Argentina

For a long time, however, the focus was not on quality. Instead, they produced large quantities of cheap wine for the thirsty domestic market. This changed with the advent of beer and soft drinks. Domestic consumption fell rapidly: from 90 litres of wine (!) per capita in 1970 to 55 litres in 1991. The vineyard area shrank by more than a third during this time. What was a heavy blow economically was a blessing in terms of quality: this marked the beginning of the quality era in Argentinean viticulture. In 1983, after the end of the dictatorship, foreign investors came into the country with expertise and money. And so Argentina as a wine nation has a lot of top quality to offer today.

The vineyards in the Andes cover more than 210,000 hectares. The vines grow far away from the cities, from rugged Patagonia in the southernmost part of the continent to the high altitudes of the north – where Donald Hess from Switzerland has planted the highest vineyard in the world: his Bodegas Colomé winery. Argentina’s trump card is its differences in altitude. These create an extraordinarily diverse jigsaw of soils and microclimates. So every grape variety has its very own favourite spot. The climate is continental, which is reflected in considerable temperature differences between day and night. This allows the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. Other quality ingredients are the barren soils, which grapevines love, and the clean meltwater from the Andes.

The country’s best-known wine-growing region is still Mendoza. Here, in the shadow of the Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas (6,960 metres), over 70 per cent of Argentinian wine is produced. The region’s flagship variety and Argentina’s flagship grape is the dark-fruited, structurally strong Malbec. This French «import» feels more at home there than anywhere else in the world – even more so than in its native Cahors in south-west France. Many winemakers blend it with Cabernet Sauvignon. San Juan, which lies to the north of Mendoza and enjoys a somewhat warmer climate, follows in the ranking of the largest wine regions. Syrah has become the flagship red wine here in recent years.

Among the white wines, Torrontés stands out. This is an indigenous variety that produces wonderfully floral wines. Their stomping grounds are the high altitudes of the regions of La Rioja (not to be confused with the wine region of the same name in Spain) and Salta. Here, the grapes also benefit from increased UV radiation – their flavour becomes particularly intense.