Top 100 wines of Argentina - Page 9

Discovering the wine region of Argentina

Argentina is one of the most important wine producing countries in the New World, and the largest producer of wine in South America. The high-altitude deserts of the eastern Andes have given rise to a high-quality wine industry, and the Terroir of this region is well suited to Argentina's adopted Grape variety, the ubiquitous Malbec. Originally from France/bordeaux">Bordeaux, it is now the source of some of Argentina's most famous wines, which are characterized by brilliance and intensity, with Floral">floral notes and black fruit flavors. Covering just over 2.

8 million square kilometres, Argentina is the second largest country in South America and stretches from the southern border of Bolivia in the North to the southern tip of the continent. It is home to a vast array of landscapes, from the rocky peaks of the Andes in the west to the fertile lowlands of the Pampas in the east. In Argentina, viticulture takes place mainly in the foothills of the Andes, particularly in Mendoza, where the desert landscape and high altitudes combine to form a terroir that produces Aromatic, intensely flavoured red wines. Mendoza's vineyards reach up to 1500 meters in altitude.

Here, increased levels of sunlight and a wide diurnal temperature variation allow for a Long, slow ripening period, resulting in a Balance of sugars and acidity in the grapes. Almost three quarters of Argentina's wine production takes place in Mendoza, and in addition to Malbec, there are important plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Bonarda. Mendoza's position in the rain shadow of the Andes means that there is little rainfall, and irrigation is provided by Andean meltwater. Further north, the Salta and Catamarca regions are even higher, and a world-renowned vineyard owned by Bodega Colome in Molinos sits at 3,000m, higher than the summit of Mount St.