Winemaking was brought to Argentina by Spanish settlers in the 1500's and has continued to develop and progress with the arrival of further Spanish, Italian and french settlers. Once the winemaking was for the sole purpose of serving local demand, in the 1990's focus was turned to exporting and foreign markets. While a plethora of international grapes are cultivated in Argentina, it is the French grape Malbec that is the backbone of the Argentine wine community, where it has thrived, and arguably makes the best of wines. As the industry has continued to grow, the emphasis has been low yields and higher quality, along with a concentration on other varieties than Malbec, like Chardonnay grown at high altitude, which has being producing excellent wines.