Argentina

Mendoza remains the most important wine producing area of Argentina by far. An oasis in a desert area of the foothills of the Andes, fed by a series of water channels from the Mendoza river, which brings water into the high altitude, low rainfall areas from the towering Andes, the province's vineyards, which have expanded steadily since a culling in 1975 when sales were well below production. A regular analysis of sales, which leads to a forced annual limitation on production, now cleverly regulated, and vineyard prices have increased from US$500 per hectare to US$10,000 in some areas in the past ten years! There is certainly a positive mood about prospects for the Argentinean wine industry, with some forecasting sales will double in the next few years, and given the consistent improvements in quality, who would disagree?