The triumphal entry of the Andean Railroad, the impetus of the Maipú and Paraguay locomotives, on April 7, 1885, established another moment of hope in its history.
The subsequent arrival of many Spanish and Italian immigrants who brought their winemaking traditions, both to Cuyo in order to produce wines, and to the Northeastern region for consuming it, has fomented the beginning of a stage in the wine economy of Argentina, where the big volumes produced locally, were mixed with adulterated wine in Buenos Aires.
That prompted, as a result of a study by a distinguished professor from Buenos Aires, Dr. Pedro Arata, the sanction in 1893 of the first Law of wines, of his authorship. In Mendoza, because of the impulse given by Emilio Civit, a similar decree was issued in 1898.These were designed to protect the genuine product, defining wine for the first time, as the result of the fermentation of the juice of fresh grapes, and anticipating that the process of adding sugar or alcohol needed to be advertised on the label in order to avoid deceiving consumers.
In 1904, due to the spread in Buenos Aires, of wines prepared from dried grapes, the second Law was enacted, written by the prominent lawyer Julian Barraquero. It was declared an artificial beverage any of which substances were added, and which still remain natural in genuine wines, may it alter its composition or cause an imbalance in the relationship of the components of the original wine.
The problem of surplus wine arose due to the difficult overall economic situation in the late nineteenth century. That was when the province of Mendoza established the regulatory laws in 1914 and 1915, in order to eliminate the surplus, creating the Wine Society of Mendoza to buy the surplus fruit.
The problem of surplus continued and worsened with the global crisis of 1930. To tackle the problem Wine Defence Commission, which suggested that the Wine Society of Mendoza and Wine Association of San Juan, as large cooperatives should bring together all the producers, and they should defend the production, lower retail prices, create stock to be aged, and build wineries for winemakers who could not afford building one. The experience could not be concretised. The Nation passed two laws creating the Wine Regulatory Board, the first authorized organism to buy surplus, and then to acquire land in production and destine them to other uses.
In the decade of 1940-50, there is a new situation. Due to internal and external immigration, the big cities grow, a light industry starts to develop and the wages increase their participation nationwide. A massive production of regular varieties begins to develop and the installation of fractionation plants in the centres of consumption. This way, there begins a model of winemaking divided between vineyard owners, winemakers and bottlers.
The wine industry in the 60s, again seeking to ensure the quality of their wines through the adoption of a comprehensive law – Act 14,878 – which provides severe penalties for forgery and the creation of a specialized agency, the National Institute of Viniculture. The latter should inspect and provide the development and refinement of production, industry and commerce of wine, whose expansion in no case could be restricted or regulated.
