page_title: Mendoza wine
section_title: Climate and geography
hierarchical_section_title: Mendoza wine / Climate and geography
caption_attribution_description: Vignoble à Mendoza
context_page_description: Mendoza Province is Argentina's most important wine region, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the country's entire wine production. Located in the eastern foothills of the Andes, in the shadow of Mount Aconcagua, vineyards are planted at some of the highest altitudes in the world, with the average site located 600–1,100 metres above sea level. The principal wine producing areas fall into two main departments-Maipú and Luján, which includes Argentina's first delineated appellation established in 1993 in Luján de Cuyo. The pink-skinned grapes of Criolla Grande and Cereza account for more than a quarter of all plantings but Malbec is the region's most important planting, followed closely by Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Chardonnay. Mendoza is considered the heart of the winemaking industry in Argentina with the vast majority of large wineries located in the provincial capital of Mendoza.
context_section_description: Located in the far western expanse of Argentina, Mendoza has a continental climate and semi-arid desert conditions. The region experiences four distinct seasons with no extremes in temperatures which provides for a relatively uneventful annual growth cycle for grapevines—especially winter dormancy. Rainfall in the region averages around 8 inches (200 millimeters) a year, making irrigation a necessity. Spring time frost is a rare occurrence with the main viticultural concern being summertime hail known locally as La Piedra.
  The soil of the Mendoza wine region is primarily alluvial composed of loose sand over clay. Mountain rivers, including the Desaguadero, Mendoza, Tunuyán, Diamante and the Atuel Rivers, provide ample water supplies from melted glaciers in the Andes. Nearly 17,000 boreholes are scattered throughout the region, providing the equivalent of an additional two rivers' worth of water flow to the area. A system of irrigation channels, canals and reservoirs (some dating to the 16th century) help sustain viticulture in this semi-arid desert region.
caption: Vineyards in Mendoza are often in clear view of the Andes
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