Mendoza

Mendoza is the province with the largest vineyard area in Argentina, the INV states in its 2025 area yearbook, and 71.7 percent of the national total was planted there at 31 December 2025, against 19.7 percent in San Juan. The INV's 2022 Uco Valley report places Mendoza and San Juan in the country's Centro-Oeste wine region, between 29.5 and 36 degrees south. Mendoza's vineyards grow in important oases in Andean valleys and also extend to lower land toward the east and north of the province, at about 600 meters to around 1,500 meters above sea level (INV, 2019). By department, San Martín had the most vines in 2025, with 18.1 percent of the provincial area, followed by Luján de Cuyo (10.8 percent) and Rivadavia (9.7 percent) (INV). Decanter's Wine Trails guide (Jo Locke MW, 2019, reproduced from Lonely Planet) sets the wine country at the foot of the snowcapped Andes and suggests a side trip from the city to Aconcagua, which it calls "the highest point in the southern hemisphere".

• 71.7% of Argentina's vineyard area (140,682 ha) was in Mendoza at 31 December 2025; San Juan followed with 19.7% (INV)
• INV Centro-Oeste region: Mendoza and San Juan, between 29.5 and 36 degrees south (INV, 2022)
• Oases in Andean valleys plus lower land to the east and north, from about 600 m to around 1,500 m above sea level (INV, 2019)
• Largest departments by vine area in 2025: San Martín 18.1%, Luján de Cuyo 10.8%, Rivadavia 9.7% (INV)

On 17 April 1853 a project was presented to the Mendoza provincial legislature to found a Quinta Normal and a School of Agriculture, and the French agronomist Michel Aimé Pouget, charged with organising it, introduced several European varieties including Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Semillon, the INV records; that date is why 17 April became World Malbec Day. The INV's Malbec report (April 2026) links the introduction to Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who promoted the import of European knowledge and plant material. The INV attributes the growth of Argentina's vineyard area in the early 20th century to the country's great wave of immigration and European immigrants' habit of drinking wine daily, and notes that the railway's arrival in Mendoza in 1884 carried wine to the most populated part of the country. Among the families of that era, Luigi Bosca says Leoncio Arizu arrived in Mendoza in 1890 and founded the winery in Luján de Cuyo in 1901, and Catena Zapata says Nicola Catena sailed from Italy to Argentina in 1898 and planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. Nationally, the INV records Malbec at 58,577 hectares in 1962, 22.5 percent of Argentina's vines, before 83 percent of that area was uprooted, largely for more productive varieties, by 1995, when it reached its low of 9,746 hectares. In 1988 Law 23.550 banned new plantings of grapes for common wine for five years and paid growers who uprooted or converted such vineyards, the INV notes.

• 17 April 1853: project presented to the Mendoza legislature for a Quinta Normal and School of Agriculture; Michel Aimé Pouget introduced Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Semillon; 17 April is World Malbec Day (INV)
• Railway reached Mendoza in 1884; early-20th-century immigration drove vineyard expansion (INV)
• Luigi Bosca founded in 1901 in Luján de Cuyo by Leoncio Arizu; Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902 (producers' own sites)
• Argentine Malbec: 58,577 ha in 1962 (22.5% of vines), 9,746 ha in 1995 after 83% was uprooted; Law 23.550 of 1988 barred common-wine plantings for five years (INV)

The INV describes Mendoza's climate as semi-desert, ranging from warm-temperate to cool-temperate, with snowmelt water, supplemented by groundwater, allowing different varieties to be grown in different parts of the province (2019 report). In the Uco Valley the INV reports harsh winters and warm summers, with mild days and very cold nights giving a daily thermal amplitude of about 15°C. The INV writes that this favours a high colour index and tannin production in red grapes, allowing wines of high oenological quality (2022 report). This pattern of cold nights shows in acidity, and in natural acidity in particular: Decanter's Patricio Tapia (2019) writes that the Andean influence is reflected in the firm acidity of Malbecs from Vistalba and Las Compuertas, whose altitude and proximity to the mountains bathe the vineyards in cold breezes, and Zorzal winemaker Juan Pablo Michelini tells him that Gualtallary gives rich natural acidity. Catena Zapata says that at the altitude of its Adrianna Vineyard summer nights stay only a few degrees above freezing and the night-day temperature difference is between 15 and 20 degrees, and that as one climbs the Andes the average temperature falls and the day-night amplitude grows. Frost, hail and the zonda wind frequently cause significant crop losses in the Uco Valley, according to the INV. Tapia gives Agrelo, in Luján de Cuyo, barely 200mm of rainfall each year.

• Semi-desert climate, warm-temperate to cool-temperate; snowmelt irrigation supplemented by groundwater (INV, 2019)
• Uco Valley daily thermal amplitude of about 15°C, favouring colour and tannin in red grapes (INV, 2022)
• Night-day difference of 15 to 20 degrees at Catena Zapata's Adrianna Vineyard, per the producer
• Frost, hail and the zonda wind frequently cause significant losses in the Uco Valley (INV); Agrelo gets barely 200mm of rain a year (Decanter, 2019)

The INV groups Mendoza's 16 wine departments into five zones: Norte (Lavalle, Las Heras), Centro (Godoy Cruz, Guaymallén, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú), Este (Junín, Rivadavia, San Martín, Santa Rosa, La Paz), Valle de Uco (Tupungato, Tunuyán, San Carlos) and Sur (San Rafael, General Alvear). In its 2019 report the Este held the largest area, 42.4 percent of the provincial total, while the Uco Valley had grown 117 percent since 2000 to rise from fifth to second place by area in 2018. Between 2016 and 2025 every department lost vineyard area except in the Uco Valley, where Tunuyán gained 1,124 hectares, Tupungato 944 hectares and San Carlos held steady (INV). The INV describes the Uco Valley as a valley formed by the Cordillera Frontal and the Huayquerías, irrigated by the Tunuyán and Tupungato rivers, with stony, low-fertility and very permeable soils in its steep upper zones; Decanter's Anthony Rose (2015) gives it as 40km wide and 70km long, with vineyards at between 1,000m and 1,500m. Decanter's Patricio Tapia (2019) describes Vistalba and Las Compuertas as sharing alluvial soils rich in sand and stones dragged down from the Andes by the Mendoza River, and Agrelo as a hillside of sandy, rocky soils ranging from 780m to 1,100m; in the Uco Valley he places Gualtallary in the highest zone of Tupungato, up to 1,600m with most vineyards at 1,300m, on sandy, rocky, chalk-rich soils, and Altamira on an alluvial cone at 1,000m to 1,100m, rich in sand, stones and limestone. The INV register lists the Luján de Cuyo DOC (Resolución INV C.15/2005) and the San Rafael DOC (Resolución INV C.31/2007), a Valle de Uco IG covering the departments of San Carlos, Tunuyán and Tupungato, and district IGs including Agrelo, Las Compuertas and Vistalba in Luján de Cuyo, Paraje Altamira (Resolución INV C.44/2013) and Pampa el Cepillo (2019) in San Carlos, and Los Chacayes (2017) and San Pablo (2019) in Tunuyán.

• Five INV zones across 16 departments: Norte, Centro, Este, Valle de Uco, Sur
• Este held 42.4% of Mendoza's vines in 2018; the Uco Valley grew 117% from 2000 to rank second (INV, 2019)
• Uco Valley upper-zone soils stony, low in fertility and very permeable (INV); 40km by 70km with vineyards at 1,000m to 1,500m (Decanter, 2015)
• DOCs: Luján de Cuyo (Resolución INV C.15/2005) and San Rafael (Resolución INV C.31/2007); district IGs include Agrelo, Las Compuertas, Vistalba, Paraje Altamira, Pampa el Cepillo, Los Chacayes and San Pablo (INV register)

Malbec is the most planted variety in Mendoza, at 28.3 percent of the province's vineyard area in 2025, followed by Bonarda (9.8 percent), Cereza (8.9 percent), Criolla Grande (7.8 percent) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6.8 percent), the INV reports. Malbec gained 5,099 hectares in the province over the past decade, and Cabernet Franc gained 1,188 hectares, while Criolla Grande (down 4,171 hectares) and Cereza (down 3,570 hectares) fell most between 2016 and 2025 (INV). Red varieties made up 65.0 percent of Mendoza's wine-grape area in 2025, pink-skinned varieties 20.4 percent and whites 14.6 percent (INV). Mendoza held 39,771 hectares of Malbec in 2025, 84.8 percent of the national total; Luján de Cuyo (22.3 percent) and San Carlos (14.5 percent) had the largest shares of the province's Malbec, and the three Uco Valley departments together held 41.7 percent (INV Malbec report, April 2026). The INV describes Argentine Malbec wines as combining good structure, balanced acidity, intense violet colours and marked fruit, plums, blackberries and cherries, with floral notes, particularly violets. Styles vary by sub-zone in Decanter's 2019 survey: Norton winemaker Jorge Riccitelli credits Agrelo Malbec with intense colour and black-fruit aromas, especially figs; Tapia finds some of Mendoza's freshest Malbecs in Gualtallary; and Santiago Achaval of Achaval-Ferrer calls Altamira Malbecs "perfumed with violets and lavender and bright red fruits". Catena Zapata grows Chardonnay in its Adrianna Vineyard, where the White Bones parcel sits at 1,450m on soils layered with calcareous deposits, limestone and fossilised animal bones.

• Malbec: the most planted variety, 28.3% of Mendoza's vineyard area in 2025 (INV); Maipú = 7.6% of the province's vines in 2025 (INV); Luján de Cuyo = 22.3% of Mendoza's Malbec (INV), with Agrelo Malbec showing intense colour and black fruit, especially figs (Decanter, 2019)
• Mendoza's 2025 top five by area: Malbec 28.3%, Bonarda 9.8%, Cereza 8.9%, Criolla Grande 7.8%, Cabernet Sauvignon 6.8% (INV)
• Mendoza's Malbec: 39,771 ha in 2025, 84.8% of Argentina's; Luján de Cuyo 22.3% and San Carlos 14.5% of the province's Malbec (INV)
• 2016 to 2025: Malbec +5,099 ha and Cabernet Franc +1,188 ha; Criolla Grande -4,171 ha and Cereza -3,570 ha (INV)

Bodega Catena Zapata dates its founding to 1902, when, by its account, Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza. His grandson Nicolás Catena Zapata settled in 1992 on Gualtallary Alto, which the winery calls the highest and westernmost spot in Tupungato at 5,000 feet, for a vineyard he named Adrianna after his youngest daughter, and the winery says its wines now come from six estate vineyards: Angélica, La Pirámide, Nicasia, Domingo, Adrianna and Angélica Sur. The winery lists Laura Catena as Managing Director and founder of the Catena Institute of Wine, which works with the University of California Davis and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Familia Zuccardi dates its start to 1963, when engineer Alberto "Tito" Zuccardi planted the family's first vineyard to demonstrate an irrigation system of his own invention; his son José Alberto took charge in 1985, and grandson Sebastián led the move to the Uco Valley, where the family planted Finca Canal Uco in Paraje Altamira in 2007 and opened the Zuccardi Valle de Uco winery in 2016. Luigi Bosca, founded in 1901 by Leoncio Arizu in Luján de Cuyo, says it was a founding member and driving force behind the creation of Argentina's first D.O.C., in Luján de Cuyo, in 1989, and that its vineyards lie in Luján de Cuyo, Maipú and the Uco Valley.

• Catena Zapata: founded 1902; Adrianna Vineyard chosen in 1992 at Gualtallary Alto, Tupungato; six estate vineyards (producer's site)
• Laura Catena: Managing Director and founder of the Catena Institute of Wine, which works with UC Davis and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (producer's site)
• Familia Zuccardi: first vineyard 1963 (Alberto "Tito" Zuccardi); Finca Canal Uco in Paraje Altamira planted 2007; Zuccardi Valle de Uco winery opened 2016 (producer's site)
• Luigi Bosca: founded 1901 by Leoncio Arizu in Luján de Cuyo; says it helped found the Luján de Cuyo D.O.C. in 1989 (producer's site)

Decanter's Wine Trails guide (2019) calls the Fiesta de la Vendimia the event of the year in Mendoza: an annual harvest festival that takes over the city for 10 days at the beginning of March, with traditional foods, folkloric concerts and a parade and pageant to crown the queen of the festival. The same guide names Mendoza El Plumerillo, 8km from Mendoza, as the nearest major airport. The INV's 2022 Uco Valley report says the valley has become one of the main destinations for international tourists, and Decanter's Anthony Rose (2015) notes that traditional producers such as Catena and Familia Zuccardi have invested there.

• Fiesta de la Vendimia: 10 days at the beginning of March, with a parade and pageant crowning the festival queen (Decanter, 2019)
• Mendoza El Plumerillo airport, 8km from Mendoza (Decanter, 2019)
• Uco Valley: one of the main destinations for international tourists (INV, 2022)

Primary sources (the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura, hosted at argentina.gob.ar, and producers' own sites for their own history and wines): https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2018/10/anuario_superficie_2025.pdf, https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2018/10/anuario_cosecha_y_elaboracion_2025.pdf, https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2018/10/informe_malbec_2025.pdf, https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/malbec_historia_y_presente_1.pdf, https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2022/04/i.g._y_d.o.c._de_la_republica_argentina.pdf, https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2018/10/valle_de_uco_0.pdf, https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/evolucion_de_superficie_x_oasis_mza_0.pdf, https://catenazapata.com/since-1902/, https://catenazapata.com/wines/, https://catenazapata.com/white-bones-2023, https://catenazapata.com/adrianna-vineyard/, https://zuccardiwines.com/es/historia/, https://zuccardiwines.com/en/fincas/, https://zuccardiwines.com/en/vinos/vinos-de-finca/, https://luigibosca.com/en/about-us/, https://catenazapata.com/family/, https://catenazapata.com/catena-institute/. Secondary: https://www.decanter.com/features/malbec-mendoza-sub-zones-259670/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/south-america/wine-trails-mendoza-travel-guide-280786/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/south-america/uco-valley-travel-guide-30396/. Last verified 2026-09-28