(Tierramérica) - Even slight changes in temperature can have a serious impact on the quality of wine, whose production is closely intertwined with the particular qualities of local soils and microclimates. In the province of Mendoza, tucked up against the Andes Mountains in western Argentina, vineyards and wineries are already taking steps to gain a greater understanding – and reap the benefits, if possible – of the future effects of climate change. We are in the dry, mountainous Cuyo region, South America’s leading wine-producing region in terms of both the area of land devoted to vineyards and the volume of wine produced. "There are indications that certain changes are taking place in temperatures as well as rainfall patterns, and this could affect the quality of wines," Mendoza-based agronomist Martín Cavagnaro told Tierramérica.