Argentina
The 5th biggest wine producer worldwide,
Argentina has been making fine wines since the16th century. Argentinian wines
have their origins in Spain, with vine cuttings having been brought to South
America during the Spanish colonisation. In the past, Argentine winemakers had
a lot more interest in producing in quality rather than quality, however during
the 1990s, the lucrative possibilities of the export market promoted an
improvement in the quality of the wines being produced with the result that
Argentina is now South America’s most prevalent wine exporter.
Argentina’s key wine regions include the provinces
of La Rioja, San Juan, Rio Negro, Salta, Catamarca and Mendoza. The southern
Buenos Aires region has also recently begun producing wine, however over half
of the country’s production comes from the Mendoza Province. One of the main
reasons why Argentina produces so much wine is because of the low humidity and
high altitudes of the country’s primary wine producing areas, since they face
very few problems with mould, fungi, insects and grape diseases which so often
affect vineyards. This means that there is rarely any need for pesticides so
organic wines are easily produced.
Argentinian wine producers grow a number of grape
varieties which reflect the immigrant groups of the country. Malbec grapes were
brought by the French, and are used in the making of most of the best known
wines from this country. Bonarda vines were brought by the Italians and
Torrontes grapes were indigenous to Argentina, being mainly found in San Juan,
Salta and La Rioja. This grape produces aromatic white wines which have a
delicious flavour. Other international grape varieties such as Syrah, Cabernet
Sauvignon and Chardonnay are now being planted in the country, although they
are not widespread yet.
Wine is so popular as a drink in Argentina that the
government actually declared it to be the country’s national drink in 2010.