Argentina is the largest wine producer in South America and one of the most important wine-producing countries in the New World. The eastern Andes mountains’ high-altitude deserts have given rise to the high-quality wine industry. Indeed, Argentina’s adopted grape variety, the ubiquitous Malbec, which is now responsible for some of Argentina’s most famous wines, is well suited to the terroir here.
Argentina has a long viticultural tradition, and wines have been made here since the 1500s – initially by Spanish missionaries, and later by Italian settlers. Until very recently, Argentinian wines were exclusively domestic, based mostly on the high-yielding Criolla Grande and Cereza grape varieties.
However, over the past 20 years, the country’s wine producers have raised quality levels and successfully consolidated an international export market. Argentina has risen to become the fifth most prominent wine-producing country in the world, following France, Italy, Spain, and the USA.
Popular Wine Regions and Grape Varieties
Mendoza is without a doubt the country’s largest and most well-known wine region, producing great wines to critical acclaim on a regular basis.
Mendoza
The province, which is located on a high-altitude plateau on the outskirts of the Andes Mountains, produces roughly 70% of the country’s annual wine production. Mendoza’s winemaking history is nearly as old as Argentina’s colonial history. Malbec, a French grape variety, has found a new home in the vineyards of Mendoza, where it produces red wines of great concentration and intensity.
Malbec is thought to have arrived in Argentina around the mid-nineteenth century, and its introduction is generally attributed to French agronomist and ampelographer Michel Aimé Pouget (sometimes spelled Miguel Aimé Pouget). According to some sources, Malbec’s establishment in Argentina predates Pouget’s arrival.
Nonetheless, World Malbec Day is observed on April 17, the date when Argentina’s then-president, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, officially requested Pouget to come to Argentina from Chile and help establish vineyards on a large scale.
While Malbec is undoubtedly the star of the region, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, Torrontes, and Sauvignon Blanc are also widely planted. Mendoza is also establishing itself as a producer of sparkling wine.
