Argentina Wine:
If you want to taste good wine South America then
Argentina is your answer. Argentina wine is famous for its good quality and
taste.
Western-style grape growing began with the arrival of missionary monks from
Spain beginning in the 16th century. The Argentina wine producing region of spreads at the foothills of the Andean Mountain Range from the Province of Salta
to the Province of Rio Negro. There is a large variety of soils and weather
conditions making this area's ability to produce a large range of wines.
These wine-making regions of Argentina are full of sunshine and temperate weather, perfect combination for wine lovers and a great place to relax. Argentina has a dry climate and the mountain streams and rivers serving the country provide it with the water it requires for the purpose of irrigation.
Popular Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot and Pinot Noir.
Popular White Wines: Chardonnay, Torrontes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling and Viognier.
Mendoza region:
About eighty percent of the of the Argentina wine is produced in the Mendoza region wineries ( also called bodegas). European settlers introduced winemaking in Mendoza in the 19th century. This place is less commercialized than their Western and American counterparts, Mendoza's wineries are free to visit and easily accessible along roads known locally as Los Caminos del Vino. Many of the wineries even offer wine tasting for free. Mendoza is home to more than a thousand wineries. Most businesses close for sometime between 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM for afternoon rest / nap time.
How to reach Mendoza:
Mendoza airport (MDZ) is two hours by plane from Buenos Aires located in western Argentina. Frequent bus service is also available to Bariloche and Santiago de Chile cities although the bus ride during winters can be tough.
Where does Mendoza region gets its water from?
Even though Mendoza province is a very dry region and producing wine requires significant water, but fortunately the tall Andes mountains are stop most that clouds by which results in some rainfall and rest of the water is passed by smaller rivers created by the melting snow of the Andes, this water is eventually channeled to the whole town. You will also find many farmers cultivating peach and olives. Due to the proximity to the Andes Mountains, Apart from wine tasting, sightseeing as well as hiking and horse-back riding are famous too in this region. Some ski centers are also open in winters, close to Mendoza wine region.
Best time to come:
Although any time is good to come here, February to March is the best time to come due to the annual Wine harvest festival (The Vendimia Festival), tasting wine if of course is on everyone's mind. This festival is celebrated thanking the God for harvest and take blessings for the next harvest of grapes and wine. National grape harvest queen contest is also organized and a local girl is awarded the title.
Cafayate Wine Region (Salta Province):
Salta is a region of generally high quality with fine Cabernets Sauvignons and, especially Torrontes in the Cafayate sub-region. A belt of vineyards surrounds the Town. It is also possible to taste some traditional foot trampled Argentina wine is made by dozens of small old style producers. The Museum of Wine is also present in the town of Cafayate The cellars offer to the tourist some circuits around their fields, well washed down with glasses of good "torront's" wine. In Cafayate there are several wine cellars that can be visited for free. Each vineyard has a distinctive style based on the owner, architecture, and wine specialty.
Other smaller wine producing regions include: Jujuy , Cordoba, Tucuman , La Rioja , San Rafael , San Fernando , San Juan and Rio Negro.
