Sub-region · Argentina
Maipú
The oldest planted part of Mendoza, lower and warmer than Luján de Cuyo, and historically the region’s bulk-wine centre.
Full-bodied, ripe, soft Malbec with dark fruit and low acidity, and warm, generous Cabernet Sauvignon.
About Maipú
Maipú is the oldest continuously planted part of Mendoza, immediately east of the city, and the lowest and warmest of its main subregions.
It was the centre of Argentina’s bulk wine industry for a century, and its reputation has lagged its quality since the shift to export-oriented production.
Old-vine Malbec and Bonarda from here can be very good, and Cabernet Sauvignon does better than it does higher up.
No authority delimits this name or attaches rules to it. A named division within a wine region that carries no geographical indication of its own. That does not make it less real or less useful — it means nothing legal follows from it, and you will not generally find it on a label as a controlled designation.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Argentine Malbec
Serve at 16–18°C (cool room temperature).
Try with steak, steak with chimichurri or steak and ale pie.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Luján de Cuyo — Argentina’s first denomination of origin, south of Mendoza city, and the historic home of old-vine Malbec.
- Mendoza — Argentina’s dominant wine province, growing Malbec at altitude in the rain shadow of the Andes.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Wines of Argentina / Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura — Wines of Argentina; INV