Wine country.
Mendoza, Salta’s high valleys and the cool south of Patagonia.
Malbec came to Argentina from south-west France in the 19th century and found its true home at the foot of the Andes. Here it ripens fully under strong high-altitude sun, and the cold desert nights keep its freshness: deep purple, plush, often with a note of violets. Argentina’s vineyards run in a long line down the eastern side of the Andes, from the high valleys of the north to the cool south of Patagonia. Three areas are worth planning a trip around.
Altitude or latitude.
Two ways to keep grapes cool in a sunny country: go up, or go south. In the north the vineyards climb into the mountains; in Patagonia they stay low but far from the equator.
Mendoza.(01)
The heartland
Mendoza grows most of Argentina’s wine. The vineyards are irrigated by snowmelt carried in channels from the Andes, in a desert that would otherwise be scrub.
Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, just south of the city, are the traditional heart, with old vines and family bodegas. The Uco Valley, about an hour and a half further south, is higher and cooler, and is where many of the most ambitious new wineries have been built. Its wines tend to be fresher and more structured.
- Vineyard altitude
- Roughly 700–1,600 m
- Grapes
- Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Bonarda
- How to visit
- Stay two nights in Luján de Cuyo and two in the Uco Valley. Book bodega visits ahead and keep to two or three a day, one of them with a long lunch.
- When
- Harvest runs from about February to April. The Fiesta de la Vendimia, the harvest festival, peaks in early March, when the city fills up.
Salta’s high valleys.(02)
Wine at altitude
The Calchaquí Valleys in Salta province hold some of the highest commercial vineyards in the world. Thin air means intense sunlight and thick-skinned grapes; reds here are dark and concentrated, with a peppery edge.
The town of Cafayate is the easy base, surrounded by vineyards and known above all for Torrontés, a floral, aromatic white that is Argentina’s signature white grape. Further north, around Cachi and Molinos, the vineyards climb higher still, on remote estates reached by long gravel roads.
- Vineyard altitude
- Roughly 1,700 m to above 3,000 m
- Grapes
- Torrontés, Malbec, Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon
- How to visit
- Drive from Salta to Cafayate through the red gorges of the Quebrada de las Conchas, spend two nights, and visit a couple of the smaller family bodegas in town.
- When
- April to November is dry and clear. Harvest comes earlier than in the south, from about February.
Patagonian wine.(03)
The cool south
In Patagonia it is latitude, not altitude, that keeps things cool. In the river valleys of Neuquén and Río Negro, wind and long summer days give wines that are lighter and more elegant than Mendoza’s, especially Pinot Noir and Merlot. Río Negro’s Alto Valle has some very old vineyards among its apple and pear orchards.
Further south still, a handful of small vineyards in Chubut, around Trevelin near Esquel, are among the southernmost in the world. They make crisp whites and sparkling wine in tiny quantities.
- Vineyard altitude
- Low: a few hundred metres, but far south
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
- How to visit
- Neuquén’s wineries sit around San Patricio del Chañar, an easy detour by road from the city of Neuquén. Trevelin pairs naturally with a trip to the Lake District and Los Alerces National Park.
- When
- Summer and early autumn, December to April.
Before you taste.
World Malbec Day is celebrated on 17 April.
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01
Book ahead
Most bodegas only take visitors by appointment, especially for lunch.
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02
Do not drive and taste
Argentina has a zero-alcohol limit for drivers. Use a driver or a tour.
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03
Lunch is the main event
Bodega lunches run to several courses with pairings and can last all afternoon. Plan little after.
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04
Bringing wine home
Check your home country’s allowance and pack bottles in your hold luggage.
A wine journey.
Mendoza, then the high valleys of the north, in two weeks.