Argentine wine

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Argentine wine, as with many aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Juan Cedrón (or Cidrón) brought the first vine cuttings to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighbouring regions, and then to other parts of the country.

Argentine winemakers have traditionally been more interested in quantity than quality and the country consumes 90% of the wine it produces. However, the desire to increase exports fueled significant advances in quality. Argentine wines started being exported during the 1990s, and are currently growing in popularity.

Argentina is the largest wine producer in South America and the 5th largest in the world, with over 1,200 million liters (2003), and the 13th largest exporter in the world (431 million USD in 2005).

Due to the high altitude and low humidity of the main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, moulds and other diseases that affect grapes in other countries. This permits cultivating with little or no pesticides, allowing even organic wines to be easily produced.

Contents

1 Regions
2 Grapes

2.1 Red
2.2 White

3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Regions

The most important wine regions of the country are located in the provinces of Mendoza and San Juan (Cuyo region), and La Rioja. Salta, Catamarca and Río Negro are also wine producing regions. The Mendoza Province produces more than 60% of the Argentine wine and the source of an even higher percentage of the total exports (84% by value during the first trimester of 2006).

Mendoza - Valle Central, Mendoza area, Valle de Uco, San Rafael area
San Juan - Valle de Tulum, Valle de Ullum
Salta - Valles Calchaquíes
La Rioja -Valle de Famatina
Catamarca - Valle de Tinogasta
Río Negro (Alto Valle)
Jujuy - San Salvador de Jujuy (Northernmost wine producing province that has produced wines at some of the highest recorded altitudes)
Neuquen - San Pedro del Chañar (developing wine region in the north of the Patagonian province)

Grapes

There are many different varieties of grapes cultivated in Argentina though Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon among the reds, and Torrontés and Chardonnay among the whites, are the most popular of them. At the same time, some varieties are cultivated caracteristically in certain areas. The most distinctive grapes are probably Malbec, intoduced in the 19th century and currently the world's first producer, and the Torrontés, produced also only in Spain.

Red

Malbec - Mendoza (20,000 hectares)
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah - San Juan
Tempranillo - Mendoza
Merlot - Río Negro
Pinot Noir - Río Negro

White

Chardonnay - Mendoza
Torrontés - La Rioja, Mendoza and San Juan - caracterized by its fruity flavour
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling - San Juan and La Rioja
Chenin Blanc - Mendoza
Viognier - Mendoza and San Juan
Sémillon - Mendoza and Río Negro

References

Zraly, Kevin. Windows of the World Complete Wine Course. NY: Sterling, 2005.
() La Nación, 16 May 2006. [Siguen creciendo las exportaciones de vinos y mostos.]

External links

[Argentine wine]
[Argentine wine history]
() [Plan Estratégico Vitivinícola] (PEVI)
() [Turismo enológico]

Wine by country

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