Valle de Uco is a
viticultural
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
region southwest of
Mendoza, in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. Situated along the
Tunuyán River, the Uco Valley is widely considered one of the top
wine regions in Mendoza, and all of Argentina. The annual average temperature is and altitudes range from above sea level.
The combination of high elevation,
alluvial soils,
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
sourced from the Andes Mountains, a long growing season with over 250 sunny days a year, little rain and vast temperature differences between day and night are all conducive to growing quality wine grapes. These climate and geography elements come together to provide excellent fruit ripening and concentration, developing colors, aromas, flavors and textures resulting in wines that are deep in color, intense in aromas and rich in flavors. The Uco Valley figures prominently in the
Argentina Wine Route for tourist visitors.
Traditionally, the varietals grown in this area are
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC.
History
The Sémil ...
and
Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
; together with
Bonarda and
Barbera
Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...
in a smaller amount.
"Vineyards in Uco Valley Mendoza"
/ref>
Climate
References
{{reflist
External links Uco Valley guide
Wine regions of Argentina