Mendoza
Continental desert
Argentina's wine capital in the Andean foothills, where irrigated high-altitude vineyards produce ripe, plush Malbec.
Overview
About Mendoza
Mendoza produces roughly two thirds of Argentina's wine. Its main zones are Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, near the city, and the Uco Valley to the south, whose vineyards climb to around 1,500 metres and increasingly produce the country's most finely structured wines. The oasis-like vineyards are watered by a network of irrigation channels (acequias) that predates Spanish rule.
Malbec is the flagship, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also grown. Malbec here is generally riper and plusher than in its home in Cahors, with fine tannins and dark, violet-tinged fruit.
Where is a grape grown?
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
Argentina
Shaded: Mendoza. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Continental desert
A high-altitude desert with very little rain, abundant sunshine and large day-night temperature swings that preserve acidity. Hail and the warm Zonda wind are hazards.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Alluvial soils of sand, gravel and clay washed down from the Andes, with calcareous (limestone) deposits and stony subsoils in parts of the Uco Valley.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Mendoza's appellations are mostly geographic, and altitude is the quality shorthand.
DOC Luján de Cuyo
Argentina's first DOC (1993), for Malbec from Mendoza's original high-quality zone.
Indicación Geográfica
Named areas such as the Uco Valley and Maipú.
Sub-zones and altitude
Named areas in the Uco Valley, such as Gualtallary, and altitude on the label, are widely used to show quality.
Within Mendoza
Subregions
Luján de Cuyo
The first Malbec appellation in Argentina, in the Andean foothills just south of Mendoza city, known for old vines and full, ripe wines.
Maipú
Mendoza's oldest wine district, close to the city, with old vines, historic wineries and the region's best-developed wine tourism.
Uco Valley
A high valley in the shadow of the Andes, south-west of Mendoza, whose cool nights and stony soils give vivid, fresh Malbec and Chardonnay.
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Mendoza or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.