From Argentina With Love

The Vineyard at the End of the World Book Giveaway!

If James Bond drank Malbec instead of Martinis, he would be in this book.  At first, I'll admit, I was skeptical--would I be interested in reading a whole book about the history of Argentine wine?  But reading this book  is like having your BFF climb into bed with you and tell you all the latest chisme.  Only your BFF happens to run with the inner circles of Argentina's wine world.

Author Ian Mount (an American expat living in Buenos Aires and raising his family there) pens the history of Argentina's wine from the time of renegade gauchos riding the pampas to today's Malbecs scoring mad points with Robert Parker.  Between the pages of this volume are all the drama, intrigue, politics and passion possible--and like a multi-course wine-pairing dinner, readers are treated to the best anecdotes along the way.  One tidbit: Mount describes how Jose Galante, a winemaker at Catena during the nineties got his nickname "White Shoes"--he was so concerned about his impeccably clean footwear he wouldn't leave the lab and risk dirtying them.  Throughout the book the reader is treated to story after story like this, interwoven with the history of Argentine wines rising to the top.  These amusing accounts made me turn page upon page.

This book is not only a great read, but with the holidays on the way, it would be a great gift for your favorite wine aficionado, along with a bottle of Malbec of course!  Today I'm giving away a copy of the book!  Here's how to enter:  Go to the BRAND NEW From Argentina With Love facebook page, and Like us if you haven't already.  Then leave a comment below the 'Vineyard at the End of the World' post.  A winner will be chosen at random on Nov. 20, 2012 at 12:00 Mountain time. Good luck!

Laura Catena's Vino Argentino

In 2009, when I met Peter Perez of Chronicle Books at the IACP conference he told me that Laura Catena was writing a guidebook to Argentinean wines and wine regions, to be published by Chronicle in 2010.  Guidebook is an understatement--Bible of Argentine Wine is a more accurate description--and the wait is finally over!

If you're not familiar with Laura Catena, you'll get a good idea with the video above.  It's a lovely introduction to not just Ms. Catena, but also to her book, Vino Argentino.  Catena herself inspires me and leaves me in awe.  Daughter of Nicolas Catena, owner of the Catena wine empire, Laura herself was educated at Harvard and Stanford and later became an ER doctor in San Francisco.  She's also the mother of three, and when she decided to direct her attentions to wine, she started Luca, her own winery, the fruit of her labor for her life's passion--wine. (A side note--Nicolas Catena is to Argentina what Robert Mondavi is to wine-making in the US--he's credited for pioneering high-quality, exportable, and regulated wines.)

Bowen Grape Harvest

Argentina is famous for the 're-discovery' of wines made from Malbec, its best-known export.  It's thousands of acres of grapes aren't just a livelihood, but a cause for celebration: La Vendimia, or the Harvest, is marked in Mendoza with parades and celebrations that last for weeks.  Occurring from mid-March to April, the festivities close with the crowning of the year's harvest queen; La Reina de la Vendimia.   (The ladies are chosen from all over the province, judged by both official judges and popular vote.) Nightly stage shows include folkloric music and dance, colorfully costumed dancers and singers from all over the country gather in Mendoza to celebrate. (You can see this year's queen here.)

Bodega Achaval Ferrer

Bodega Achaval Ferrer is another of Mendoza's hidden gems.   Driving down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, (as Chile-based food and wine writer Liz Caskey told me--the true litmus test of Mendoza driving is navigating those wine country roads!) you suddenly find yourself on an olive-tree lined lane, with huge red rose bushes in-between that seem to blush under the gaze of the adjacent grape vines, akimbo on trellises.

Bodega Melipal

 

Bodega Melipal is one of Mendoza's new bodegas that are ultra-modern and yet embrace the region's long-standing traditions of wine-making.  The bodega leaves no detail forgotten--woven native rugs from the Andes adorn the walls, tiny potted succulents grace tables in the dining room.  The building itself is stunning, a combination of wood, steel,glass and stone that is a tactile and visual exploration.  In the entryway, a large window in the floor gives a view tothe level below, where a stone disc engraved with the Melipal logo, surrounded by tiny white rocks glows--it's actually their aging room, full of huge French oak casks.

 

Melipal serves only a few wines--the Reserve Malbec is a must, as is the wine-pairing lunch (served with reservations).  Spend the afternoon, as we did, with Hebe, the Hospitality Manager, who made us feel like family while touring the bodega, or get a glass of wine and sit on the modern white  lounge chairs on the patio.  Gaze at the vista of the Andes in the distance, blazing sun, azure skies, and rows of vines, with a cool blue reflecting pool in the foreground.  This is wine the way it should be--steeped in Mendoza's tradition, and reflecting the modern age that's to come.

(Melipal Reserve Malbec is available in the US--in Denver at Tipsy's and at Argonaut)

BODEGA MELIPAL

Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza--off Route 7 between Dominio del Plata and Ruca Malen, Agrelo

www.bodegamelipal.com

261-154-549426

More photos available on my flickr photostream, From Argentina with Love

Please also find me on Facebook (Fans of from Argentina With Love) where you can get invites to special events, and find me on Twitter @RebeccaCaro

Relevant Posts: Goyenechea Winery, Faraon Winery