Salta, Catamarca, Tucuman and Jujuy form the highest wine growing regions in Argentina and also the northernmost in the far northwest of the country. In the north, Jujuy, the northernmost region, borders Bolivia. The most important of these four regions is Salta, which is also home to the largest number of wineries. In all four regions, viticulture began quite late, commercial plantings were not made until the 19th century. Today, with 4000 hectares, they represent only a fraction of Argentina's large vineyard area of about 225,000 hectares. The climate is dry and warm, which is why some wineries have already planted vineyards at an altitude of 3000 metres. Here, the wines gain immensely in elegance and finesse, but still appear full, concentrated and substantial due to the intense sunlight. Especially between January and the beginning of March there can be short but heavy rainfall, which, however, is well dissipated by the loose soils. Overall, however, due to the dry climate, the vineyards require irrigation. As far as quality is concerned, we will certainly hear a lot more about these small regions, even if the quantities will remain modest compared to the large wine growing regions of Argentina due to their small size.
