Mendoza, Wine Country
Mendoza is the heartland of wine production, boasting 70-80% of Argentina’s wine in a high-altitude desert at the foot of the Andes in western Argentina. Humidity is minimal, so irrigation comes from Andes snowmelt. The greater city of one million is the country’s fourth-largest. Tree-lined streets, expansive plazas, and a network of irrigation canals provide cooling shade in the desert climate. Although it originated in France, Malbec grapes struggled with the variable climate and since 1865 Argentina has become synonymous…