As in 1998 Argentina's harvest was affected by the heavy rains that fell in early March. However initial predictions of disaster following crop losses in February and March proved to be exaggerated, and the final damage was far less than feared. Hail was the worst perpetrator, in some cases damaging the 2000 harvest as well as severely bruising the vines and compromising next year's harvest. Crucially, the sun did return during the last 10 days or so of March, with warm days and cool nights leading to wines being produced with encouraging levels of fruit ripeness, as well as good acidity levels. The province of Mendoza, which normally produces about 72% of Argentina's grape crop, has seen the 2000 harvest drop by 20 percent over 1999 and the picture is the same in other wine-growing regions with quality rather than quantity being the byword.