Mendoza Wine Region Guide

Geography and terroir

The center of Argentina’s wine industry has always been Mendoza, near the Chilean border, west of Buenos Aires. The mesmerizing landscape, an oasis of green vineyards flanked by the snow-capped Andes, encompasses a complex and diverse region with several important subzones and individual climats (vineyard sites) that have earned their own appellations. Today, there are approximately 146,000 hectares under vine, with over 880 estates producing wine. In every sense of the word, this is Argentina’s wine capital, a region rich in unique terroirs and subregions.

It is also a very heterogeneous vineyard: Mendoza has several distinct terroirs and subregions, including Luján de Cuyo and Maipu. Located in central Mendoza, they are easily accessible from the city itself—Maipu is on its southern doorstep. A combination of old vines, gravelly soils (especially in Maipu), and intense sunlight yields some of the country’s best wines: powerfully structured reds and super-elegant dry whites.

Climate and Soil Diversity Impacting Viticulture

Moreover, while new plantings are on rootstocks (phylloxera is not absent from Argentine vineyards), vineyard diseases are relatively uncommon due to the hot, dry climate. However, a great deal of Mendoza’s terroir is based on alluvial soils, with quite a high proportion of sand in many areas.

These free-draining terroirs can produce very fruity and attractive reds, although it is noticeable that Burgundy varieties tend to excel when there is clay-limestone in the substratum. Due to the stony topsoils and hot growing season, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc find a natural home in Maipu.

Meanwhile, not every grower focuses on premium quality. East and north of Mendoza, sandy terrain and sweltering heat, where the cooling influence of the Andes is largely negated, produce gallons of alcoholic dross, serving as the mainstay of supermarket private labels and distillate. At the same time, quality is improving, and an emerging generation of growers are realizing that there is a shrinking global market for bad wine.

Nevertheless, most of the region’s top labels rely on low-yielding vines planted at high elevations—this focus on high-altitude viticulture unifies Argentina’s premium winemakers.

Indeed, the altitudes at which Mendoza’s vineyards flourish would be unthinkably high in Europe. For example, the average elevation of Maipu vineyards is 800 meters above sea level. At this height, overnight temperatures are regularly low enough to give an attractive combination of potent flavors, good freshness, and acidity. That being said, the fearsome hot, dry wind from the northeast, called La Zonda, poses a real liability, particularly during flowering.

Conditions here are far from perfect, and the weather is unpredictable. Winters are cold at these high altitudes, but spring frosts can present a real danger during bud burst. Moreover, even in this seemingly arid landscape, it has a nasty tendency to hail, which can devastate an entire year’s crop. As a result, some growers have invested in special hail nets, which can also usefully reduce the risk of sunburn in Argentina’s powerful and abundant sunlight.

A Hidden Gem Producing Notable Whites

The risk of hail is equally problematic in the vineyards of San Rafael, located 235 km southeast of Mendoza city. This is one of the region’s more ‘discrete’ subzones, lacking the renown of central Mendoza and the achingly trendy Uco Valley. Yet it is producing some excellent white wines, often based on Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay – both single-varietal styles and blends are popular in San Rafael. Sandwiched between the Diamante and Atuel rivers, the vines have no shortage of irrigation water.

One key to successful winemaking in Mendoza is controlling irrigation: sophisticated drip-feed systems prevent overwatering and crop inflation. Thus, thanks to fresh snowmelt off the Andes and a complex system of water channels, land that was once desert now supports 70 percent of Argentina’s wine production.

Mendoza’s vineyards have another advantage – diurnal temperature variation. This significant difference between day and night-time temperature is most pronounced in the Uco Valley, located 95 kilometers south of Mendoza city.

It has become a major viticultural celebrity over the past 15 years, named after a pre-Columbian Indian chief reputed to have introduced irrigation here. High altitude is king here, and producers such as Catena and Terrazas de Los Andes specify precise altitudes on their front labels. It’s perhaps the most vital ‘terroir-modifier,’ and the most critical ingredient in fine wine production in the valley.

Winemaking and regional classifications

Mendoza has a long and proud tradition of wine growing, dating back to the Spanish conquest and the arrival of Jesuit missionaries. However, it was not until the late 1990s that the region became associated with quality: a large domestic market tolerated oxidized whites and dilute reds, produced using old-fashioned methods and equipment. Of course, it all looks very different today – a high percentage of Argentina’s most renowned and respected wineries are based here.

What’s more, the talent that continues to flow into central Mendoza is remarkable, coupled with an increasing emphasis on matching a specific variety to a place and a greater understanding of the region’s complex mosaic of terroirs. Vineyards line both sides of the avenues that radiate southwest from the city in the Luján de Cuyo appellation, forming what is perhaps Mendoza’s most important subregion for exceptional Malbec wine.

Some of the country’s leading wineries are based here, including Pulenta, Luigi Bosca, Catena Zapata, and Trapiche. One of its most impressive labels, Trapiche Melodias, uses hand-harvested Malbec fruit that is destemmed and crushed before fermentation. A fairly lengthy vinification and maceration will then follow (about 25 days), extracting good amounts of color, tannin, and fruit from the berries. Maturation in wood will then take place for nine months in a mix of French and American oak barrels.

Mendoza Malbec: A Benchmark of Quality and Elegance

The result is a poster child for Mendoza Malbec. Due to abundant sunlight and high elevation, rich concentration is usually balanced by invigorating freshness – a hallmark of Argentine wine. Lesser examples from low-lying areas can be a jammy concoction of ripe fruit; however, the best labels, such as the single-vineyard expressions made by Catena Zapata, merge intensity and elegance. Plum, cassis, and black cherry on the nose lead into a rich and supple palate, revealing intense mocha, damson, and vanilla notes. The texture, meanwhile, is pure velvet: suave and elegant. It is rare to encounter astringent tannin and undernourished fruit in the vineyards of Mendoza.

That is also true of the excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah that thrive in the well-drained gravel soils of Maipu. The Uco Valley, too, is producing some very impressive Rhone imitations – La Cayetana Syrah is a standout example of the grape’s potential. It is made by Emilia Soler, a rising star in Uco Valley winemaking.

Using old parcels of Syrah vines planted at 1100m above sea level, Soler vinifies the must in French barrique for a month, using a mixture of crushed grapes and whole bunches. Maturation in barrel for 12 months (and an additional eight months in bottle) yields a stylish red, bursting with aromas of black olive, black pepper, and blackberry – more Côte-Rôtie than Hermitage.

The wine is something of an Argentine game changer; it signals that the new generation of producers is keen to explore new varieties and move away from the voluptuous Malbec cliché. On a similar theme, does anyone think of crisp, dry whites when they think of Mendoza? They should: high-altitude vineyards yield Sauvignon Blancs of breathtaking intensity and freshness, reminiscent of Marlborough Sauvignon. The best Torrontes is likewise excellent: super-pungent and elegant at the same time.

Tupungato: The Pinnacle of Argentine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

At the top of the hierarchy – literally and figuratively – are the mountain vineyards in the Tupungato subregion, where much of Argentina’s fine Chardonnay is grown, in addition to sublime Bordeaux red varieties. However, the single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines have no parallel in Argentine winemaking – their closest rivals are Burgundy varietals grown in Chile’s Aconcagua region.

A combination of spectacularly high altitude, calcareous soils, and low yields produce sublime Chardonnay in the Uco Valley, noted for its excellent aromatics, structure, and fruit flavors. In all sincerity, they have the complexity of Premier Cru Meursault allied to the intensity of New World Chardonnay. A wine that will age beautifully, with much to tempt the impatient oenophile.

Mendoza gastronomy

An enduring culinary icon, the traditional parrillas (steak restaurants) form an essential part of any trip to Argentina. Mendoza abounds with these fabulous institutions, serving sizzling steaks in all shapes and sizes (including goat), and offering house wine in classical pinguinos – ceramic penguin-shaped jugs. Yet Mendoza’s restaurant scene extends beyond beef: excellent Italian osterie and tapas bars provide a delightful alternative to the ubiquitous meat-heavy menus. Best of all, the city’s pedestrianized streets are full of pavement cafes with outdoor seating. Order a glass of wine and a tasty plate of empanadas, and watch the world go by. This is Mendoza at its most beguiling.