In Mendoza, the grape harvest can start any time from the end of January and continue until mid-May, depending upon the varietal and wine a bodega intends to make.

Many wineries used to be located in the city of Mendoza, but over the years they have dispersed in a bid to find new terroir, a move that has seen many wind their way south. Mendoza encompassses five main zones – Northern, Eastern, Central, Uco Valley and Southern – and dozens of sub-districts, such as the more familiar Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, and produces around 70% of all Argentine wine. In general, the further south the vineyard, the higher the altitude, and the wider the daily temperature range.

I’ve travelled to the province three times since February and have compiled this collage of 2013’s harvest across some of the different vineyard areas of Mendoza.

Luján de Cuyo
Over Easter, at the end of March, Roberto Bonfanti winery was well into harvesting their Malbec, seen in this photo. A small, family-owned bodega in Luján de Cuyo, which is found in the Central Region, this department has one of the largest concentrations of wineries in the country – there are around 360 – that produce high-quality wines from an altitude ranging from 750m to 1,100m.

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Photo: Me