aside from Malbec there are many other varietals that are traditionally grown in Mendoza, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Torrontes, Tempranillo, Merlot, Pinot Noir, as well as Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc white wines.

Some of the note-worthy Argentine wines that our readers have already rated:

Catena and Alta Catena

Found a bottle or Argentine wine and would like to rate or describe it? Use this link.