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Argentina's Wine Regions

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Argentina's Wine Regions Argentina’s Wine Regions Altitude: 7874ft - 9842ft Altitude: 3280ft Altitude: 8858ft Altitude: 4265ft Altitude: 5577ft Altitude: 26 24ft Altitude: 4921ft Altitude: 4265ft Altitude: < 2296ft Altitude: 984ft Altitude: < 2296ft Altitude: 656ft Altitude: 22 96 - 24 60ft Altitude: 2952ft Altitude: 3116 - 3280ft Altitude: 3280ft Altitude: 3280ft Altitude: 3280ft Altitude: 3280 - 3608ft Altitude: 22 96ft CUYO With more than 392.484 acre of Mendoza vineyards, Mendoza is Argentina’s foremost wine-producing Province. In 392.484 acre cultivated fact it is in this Province where more than 80% of all Argentine wine is Main Varieties manufactured. · Malbec · Bonarda In Mendoza, today we find a quality- · Cabernet Sauvignon oriented industry under constant · Syrah development and with a focus on the · Tempranillo · Merlot achievement of the best terroir-variety · Pinot Noir relationships possible. Certainly, · Chardonnay Mendoza features an enviable array of · Chenin grape varieties, given the Province´s · Sauvignon Blanc considerable altitude and range: from Welcome to · Torrontés 1640 to 4921 ft above sea level. · Semillón · Viognier Mendoza´s basic viticultural geography · Tocai Friulano can be divided into three large oases: one in the North, on the basin of the Mendoza and Tunuyán Rivers, one in the Center, and one in the South, washed by Argentina’s the Diamante and Atuel Rivers. By carefully studying the Province´s territory, however, one can discover a multiplicity of features distributed among a number of highly differentiated terroirs, each terroir having its own Wine Regions altitude and soil characteristics. These terroirs, coupled with Mendoza’s protracted, dry and mild-weathered fall season, enable wine producers and NORTH PATAGONIA enologists to materialize the dream of producing wines of their own design - Salta is the most northerly of The Río Negro Valley is located 39° harvest decisions being made based on Salta Río Negro Argentina´s wine producing areas and South, at 984 ft above sea-level. their desired degrees of grape maturity. lays claim to the highest commercial Together with the Province of 5.184 acre cultivated altitudes vineyards in the world. The 6.936 acre cultivated Neuquén, Río Negro boasts the Province´s production center sits in southernmost vineyards in the world, Main Varieties Main Varieties: San Juan San Juan is the second largest wine- · Cabernet Sauvignon the area known as Valles Calchaquíes · Merlot with an average annual temperature in producing Province in Argentina, both · Malbec (Calchaquí Valleys). · Malbec this region is 15°C. 121.039 acre cultivated in terms of vineyard-covered area and · Tannat · Pinot Noir in total production volume. It features · Merlot Although the plural designation used · Semillón The ecologic conditions in Río Negro · Bonarda in this case is not correct (actually, it is · Ugni Blanc are ideal for the production of white Main Varieties a number of producing valleys, · Syrah · Sauvignon Blanc · Syrah including Tulum (the most important, · Chardonnay only one valley), the area is comprised · Chardonnay varieties, including Traminer, Riesling, · Bonarda on the banks of the San Juan River), · Chenin of a number of terroirs located at Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. · Cabernet Sauvignon Ullum-Zonda, Calingasta, Jáchal, different altitudes ranging from 5577 ft · Malbec in Cafayate, 6561 ft in Yacochuya and But the region also features red · Greco Nero Iglesia and Fértil. · Merlot 9842 ft in Colomé. varieties such Merlot and Pinot Noir, · Cabernet Franc Altitudes range from 1968 ft, in the where the latter finds its most thriving · Torrontés lower districts of the Tulum Valley, to Salta offers an interesting array of environment. · Moscatel de Alejandría tastes and its fragrant Torrontés white · Chardonnay 3937 ft at El Pedernal Valley (a micro- · Ugni Blanc area within Ullum-Zonda). wines, the most typical variety in the · Sauvignon Blanc region, are widely regarded as the · Viognier The varieties most commonly finest expression of this unique cultivated in this Province are variety. Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Greco Nero (almost nonexistent in the other regions) and Syrah who deserves a special mention, as in San Juan it reaches a varietal expression which is well-known all over the world. Catamarca Although the wine industry in this Neuquén The area known as San Patricio del Province has traditionally been Chañar, at 40° South latitude, is where focused on the production of table most of Neuquén´s wineries are 6.068 acre cultivated wines, or so-called “regional wines” 3.652 acre cultivated concentrated. Altitudes in this area made from Cherry or Muscatel grapes, vary from medium to low, and the soil Main Varieties Main Varieties · Cabernet Sauvignon the transformation of the industry · Malbec conditions are typically excellent. · Syrah seems to have taken root, for good. · Merlot · Malbec · Cabernet Sauvignon Strong winds pose a major challenge · Torrontés Today, the fledgling development of · Pinot Noir to vineyards in this area, the only 21st · Chardonnay Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet · Sauvignon Blanc century wine region on the planet... La Rioja Although there are some small Sauvignon wines (some of which have · Semillón scattered areas in this Province where been successfully launched to the Moreover, with almost 3700 acre wine is produced at a reasonable market) give Catamarca a promising planted over the last six years, four 21.000 acre cultivated volume, the most renowned wines future. state-of-the art wineries in operation, made in La Rioja originate in the and three additional ones in the Main Varieties Famatina Valley region. pipeline for the near future, Neuquén · Torrontés has become the largest-growing · Cabernet Sauvignon The valley sits between the Sierra de viticultural center in the Argentine · Syrah Republic. · Bonarda Velasco and Sierra Famatina mountain · Malbec chains. As with the rest of the · Chardonnay Argentine wine-producing regions, the weather in this area is dry (the annual median rainfall in the region is 185m mm), relatively windy, and with the alluvial deposit soils commonly found in geologically ancient valleys. Altitudes are certainly considerable, ranging from 2624 to 4593 ft. The technological developments achieved over the last five years, in particular the new drop watering systems and winery machinery, have facilitated the production of the region´s typical Torrontés: a white wine characterized by a uniquely voluptuous yet elegant bouquet. Furthermore, interesting improvements have been made with regard to the cultivation of Syrah, Malbec and Chardonnay varieties..
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