THE REGIONS: WHAT TO KNOW

The distance between Argentina's northernmost wine region of Salta, at a latitude of 22 degrees south, and its southernmost region, Patagonia, at 40 degrees south, extends for some 1,243 miles. Between these two poles lies the heartland of Argentine wine, Mendoza.

- AARON ROMANO

ARGENTINA AT A GLANCE 

TOTAL NUMBER OF WINERIES: 795

TOTAL VINEYARD ACRES: 480,652

MAJOR GRAPES BY ACREAGE:

• Malbec: 114,574

• Bonarda: 43,768

• Cabernet Sauvignon: 34,104

• Torrontés: 18,283

• Chardonnay: 14,107

Despite the vast expanse from one region to another, the country's viticultural areas share many climatic characteristics, including proximity to the Andes Mountains, low-fertility desert soils and limited rainfall. Yet despite these shared conditions, Argentina is a country of extremes, from glaciers in the south to high desert valleys along the base of the Andes, producing a diversity of terroirs that yield an array of distinctive wines.

Spanish colonizers first introduced wine grapes to Argentina in the 16th century, but it wasn't until the mid-1800s that viticulture began to take hold. Before the Quinta Nacional, a national vine nursery, was established in 1853, most of the vineyards around Mendoza were planted with Criolla, a thick-skinned variety known for making fruity rosé-style wines. European immigrants introduced new grape varieties, including Malbec, to local farmers, as well as new techniques, and the expansion of the railway during this period allowed for more rapid development. Historical records show that by the 1930s, there were more than 200,000 acres of vines in Mendoza, 60% of them Malbec.