Argentine wine
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.
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)
*
Neuquén -
San Pedro del Chañar (developing wine region in the north of the Patagonian province)
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
*
Globalization of wine*
Foreign trade of Argentina* 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.*
Argentine wine*
Argentine wine history*
Plan Estratégico Vitivinícola (PEVI)
*
Turismo enológico
