MAIN WINE REGIONS THAT MAKE ARGENTINA GREAT

The North, Cuyo, Patagonia and the Atlantic terroir explained.

One of the main goals of this blog is to show you what makes Argentinian wine unique and why I love them! The terroir is so complex that it will take me more than one post to go from the deep blood like color of a Malbec from Cafayate in Salta to the refreshing acidity of a San Francisco del Chañar Pinot Noir in Patagonia. That’s why we are going to start with the basics and in the upcoming posts we’ll learn more about each region and its wines individually.
Now, let’s sip and have a taste of the main wine regions!

THE NORTH

High altitude vineyards is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Argentina’s North. This region includes the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman and Catamarca at 23 south latitude and 63 west longitude. It’s at the town of Uquia in Jujuy, where we can find the second highest vineyard in the world at 10.992 fasl.
The North has a total cultivated area of 14,830.8 acres (only 3% of the country) across its valleys: Calchaquies, Valles Templados and Quebrada de Humahuaca.
The city of Cafayate in Salta is the heart of this wine region with 60% of the vineyards.
The soils: They are alluvial, sandy-loam or sandy with fine sand that benefits drainage.
Climate: The climate is arid and dry. There is low annual rainfall, so irrigation is possible due to water found in wells, which is the result of the Andes’ melting snow . Due to high altitude there is a wide daily thermal amplitude and intense exposure to the sun throughout the day. All of these conditions together lead the grapes to slowly ripe and produce a thicker skin that results in wines with high intensity of color, a more robust mouthfeel and concentration of polyphenol (antioxidants).
Main varieties: Malbec is the most cultivated red grape, followed closely by the white Torrontés and Cabernet Sauvignon. Nevertheless, many experts believe that Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon blends are the future of the region. Tannat is such an expressive French variety that thanks to the hot climate and thermal amplitude in this region it achieves ripeness and a refreshing acidity resulting in a more balanced wine (I must confess that this is one of my favorite wines so expect more information about it!)
On the other hand, Torrontés (the result of crossing Muscadet of Alexandria with Criolla Chica) is still Argentina’s iconic white grape.
Some of the most well-known wineries are: Colomé, Piatelli, Finca Quara, Bodega Fernando Dupont, Bodega El Esteco, El Porvenir, Vallisto and Bodegas Etchart.

CUYO

The largest producing region in South America with 95% of the total cultivated surface of Argentina (471.265,21 acres). Cuyo is located at the foot of the Andes mountain range, at 28° south latitude and 67° west longitude, in the center-west of the country. It includes the provinces of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza.
The latest is the home of Malbec (not only in Argentina but in the world) with the most developed and diverse terroir. Also it is one of the 7 seven Great Wine Capitals of the World.
Mendoza is divided into five large sub-regions: Valle de Uco (Tunuyán, Tupungato and San Carlos); Primera Zona (Luján de Cuyo and Maipú); Northern oasis (Lavalle and Las Heras); the East (San Martín, Rivadavia, Junín, Santa Rosa and La Paz) and the South (San Rafael, General Alvear and Malargüe).
The first D.O.C (Denominación de origen controlada) of South America was granted to Luján de Cuyo in 1990.
Wineries in Mendoza, such as Catena Zapata, were the first in Argentina to grow vines in high altitude to enhance the quality of the grape. First, they chose Luján de Cuyo (2300- 4300 fasl) and over the last decades Valle de Uco (2800-5282 fasl) had become one of the most prestigious regions to produce premium high-altitude wines.
Soil types: They vary across the Cuyo region, mainly alluvial also sandy and loamy soils.
Climate: Cuyo means “desert country” in the Huarpe Millcayac language of the native people that inhabited the area. The region has a semi-arid climate. Cold winters and hot summers enhanced by the influence of the Andes mountain range. Irrigation is facilitated by the pure snowmelt water that feeds the main rivers and then it’s used by a system of reservoirs and channels.
Main varieties: La Rioja’s main variety is Torrontés Riojano (similar to the Torrontés from Salta but more fruit forward). San Juan’s typical grape is Syrah, although Malbec is the second most produced wine followed by Bonarda (not to be confused with the Italian Bonarda). Mendoza’s main variety are Malbec (of course), Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay.
Some interesting wineries to check out are: Atamisque, Altos Las Hormigas, Bodega Salentein, Clos de los Siete, Achaval-Ferrer, Catena Zapata, Zuccardi, El Enemigo, Sophenia, Susana Balbo and Corazón del Sol.

PATAGONIA AND THE ATLANTIC

Even though it seems like this region has just been discovered, the truth is that the first wineries in Patagonia were established at the beginning of the 20th century. What happened is that just almost two decades ago they incremented their production of premium wines. Now, their Pinot Noir is starting to gain recognition by international markets.
Located at 36 south latitude and 57 west longitude, Patagonia and the Atlantic region include La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Buenos Aires. Cultivated surface is 9.312,09 acres, only 1.88% of Argentina’s total cultivated surface.
Variety of soils: Stony, sandy and clayey, all of them rich in minerals (have in mind that the total surface of this region is about the same size of France and Spain together so there is a great variety in soils).
Climate: Constant westerly winds, which means healthier grapes, and abundance of sunlight hours that favors good ripening. The vineyards are close to riverbeds or riverbanks and the ocean.
Main varieties: Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir (trademark of the region) and Cabernet Sauvignon for red wines; and Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc for whites.
Wineries to start exploring: Humberto Canale, Bodegas del Fin del Mundo, Familia Schroeder, Bodega Patritti, Bodega Miras, Bodega Noemia and Trapiche Costa & Pampa.

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