Mendoza

Mendoza is Argentina’s oldest and most important wine region. It began in 1561, when Spanish friars planted the first vines here for the production of communion wine. In the 19th century, another wave of European immigrants boosted the Argentinian wine industry. In 1853, a state agricultural school was established in Mendoza, run by a Frenchman. The wine region owes its flagship varieties Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon to him.

Today, Mendoza has around 150,000 hectares of vineyards, almost one and a half times as much as Bordeaux. Over 70 per cent of Argentinian wine is produced in Mendoza. The growing region is located in the west of the country at the foot of the Andes, guarded by the highest mountain in the Americas, the Aconcagua (6,960 metres above sea level). The vineyards climb up to an altitude of 1,100 metres. Seventy per cent of the area is planted with red grape varieties. Cold winters and warm summers make for opulent wines with plenty of colour and soft tannins. They can age superbly.