Argentina’s Mendoza Region Ideal For Growing Grapes

Think back about 15 to 20 years ago to the wine section of your local grocer (or wine shop, if it even existed). Sure, there were domestic wines from Washington and California and most likely a pretty decent selection of wines from Europe. Outside of that, there was probably little or nothing.

But times have changed in the wine industry and the world is a much smaller place. Now it’s easy to find a variety of choices from wine-producing areas such as South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in addition to a much broader range of American and European wines. Great news for consumers? You bet.

Argentina is one of the countries that has recently exploded in terms of availability in the United States, and the bulk of Argentinean wines – estimated at somewhere between 60 and 70 percent – are being produced in the country’s Mendoza region. Mendoza is located on the mid-western coast of Argentina, close to the Chilean border (a country that is doing nicely with its own wines as well). This area has an environment that’s ideal for growing grapes – over 300 days of sunshine a year, low annual rainfall, dry winds, and warm days with cool evenings.

If this sounds familiar, look no further than Eastern Washington’s wine country for a similar climate. The only major difference, of course, is that because of Argentina’s location in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed, and grapes are generally harvested during our springtime months of March and April.

For years, Malbec was the principal wine grape in Argentina, and the country is still doing such a good job with this varietal that it’s arguably among some of the best in the world. But today you’re also likely to see other varietals such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, syrah and cabernet sauvignon on the shelves of US grocers and wine shops.

Better still, the prices of these wines are incredibly reasonable; many falling within the $10 to $20 a bottle price range. With prices like this and increasing consistency among many wineries in Argentina there’s absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t be giving them a try.

Next week I’ll give you a few recommendations from Doña Paula Estates, a winery located in Argentina’s Mendoza region that I think is producing some very nice wines.