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History of Argentinian Winemaking

Much like Chile, Argentinian wine history dates back to the 16th century, when vines were introduced from Peru. Jesuit priests grew a grape they called Criolla Chica, which was the same grape as Pais in Argentina, and the mission grape in California. They used it as a sacremental wine, and they found the most success growing the grapes in the foothills of the Andes.

In 1822, Argentina got independence from Spain, which brought a great deal of foreign investment and grew the wine industry tremendously. Soon thereafter, railroads were completed that that meant wine could be transported from the outskirts of the country back to Buenos Aires, where it could be exported overseas.

In 1895, Edmund Norton, and Englishman, built a winery in Mendoza, called Bodegas Norton. In the early 20th century, he was the first to import vines from France to be planted there, and many others followed suit. In the 1920’s Argentina’s economy, much like the United States, was booming, and so was the wine industry along with it. Unfortunately, also like the United States, the depression of the 1930’s also hit Argentina, and the global demand for its exports were hurt as well. Over the next several decades, Argentinian wine producers gave up on making quality export wine and instead focused on cheap, easy to drink wine for the domestic market that they could use to make a quick profit. In the late 1980’s, thanks to political and economic stabilization, Argentinian winemakers began to produce quality wine again.