Mendoza receives only about five days of rain a year, but an extensive series of canals dating to Inca times has made possible its emergence as Argentina’s thriving wine capital. Many people now refer to the city as the Napa of the South, and just like its California counterpart, it is easy to arrange tours to visit the numerous vineyards. With a population of around 110,000, the city of Mendoza is a charming place, with elegant squares and pedestrian shopping streets. Eight hundred miles to the north, Salta is both the country’s finest colonial city and the name of the surrounding province. Commonly known as Salta la Linda (Salta the Beautiful), it is located in northwest Argentina close to the borders of Bolivia and Chile. Noted for its fine Spanish architecture, the city’s animated central plaza is ringed by arcaded buildings, many of which contain delightful small cafés. The high-altitude vineyards here are so dry, cacti can grow alongside grapes.