Criolla Grande

Criolla Grande (also known as Criolla and Criolla Grande Sanjuanina) is a red wine grape commonly found in Argentina. It is different from the Chilean wine grape Pais, also known as Criolla Chica, but ampelographers believe that both grapes share a common parent, and it is now listed as a crossing of Mission and Muscat of Alexandria. As of 2006, Criolla was the third most widely planted Argentine wine grape (22,500 hectares) after Cereza (30,000 hectares) and the more widely exported Malbec (24,400 hectares). It is primarily found in the Mendoza region. The grape has pink skin, which is thicker than in its Chilean cousin, Pais, and is used to produce deeply colored white wine. It is sometimes used to produce a light colored rosé. The grape is rarely exported outside of Argentina where it is used to produce massive quantities of box and jug wines.