Central Region

The Central Region is considered the stronghold of Argentina's viticultura industry. This region covers the San Juan VaIleys and the five subregions of the oases within the province of Mendoza. Its position is indisputable. Mendoza and San Juan together have more than 1,OOO hectares of planted vineyards, 92 per cent of the country's total vineyard acreage. Clusters ripens 500 to 1,165 meters above sea level, safe from criptogamic diseases thank to the low relative humidity and scarce rainfall (between 100 and 350 mm per year).

San Juan Valleys Subregion

San Juan's terroirs are located in fue fertile valleys irrigated by the Jachal and San Juan rivers. More than 46,000 hectares of vineyards grown in San Juan are spread in oases such as the Tulum VaIley; the Jachal VaIley, Calingasta, Iglesia, the Zonda Valley, the Ullum VaIley , and the Perdenal VaIley where vineyards grow at up to 1,165 meters above sea level.
The inhabitants of this subregion celebrate the Sun Festival every year. Summer temperatures in these valleys are very high, sometimes reaching 45°C, which contributes to the production of generous, licorous wines. The region has very well diferentiated soils. The eastern river margins have sandy, clay soils that are very fertile and shallow. The western river margins, with gravel and clay sediments, offer more suitable soils for growing grapes.
The valleys of Calingasta and Jachal, situated at higher altitudes, provide cooler summers and the ideal temperature variation for fine wine varieties such as the Torrontés Riojano, Muscat of Alexandria, Torrontés Sanjuanina and Bonarda. Large areas have been planted with varieties used for the production of rabie grapes and raisins, the most outstanding among them being Cereza, Sultanina and Criolla. It is important to point out that local winemakers and vine growers are now trying to introduce changes by incorporating new technologies, improving vine management and replanting thousands of hectares of grapes with suitable varieties for the agro-ecologicaI environment.

Upper Mendoza River Region

This region, located in Mendoza, is also caIled the First Region. It includes the vineyards of most of Maipú and Luján and a smaller area of the departments of Las Heras and Guaymallén. The Upper Mendoza River region can be defined as "the promised land" for viticulture. Agro-ecologicaI conditions are perfect, that is the reason why dozens of wine cellars and wineries have chosen this region to make the most exquisite Argentine fine wines.
The soil contains fine alluvial sediments on the surface with sand, slime and cIar on a gravel subsoil. It is organicaIly poor, thus insuring high quality vintages for noble wines. The climate is temperate, warm, sunny and arid, with little rainfall, rnild winds and moderate humidity. Such conditions guarantee the equilibrium between sugar concentration and acidity in the must and the formation of poliphenols.
This First Zone could also be called the "land of Malbec" since this variety has found its home in this region, where it has reached a quality and bouquet that has not been paralleled by any other wine.

Eastern Mendoza Subregion

This oasis is located to the East of the Upper Mendoza River Region. It occupies a total area, of 1,600 km2 with altitudes that gradually decrease towards the East from 740 to 600 meters above sealevd. This oasis is mostly located in the departments of San Martín and Rivadavia, Junín, Santa Rosa and La Paz. Its soil is either sandy or slimy and sandy in the higher afeas with a deep, cocky subsoil.
Over 60,000 hectares, irrigated by water channeled from the Mendoza and Tunuyán rivers, offer a wide variety of grapes such as Pedro Giménez, Cereza, Merlot, Malbec, Bonarda, Sangiovese, Ugni Blanc, Syrah, Tempranilla and Criolla Grande among others; most of them used in fue production of must, juice concentrate and some excellent fine wines.

UCO Valley Subregion

The Tunuyán and Tupungato rivers are the backbone of the Uco ValIey. The valley extends over a broad afea of the departments of San Carlos, Tunuyán and Tupungato. It is similar to the other subregions of the Central Region, but it also shows particular traits that are at the same time detrimental and favorable to the vineyards. Vineyards in the Uco Valley grow at the highest altitudes in the whole region, between 900 and 1,200 meters above sea level. This increases the possibilities of harmful dimatic phenomena such as frost and hail. However, the use of hail protection nets and other hail protection techniques has softened the effects of this scourge. On the otherhand altitude causes wide temperature differences between day and night, a factor thatrontributes to the development of wines of excellent color and suitable for ong geing. Altitude is also responsible for high acidity, which must be controlled malolactic fermentation in some cases. Some of the most representative red wines in recent years are from the Uco Valley, where foreign investment has increased due to the excellent possibilities of this terroir. The most widely cultivated varieties are Malbec, Barbera, Cabernet, Sauvignon and Merlot.White varieties are also grown with optimum results in this area. Some of them are Torrontés Riojano, Semil1ón (the most planted white grape in the valley), Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

South Mendoza Subregion

The departments of General Alvear and San Rafael constitute the outhernmost crop-producing oasis of the vince. Southern vineyards are at a lower altitude than vineyards in the Test of this region: between 450 and 800 meters above sea level.
These used to be hard lands that were transformed in green viticultural spots by the relentless efforts of colonists and inmigrants during the last decades of the XIX century. Development and growth became possible in 1885, with the arrival of the railroad that connected this and other regions of Argentina with the Buenos Aires Port.
Irrigated by the Atuel and Diamante rivers, this subregion accounts for 18 per cent of fue province's planted vineyards and produces musts for ordinary wines and for outstanding fine wines. Soils are of the limy, alluvial type.
A cooler climate is responsible for higher levelsof acidity, which helps to the excellent development of the typical characteristics of white varieties such as Chenin. In fact, San Rafael's favorite grape for varietal wine is the Chenin Blanc. The wide temperature variation favors the production of anthocyanins, a pigment responsible for wine color. Red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Bonarda are used to make visually attractive wines that are gaining important positions in the preference of world markets.

The Patagonic region was the last one to become a viticultural area. Vine growing is a secondary activity. The main agricultural activity is fruit and vegetable growing. The provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro are the southernmost lirnit of vitis vinifera in Argentina. Vineyards are located in terroirs at lower altitudes than in other Argentine viticultural areas to avoid excessively low temperatures.
Patagonic crops are a constant presence along the margins of abundant mountain rivers: the Limay, Neuquén, Río Negro and Colorado rivers.
Settled by European inmigrants after the military campaigns that drove out hostile native aborigins from fuese lands in the late XIX century, farms and ranches soon flourished in fue valleys with pear, apple and vineyard plantations.
In recent years, vine growers and winemakers discovered the touristic attraction of their lands.Agrotourism offers the traveller the possibility of visiting ranches, farms and wineries. There are tours to old wine cellars. cattle farms, plantations, milk farms and cheese factories.
Although temperatures are lower than the ones registered in the Northeast and Central regions. They are enough to guarantee the ripening of berries. Low relative humidity and optimum sunlight levels make up an excellent ecological frame for vine growing. Young, alluvial soils with medium to big particles are excellent for vines.

Towards the East, natural vegetation becomes more profuse on both sides of the road, along with crops.
The scarce rainfall around General Roca and Confluencia (200 mm/year) increases near Choele- Choel and reaches almost 300 mm/year. The higher rainfall accounts for the intensification of efforts to preven criptogamic diseases.
The most representative wines of this region are white varietals like Semill6n. Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. However, as indicated by Carlos Catania, engineer of the INTA Mendoza, "red varieties with early maturational processes such as Pinot noir and Merlot have been cultivated for a long time here and enjoy a very good reputation.”