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TERROIR
Mendoza integrates the Cuyo Region,
whose name is translated as "the place of the sand¨, but it is
difficult to understand why considering that any person, placed
anywhere in our city, would see a completely different landscape Let's see why:
the geographic reality indicates that the inhabitants of Mendoza
are lived in 4% of the total area, whose oasis were developed
by the men, as a result of the domination and canalisation of
the water resources, provided by the few mountain rivers.
Outside the limit of the artificial oases, in the West, the
mountainous territory, there is the imposing Cordillera de los
Andes.
To the East, lie the plains – “monte” and “payunia norpatagónica”
– carrying vegetation adapted to a dry environment that is
alternated with dunes. These plains are inapt for agriculture
and barely tolerate a suffering livestock.
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A salutary effect for the vines is the shortage
of rainfall and air humidity, with even excessive sunshine
during some summers. The Andes also provide height, which is about one
thousand meters in Cuyo, which provides a marked extent and
thermal amplitude as well as cooler temperatures than in other
places with the same latitude. Finally, at the foot of the Andes
abound alluvial soil, deep, stony with blocks and boulders,
sandy and marshlands abound, poor in organic matter, gentle slopes and
excellent drainage.
The rains, which vary each year from 100 to just over 300
millimetres (the majority occurring during the summer),
compensate the deficit of irrigation. The vines need at least
500 millimetres of rainfall to thrive without irrigation.
The heat of summer extends up to the fall and rapidly absorbs
any rain, because the ground is very dry. It is possible then to
harvest the grapes as late as you want without fearing the bad
weather.
In the soil and climate of Mendoza there are some limiting factors: the main one is drought, which affects the marginal areas of the oases, where there is no irrigation canals or water layers at a reasonable depth. Then, there are the frosts; a phenomenon that is repeated every year and usually affects only a few regions. It rarely extends itself to the entire province.
The Zonda wind, which presents itself as a hot and dry wind,
with moderate to strong speed, often causes extensive damage to
the
agriculture in Mendoza due to a few main causes: dry air that
produces the sharp rise of air temperature and destructive
effects for its strength.
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