Argentina's annual Wine Festival has kicks off

The city at the center of Argentina's wine industry, Mendoza, is considered one of the world's wine capitals. And over the weekend, the city's annual Wine Festival has kicked off.

This year's theme is "Wine Tourism" and organizers hope to promote fine Argentine wine. Colorful floats represent the 18 wine production centers in Mendoza Province, now one of Argentina's top tourist destinations with an economy that has grown the most in recent years. Mendoza Province produces more than 60 percent of Argentine wine and is the source of an even higher percentage of total exports.

Due to the high altitude and low humidity of the main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, molds and other grape diseases that affect vineyards in other countries. The Mendoza Wine Festival was founded in 1936. In 1983 the event was designated as a national holiday in Argentina.