Argentina offers a stunning diversity of terroirs and unparalleled natural beauty which along with the warmth of its people, make it ideal to enjoy a unique experience. The production and consumption of wines in the country goes back to the beginning of the 16th century, when the first specimens of Vitis vinifera were brought to America by Spanish colonisers. Catholic priests who cultivated vineyards near their monasteries were important in their propagation, thus ensuring the production of wine to celebrate Holy Mass. Most grape varieties came to Argentina from France as early as 1850 and produces heavy, sometimes massive wines with fruity leathery aromas in the warm climate of the Andean foothills.