(AFP) - France's southwestern Cahors region is a new frontier for foreign investors, from Argentine winegrowers doing the "Malbec tango" to potential investor "ambassadors" from China.

Cahors is the new go-to destination for foreign investors as wine-growing land is becoming scarce -- and therefore exorbitantly expensive -- in other French regions.

"You can't afford anything in Bordeaux or the Rhone or even in the Loire anymore," says Chilean specialist Pedro Parra, who works for Argentine wine firm Altos Las Hormigas. "Cahors is all that's left."

Besides, Cahors -- whose dominant grape is the deep purple Malbec -- is attractive as a wine "that we can't make in our country", he said.

Also beating a path to the region are Chinese investors as the taste for French wines continues to grow exponentially in China.

"The Chinese are coming to see us soon to sign a partnership," says Sebastien Sigaud of the Cahors domain Metairie Grande du Theron.

The famous limestone plateau around Cahors is known for its high calcium content, which brings the freshness and minerality that define the region's wine.

"We don't have that calcium back home" in Argentina, said Parra, trudging through a path between rows of vines and stooping to crumble some of the distinctive white rock between his fingers.

"Up there, I can see 2,000 crates at $100 each," he said, pointing to the top of a steep slope where a stretch of woodland has just been cleared.

Altos Las Hormigas co-founder Antonio Morescalchi, after discovering Cahors' "extraordinary potential" in 2013, has created a joint venture with three local companies.

Under the deal, the Cahors vintners will produce the wine with advice from Altos Las Hormigas, which in turn will market the result.

"It's a win-win partnership," says Jeremy Arnaud, head of marketing for a Cahors winegrowers federation, with the region standing to gain in international status while piggy-backing on the vast sales network developed by Argentine Malbec.

"The Argentinians have the potential to show our wine to a lot of people," said one of the partners, Germain Croisille of the Chateau les Croisille.