Argentine winemakers have traditionally been more
interested in quantity than quality and the country
consumes 90% of the wine it produces (45 litres a
year per capita according to 2006 figures). However,
the desire to increase exports fueled significant
advances in quality. Argentine wines started being
exported during the 1990s, and are currently growing
in popularity. The devaluation of the Argentine peso
in 2002, following the economic collapse, further
fueled the industry as production costs decreased
and tourism significantly increased, giving way to a
whole new concept of wine tourism in Argentina. The
past years have seen the birth of numerous
tourist-friendly wineries with free tours and
tastings. Some wineries even provide accommodations
(such as is the case of Salentein or Tapiz) for
tourists interested in staying in boutique hotels
specifically oriented towards wine-tourism. The
Mendoza Province is now one of Argentina's top
tourist destinations and the one which has grown the
most in the past years.
Argentina is the largest wine producer in South America and the 5th largest in the world, with over 1,200 million liters (2003), and the 13th largest exporter in the world (431 million USD in 2005). Argentina probably produces the best Malbec. Ironically, in the 1980s, Argentina almost gave up on the grape through government vine pull schemes
