Mendoza

Mendoza is Malbec's adopted home — at 800-1500m elevation in the Andean rain shadow, the grape ripens to dark purple with floral lift. Sunny days, cool nights, and meltwater irrigation produce concentrated, pure-fruited reds. The Uco Valley is the high-elevation modern frontier; Luján de Cuyo is the historic heart for older vines.

Famous appellations

• Luján de Cuyo
• Uco Valley

History

Jesuit missionaries planted vines in the 17th century. Italian immigrants in the late 19th century built the modern industry. Malbec arrived from Cahors with a French agronomist in 1853. After a long stretch of bulk production, the 1990s pivoted Mendoza to export quality and put Argentine Malbec on the world map.