Argentina

A wine country

The production and consumption of wines in the country goes back to the beginning of the 16th century, when the first specimens of Vitis vinifera were brought to America by Spanish settlers. Catholic priests who cultivated vineyards near their monasteries were important in their propagation, thus ensuring the production of wine to celebrate Holy Mass.

During the 19th century, European immigrants introduced new cultivation techniques and other varieties of grapes which found an ideal habitat to grow in the Andes and the Río Colorado Valley. In the 20th century the wine industry underwent important changes that would mark its future course: it went from mass production for domestic consumption, to higher quality, lower volume production.

Argentina’s vast extension is unique. It offers the possibility of cultivating high-quality vineyards across larger areas, creating a great diversity of terroirs. This allows to play with various grape varieties and wine styles: reds (from young and light, to full-bodied and structured), whites (from dry to fruity and aromatic), and rosés.

Capital: Buenos Aires

Population: 44.900.000 inhabitants

Extension: 3.800 KM from north to south

Area (continental): 2.791.810 km2, 8th world’s largest country

Vineyards in Argentina

Cultivated Surface Area: 198.220 ha

Cultivated grape varieties:

58% are reds
18% are whites
24% are rosés – criolla

Malbec

22,3%

Bonarda

9,5%

Cabernet Sauvignon

7,3%

Syrah

6,2%

Torrontés Riojano

3,9%

Chardonnay

3,0%

Tempranillo

2,8%

Merlot

2,6%

Pinot Noir

1,0%

Others

41,4%

Argentina is the 6th world’s largest wine producer with 11,8 millions of hectoliters and is the 7th largest country in cultivated surface.

92% of the winegrowers have up to 25 hectares and they are those that concentrate 55% of the total cultivated area of vine in the country.

There are more than 900 producing wineries in Argentina.

Argentina is the 10th world’s largest wine exporter with almost 500 exporters that sell their wines to 127 countries.

The main export markets for the argentine wines are: USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and The Netherlands.

Argentina is the 10th largest country in wine consumption per capita, with an annual consumption of 22 liters per inhabitant.

8 out of 10 argentines drink wine in their home and with their families.

Mendoza

Mendoza is the largest and most important wine-producing province in Argentina and is known as the home of Malbec. Indeed, Mendoza accounts for about 75% of the country’s wine production. It is a unique wine growing region due to the combination of different factors including climate, soil and altitude.

Climate

Mendoza’s climate is characterized by lots of heat, sunlight and dry growing conditions. It has an average of 300 days of sunshine per year and droughts of several months are not uncommon. This is why Mendoza’s wines tend to have ripe fruit flavors and the reds exhibit riper, softer tannins.

Mendoza has limited rainfalls (less tan 200 millimeters per year). To get vines the water they need to survive, vineyards are irrigated from rivers that cascade down the Andes Mountains and from deep water wells.

Soil

Soils at the base of the Andes tend to be alluvial with a high proportion of sand and loam and are low in organic material, naturally controlling vine vigor and yield. The sandy loam is underlain with river rocks offering good drainage. This results in an excellent quality of grapes for the production wines.

Altitude

In Mendoza vineyards are planted at altitudes between 500 and 1,300 meters above sea level. The advantage of growing the vine at a higher altitude is the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. This wide thermal amplitude between bright sunny days and cool crisp nights allows for a gradual ripening of the fruit. The resulting fruit is well balanced with a fresher acidity, more layers of flavors, and an increased aging potential.

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