 During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, vine cuttings were brought to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighboring regions, and then to other parts of the country.Historically, Argentine winemakers were traditionally more interested in quantity than quality with the country consuming 90% of the wine it produces ( per capita according to 2006 figures).Until the early 1990s, Argentina produced more wine than any other country outside Europe, though the majority of it was considered unexportable.