La Rioja is a seven hour drive north from Mendoza. The climate is a few degrees warmer and noticeably drier with an average annual rainfall of just 5 inches.

Mid-summer temperatures average 35C (95F) dropping as low as -7C (20F) during the short winter months of July and August. The soil is mainly alluvial and loose textured. With around 20,000 acres (8,000 ha) of vineyards, La Rioja is the third biggest Argentina wine region after Mendoza (390,000 acres) and San Juan (120,000). Yet while San Juan has a tradition of fortified wines and raisins, La Rioja is much better suited to producing wines of real quality especially in the Famatina valley between the Velasco mountains and the Famatina hills. Here the vines grow at 1000m – 1400m above sea level, which causes the day-time temperatures to drop by half during the night, allowing the grapes to recover from the heat, and retain their aroma and freshness.