page_title: Argentine wine
section_title: Northwestern regions
hierarchical_section_title: Argentine wine / Wine regions / Northwestern regions
caption_attribution_description: Torrontés grapes, pre-veraison, in front of the el esteco bodega, cafayete, argentina
context_page_description: Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world. Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, vine cuttings were brought to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighboring regions, and then to other parts of the country.
  Historically, Argentine winemakers were traditionally more interested in quantity than quality with the country consuming 90% of the wine it produces. Until the early 1990s, Argentina produced more wine than any other country outside Europe, though the majority of it was considered unexportable. However, the desire to increase exports fueled significant advances in quality. Argentine wines started being exported during the 1990s, and are currently growing in popularity, making it now the largest wine exporter in South America. The devaluation of the Argentine peso in 2002 further fueled the industry as production costs decreased and tourism significantly increased, giving way to a whole new concept of enotourism in Argentina.
context_section_description: The vineyards of the northwestern provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy and Salta are located between the 24th parallel and 26th parallel south. They include some of the highest elevated vineyards in the world, with many planted more than 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level. Two vineyards planted  by Bodega Colome in Salta are at elevations of 2,250 m (7,380 ft) and 3,000 m (9,800 ft). In contrast, most European vineyards are rarely planted above 900 m (3,000 ft). Wine expert Tom Stevenson notes that the habit of some Argentine producers to tout the altitude of their vineyards in advertisements and on wine labels as if they were grand cru classifications.
  The soils and climate of the regions are very similar to Mendoza but the unique mesoclimate and high elevation of the vineyards typically produces grapes with higher levels of total acidity which contribute to the wines balance and depth. Of the three regions, Catamarca is the most widely planted with more than 2,300 ha (5,800 acres) under vine as of 2003. In recent years the Salta region, and particularly its sub-region of Cafayate, have been gaining the most worldwide attention the quality of its full bodied whites made from Torrontés Riojano as well as its fruity reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat.
  Most of Cafayate region in Salta is located at 1,660 m (5,450 ft) above sea levels in the river delta between the Rio Calchaqui and the Rio Santa Maria. The climate of the area experiences a foehn effect which traps rain producing cloud cover in the mountains and leaves the area dry and sunny. Despite its high altitude daytime temperatures in the summertime can reach 38 °C (100 °F) but at night the area experiences a wide diurnal temperature variation with night time temperatures dropping as low as 12 °C (54 °F). There is some threat of frost during the winter when temperatures can drop as low as −6 °C (21 °F). Despite producing less than 2% of Argentina's yearly wine production, the Cafayate region is increasing gaining in prestige and appearance on wine labels, as well as foreign investment from worldwide wine producers such as enologist Michel Rolland and California wine producer Donald Hess.
caption: Torrontés grapes, pre-veraison, growing in the Cafayate region.
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