To arid places that look like this:(left)

Mendoza, the epicentre of the Argentinean wine industry, lies just a hundred miles or so east of Santiago, the capital city of Chile. However, the journey between the two is as much vertical as horizontal, separated as they are by the highest peak of the Andes, mount Aconcagua at over 23,000 feet. (see below)

As with Chile, the Andes is the backbone that supports the Argentinean wine industry. Surprisingly, Argentina is one of the world's top five largest wine producing nations. Perhaps because of their Hispanic history and tradition, Argentineans have also been very significant consumers of wine. But young Argentineans are turning away from wine in their droves towards Coca-Cola, designer beer or other more fashionable drinks. Annual consumption has dropped from a peak of around 90 litres per capita, to half that level. This is in common with much of Europe where similar problems beset the wine industry, but the fact that almost all of Argentina's production was for the local market has had a devastating effect. At the same time, Argentina has been taking its first tentative steps from decades of oppressive military rule and dictatorship.