Argentina: The Growing Environment and Grape Growing

Question 1

Argentina: Climate

Answer 1

• wine producing regions stretch across 1,500km from SAlta in the N and Rio Negro in the S - across 24-38o S
  -Altitude and latitude is essential
  -at low latitude , the need for high altitude - with the exception of Patagonia, all vineyards are in the foothills of the Andes to the West
  **-500-1,000m some said to be at 3,300m
  **on flat or gently sloping sites
  -Wide diurnal temp range over 20 degrees in many places
  -Cool night time temps extend the growing season and allow acid and aroma retention
  -also intense sunloght /UV at high altitude increasing anthocyanins and tannisn
  -Most sites are continental , some coastal
  lie in the rain shadwo of the Andes -all the way to Patagonia so raninfall is around 200mm - irrigation is essential - Dry air, and strong winds from the mountains reduces risk of disease

-ZONDA- dry powerful wind in late srping and early summer - lowers humidity and can induce water stress ( strong winds can also affect flowering and fruit set , reducing yields
-planting poplars for windbreask is common

In Mendosa, hail is a constant threat, many producers use netting to protect the vines = very expensive
Also, owning land in other parts that have less hail can prevent entire crop loss
**Frost - is also a problem in the flatter areas

Argentina is also affected by the el Nino and every two -ten years there is more than average rainfall - more hail and increase in disease
2016 - 25 % loss across the country and 40% in Mendosa

Question 2

Argentina: Soils

Answer 2

• most are alluvial deposited by the rives that flow down form the Andes
  -Higher altitudes are calcerous with larger stones
  -Middle is gravel, sand and silt
  -Lower- rich, loamy, clay soils
  Little organic matter from decomposed flora and fauna due to dryness = poor soils in higher areas
  =high quality

More attention to soils as foreing investors come in -
Gualtallary and Paraje in the Uco Valleey / San Juan Pedernal Valley have been found to have pockets of calcerous = high quality

Question 3

Argentina: Vineyard Management

Answer 3

-200,000 ha under vine
less than the 80-90’s - vine pull scheme due to domestic demand falling - before the potential for Malbec was recognised
-30% of vines are over 40yrs old and old vine Malbec, Bonarda and Semillon are prized for their complexity

-Traditional training system was Pergola - to raise grapes from the heat of the ground and provide shade
Used for Torrentes grown in warmer areas
and high vigour varieites sucha as Criolla Grande, Chica, Cereza and Pedro Gimenez
VSP is most common in modern canopy management and allows drip irriagtion to be used
-phylloxera is present in Argentia but sandy soils and arid nature have kept it at bay
-most vines are ungrafted but changing due to the nematodes in the soils and need for drought resistant rootstocks
-little need for spraying due to dry nature - ideal for organic and bio viti
certified areas are low, but practices are still adopted

Handpicking by casual labourers is now much more expensive as the cost of living increases - machines are more common now
**Modernisation of viticulture has increased since foregin investmment =
:clonal selection, canopy management and drip irriagtion, pikcing at different stages of ripeness, soils and their affect on qines, and single vineyard wines , site selection - coastal, higher altitudes etc

Question 4

Argentina: Irrigation Systems

Answer 4

-Rivers ( melted glaciers and snow)from the Andes and its tributaries feed and irriagate the dry lands
-Dams and irrigation channels collect the water in resevoirs
-most used irrigation is FLOOD , used in 70% of the vineyards -cheap method when there is water
=rouhgly the same as a heavy rainstorm in summer
-Argentinas free draining soils allow this water to drain deep in to the soil
-Increase in drip irrigation when planitng on a slope , less work than levelling the vineyard and also water can be pumped from boreholes
-increase efficency and control of water application is also a benefit
-water shortages can be an issue in Medosa, La Rijoa and San Juan
-Timing of water is large amounts in the winter ad then low amounts in the growing season - days to weeks depending on the style of application - to ensure roots grow at depth to find water and the vine focuses on fruit development rather than vigourous shoots and leaf development