Argentina
Today Argentina is among the top wine producing countries in the world, together with France, Italy, Spain and the United States. It has eight grape growing regions spreading from north to south, with different latitudes, altitudes and soils, which produce the most prestigious Malbec and Torrontes to be found in the international market.
Wine production and consumption in Argentina dates back to more than 400 years ago, when the first specimens of Vitis vinifera were brought to Argentina by the Spaniards in the early sixteenth century. Catholic priests who came to Argentina planted vineyards around their monasteries so as to ensure the provision of wine for the celebration of Holy Mass.
Favored by optimum soil and weather conditions, the "vitis vinifera" began an accelerated growth, especially in the regions nearby the Andes.
Located in the Southern Cone of the South American Continent, with a population of 38 million inhabitants and a territory that is four times larger than France, Argentina is one of the world’s ecological reserves. High mountains and plains, lush vegetation and extreme deserts, forests and steppes, glaciers and water falls: Argentina has it all.
The vast winemaking region is a strip of land located to the West of the country, at the foot of the Andes range, that stretches from latitude 22° South to latitude 42° South. The cultivated area covers more than 226,450 hectares.
In this context Argentina has developed a unique winemaking industry. The altitude, the wide range of temperatures, the local know-how, the new technologies and a deeply-rooted popular wine culture lend these wines to a unique identity and quality.
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