San Juan: the land of Syrah
Argentina's second-largest wine province — hotter, drier and more extreme than Mendoza, and the country's true home of Syrah.
Drive north out of Mendoza for a few hours and the land gets harder. The light sharpens, the air dries out, the heat presses down. This is San Juan — Argentina's second-largest wine province, the one almost no foreign drinker can name, and the country's true home of Syrah. For most of its history it made anonymous bulk wine in Mendoza's shadow. That story is being rewritten, one concentrated, sun-soaked red at a time.
What's inside
01The second-biggest
Argentina's big, overlooked second: by volume San Juan trails only Mendoza, and its Syrah and Bonarda are worth seeking.
Read Step 1 →The style
Catch it before everyone else does.
Read Step 2 →Worth knowing
San Juan is for the curious traveler, not the box-ticker.
Read Step 3 →Quick answers
What is San Juan wine region known for?
San Juan is Argentina's second-largest wine province by volume and is best known as the country's home of Syrah, producing deeply colored, concentrated, peppery reds. It also makes Malbec, Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and traditional sweet and sherry-style wines.
Where is San Juan in Argentina?
It is in the northwest, directly north of Mendoza and south of La Rioja, almost entirely within the foothills of the Andes. Its vineyards lie in valleys such as Tulum, Zonda, Ullum, Calingasta and the high-altitude Pedernal Valley.
How is San Juan different from Mendoza?
San Juan is hotter and drier than Mendoza, with summer temperatures often above 42°C and very low rainfall. It historically focused on bulk wine but is now producing increasingly high-quality reds, especially Syrah, with elevation providing the balancing freshness.
What is the Zonda wind?
The Zonda is a hot, dry wind that descends from the Andes in the mountains' rain shadow. It is so characteristic of the province that one of its valleys, the Zonda Valley, is named after it.
Which is the best wine area in San Juan?
The Tulum Valley is the largest and most important, but the cool, high-altitude Pedernal Valley — granted its own GI in 2007 — is now considered the source of San Juan's most acclaimed wines.