The national vineyard of Argentina includes some half million acres of vines, and its undisputed centerpiece is the Mendoza region at the foot of the Andes some 600 miles west of Buenos Aires. Here, vineyards are laid out at altitudes from 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet above sea level, sheltered from Pacific storms by the spine of the Andes.
Mendoza is one of 23 provinces of Argentina, with the city of Mendoza as its capital. Nine hundred of Argentina’s 1,200 wineries are in the province of Mendoza. Mendoza produces 85 percent of Argentina’s Malbec wines, and almost all of the wines Argentina crafts for international export markets.
Within the province of Mendoza, there are 17 departments, and each department contains several regions or districts. The political boundaries overlap grape growing regions, and naming protocols are sometimes inconsistent, creating a chance for confusion in describing places of origin.
Mendoza’s high altitude valleys, with different altitudes and temperature profiles, create a multitude of microclimates which yield unique flavor and aromatic expressions for Malbec.
