Mendoza, Argentina
- Located in the west-central part of Argentina. Mendoza is on a major highway between Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile and is a popular stopover for climbers on their way to Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemispheres).
- Mendoza is the largest producer of wine in all of South America which has led to it being labeled as one of the Eleven Wine Capitals of the World.
- For most of its history, the wine produced in this area was consumed by locals, happy with the old-fashioned standards of winemaking, mostly derived from Italy. The white wine tended to be flat, and the red wine was brown from over-oaking.
- It wasn’t until the 1990s that Argentine wine was seen for what it could be; and Mendoza led the way. Showing the world that amazing, fruit-forward Malbecs could be this good, suddenly, South American wine was on the map in a big way.
- Due to the high altitude of the growing region near Mendoza, the nighttime temperatures can drop to the point where the red grapes become well-flavored and deeply colored. While the white grapes are able to ripen just right in the crisp, dry air, giving these wines the right amount of acids and floral notes.
- The high altitudes also help to prevent most vineyard diseases. This, coupled with the plentiful water supply in the area, create the opportunity for almost unlimited yield per acre situation.
