Cuyo

Cuyo is Argentina's biggest winemaking area. Look here for Argentina's most classic expressions of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon (among others).

Cuyo wine regions of Argentina

Located next to the Andes mountains, Cuyo is the epicenter of winemaking in Argentina. Cuyo's most important wine regions include Mendoza and San Juan. Together, these two regions make up 95% of wine vineyards in the country.

The larger Mendoza wine region is home to Argentina's top wine bodegas and award-winning wines. Mendoza has many sub-regions well-worth exploring.

Beyond Mendoza, you'll find wine production hot spots in San Juan including Valle de Pedernal, which is a noted high elevation growing area.

Finding great wines from Cuyo

When looking for wines from Cuyo, it's useful to understand the region's landscape a little better. This will help you find what you like.

For example, the sub-regions vary by altitude and soil type.

Generally speaking, the higher altitude locations create slightly cooler climate conditions which result in wines with more elegance and fresh fruit flavors.

If you like this style, pay attention to altitude on the winemakers’ notes and look into wines from the sub-regions like Tupungato and Tunuyán (both within Valle de Uco) as well as Valle de Pedernal.

When it comes to soils, vineyards in lower areas next to rivers sit on alluvial soils which tend to contain more clay. In a wine, you can expect these soils to produce bolder wines with ripe fruit and more tannin texture. This is a great clue when you want an opulent style of wine.