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The Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec
For generations, Argentine wine was famously bad—oxidized, unpalatable, and often mixed with a low-class French grape called Malbec. But then in 2001, a Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec blend beat all contenders in a blind taste test featuring Napa and Bordeaux’s finest. Today, Argentina and its signature wine are on the tip of every smart traveler’s tongue. How did this happen?
The Vineyard at the End of the World tells the fascinating, four-hundred-year history of how a wine mecca arose in the high Andean desert. Profiling the outlandish figures who fueled the Malbec revolution—including celebrity enologist Michel Rolland, acclaimed American winemaker Paul Hobbs, and the Mondavi-esque Catena family—Ian Mount describes in colorful detail the nefarious scams, brilliant business innovations, and backroom politics that put Malbec on the map.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 6, 2022
Well written account of the history of the wine industry of Argentina. Best book I have read on the subject.
I re-read this by accident on my flight to Argentina on November 5, 2022.
p. 13: "What is important to remember is that wine is more than a drink: it's a story."
p. 65: "We were colonized by Spain and conquered by Italy. We inherited the worst of both countries: the arrogance of the Spanish and the chaos of the Italians."
p. 79: Pedemonte Restaurant, Avenida de Mayo 682 C1084AAO Buenos Aires
p. 87: "Dr. Catena .... They'd call him a criminal."
p. 88: Catena's colleagues envied him.
p. 90: Bife Con Pan, for breakfast
p. 98-9: Crespi ad with Hugo Arana and Beatriz Galan
p. 129: Bodega Weinert
p. 134: "If you don't read poetry, your wines will taste like crap," Arnaldo Etchart.
p. 135: Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution
p. 141: Ricardo Santos: "Michel Rolland makes very good wines, but he makes his Merlot in a hundred different countries. He makes his wine in many parts of the world. You can't blame him for it. But it's not a wine with a regional personality."
p. 142: Tyler Colman: "I think we're suffering from point fatigue. People are starting to realize that wines are sold on points, and they often not as good as they might appear to be. Points just tell you about one person's opinion. It's a very limiting perspective."
p. 148: Michel Rolland: "To make a good wine, well concentrated, on has to wait, and wait, and wait. And when you've finished waiting, wait some more."
p. 156: "Unlike the products of most other industries, good wine is meant to express the culture in which it was created."
p. 169: Paul Hobbs: "The success of this kind of wine is a series of small details."
p. 170: Paul Hobbs: "No Mistakes Allowed"
p. 236: "Poetic words may be spoken about wine, but the beverage will always be a product that needs a buyer."
p. 244: Bodegas Chandon was launched in 1960
p. 249: Clos De Los Siete
p. 251: Bormida y Yanzon Arquiectos: http://www.bormidayanzon.com/
p. 253: Critical Regionalism: "an approach to architecture that strives to counter the placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture."
p. 256: Vina Calina was the Chilean part of Kendall-Jackson
p. 270: Fine wine bodegas: Achaval-Ferrer, Paul Hobbs's Vina Cobos, the Chilean-owned Renacer, the Susana Balb0-Pedro Marchevsky project Dominio del Plata, Roberto de la Mota's Mendal Wines, Jose Alberto Zuccardi's Familia Zuccardi, the Spanish-owned O. Fournier, and Swiss bodeguero Donald Hess's Colome.
p. 283: "The way to be original is not say, 'Here's my Merlot,' but, 'Here's my vineyard.'"
p. 291: Decanter's Man of the Year
p. 301: Local tour agency owner Charlie O'Malley
I re-read this by accident on my flight to Argentina on November 5, 2022.
p. 13: "What is important to remember is that wine is more than a drink: it's a story."
p. 65: "We were colonized by Spain and conquered by Italy. We inherited the worst of both countries: the arrogance of the Spanish and the chaos of the Italians."
p. 79: Pedemonte Restaurant, Avenida de Mayo 682 C1084AAO Buenos Aires
p. 87: "Dr. Catena .... They'd call him a criminal."
p. 88: Catena's colleagues envied him.
p. 90: Bife Con Pan, for breakfast
p. 98-9: Crespi ad with Hugo Arana and Beatriz Galan
p. 129: Bodega Weinert
p. 134: "If you don't read poetry, your wines will taste like crap," Arnaldo Etchart.
p. 135: Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution
p. 141: Ricardo Santos: "Michel Rolland makes very good wines, but he makes his Merlot in a hundred different countries. He makes his wine in many parts of the world. You can't blame him for it. But it's not a wine with a regional personality."
p. 142: Tyler Colman: "I think we're suffering from point fatigue. People are starting to realize that wines are sold on points, and they often not as good as they might appear to be. Points just tell you about one person's opinion. It's a very limiting perspective."
p. 148: Michel Rolland: "To make a good wine, well concentrated, on has to wait, and wait, and wait. And when you've finished waiting, wait some more."
p. 156: "Unlike the products of most other industries, good wine is meant to express the culture in which it was created."
p. 169: Paul Hobbs: "The success of this kind of wine is a series of small details."
p. 170: Paul Hobbs: "No Mistakes Allowed"
p. 236: "Poetic words may be spoken about wine, but the beverage will always be a product that needs a buyer."
p. 244: Bodegas Chandon was launched in 1960
p. 249: Clos De Los Siete
p. 251: Bormida y Yanzon Arquiectos: http://www.bormidayanzon.com/
p. 253: Critical Regionalism: "an approach to architecture that strives to counter the placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture."
p. 256: Vina Calina was the Chilean part of Kendall-Jackson
p. 270: Fine wine bodegas: Achaval-Ferrer, Paul Hobbs's Vina Cobos, the Chilean-owned Renacer, the Susana Balb0-Pedro Marchevsky project Dominio del Plata, Roberto de la Mota's Mendal Wines, Jose Alberto Zuccardi's Familia Zuccardi, the Spanish-owned O. Fournier, and Swiss bodeguero Donald Hess's Colome.
p. 283: "The way to be original is not say, 'Here's my Merlot,' but, 'Here's my vineyard.'"
p. 291: Decanter's Man of the Year
p. 301: Local tour agency owner Charlie O'Malley
May 6, 2023
A pleasure to read, the "Rebirth of Malbec" is misleading as the grape is not the theme until 216 pages in.
April 15, 2012
A really excellent book. Fascinating, confidently written, well structured with good legs, great mouth-feel and tobacco and coffee notes...it really gets to you after a while, i can almost guarantee that if you read this book you will immediately go out and buy a good bottle of Argentinian Malbec, it tantalises you so much, you'll have to taste the real thing. It was almost enough to make an oenophile of me. It's a great guide to the story of Argentinian wine obviously but also to Argentina itself, the culture and the people of western Argentina and also the process of wine making and the love the wine-makers have for their craft. The author obviously has a gift for storytelling, the narrative whizzed along and I finished it in two sittings
One thing that jumped out at me was that at one point the author compares, if i remember correctly, the bitterness of wine if you squeeze the grapes in a press to the bitterness of tea if you squeeze the tea bag when taking it out of the cup and this is something that i have always done, thinking that i'm squeezing the best drops of brewed tea from the bag, so i am going to stop for a while and see if i get a better cuppa.
One thing that jumped out at me was that at one point the author compares, if i remember correctly, the bitterness of wine if you squeeze the grapes in a press to the bitterness of tea if you squeeze the tea bag when taking it out of the cup and this is something that i have always done, thinking that i'm squeezing the best drops of brewed tea from the bag, so i am going to stop for a while and see if i get a better cuppa.
February 24, 2014
Drink a bottle of Malbec to get through the first 35%, as the pages of Argentine history are incredibly dry. After that The Vineyard at the End of the World picks up the pace and is bursting with facts and information, although you might want to pop open a second bottle of wine for the final 20% when things get parched again and drag on too long. Stars for the excellent info and extensive research; minus two for being so boring.
March 6, 2020
This is a terrific read about the history of Argentinian wine. The book is energetic and fast-paced and refreshingly honest. The book focuses on some of the big names you have heard in Mendoza and how they went from students to the big time. It also explains the flying winemakers and how one man, Catena, has maintained his grip on the wine industry in Argentina. Malbec was a throwaway grape, shunned by it's home country of France and is now synonymous with Argentina. The story of how that happened is really fascinating and Mount tells that story well.
August 10, 2018
A fantastic read. Written with the flair of a journalist, this easy to read book romps around the Americas introducing you to some interesting people and places. With a glass of Malbec in hand you almost feel like you're on an educational excursion to some gorgeous places. It also has some great thoughts on how a luxury industry can influence changes in socio-cultural identities.
May 10, 2017
Great review from historical perspective of the introduction, development and modernization of the vine in Argentina, at the intersections of culture and commerce. I enjoyed this, and it was doubly helpful in preparation for Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) examinations.
March 5, 2019
I read a lot of books on wine, and this among the best. I love Malbec, so I was thrilled to find this, the information and history was superb, and there are insights here for anyone living in an emerging wine region.
June 25, 2019
An exceptional book detailing the history, and the development of the Argentine Wine Industry. Well researched and written by the author who clearly has a love of the wines from the region. Highly recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in the wines of Argentina.
February 28, 2020
Have just finished reading this engrossing history of wine in Argentina. From the Spanish invasion till 2010 covering the turbulent episodes in development of an industry. One for the wine lover and those interested in how an export market is developed.
October 3, 2017
I loved this exploration into Argentina - a wine region I didn’t know a ton about. Well plotted and extremely interesting!
May 12, 2023
Since visiting the Mendoza, Uco Valley twice now, I enjoyed the historical narrative on how Mendoza and Malbec came to pass. The Vineyard at the End of the World proves how inter-related we all are.
August 25, 2016
This book is about the history of wine industry in Argentina and how it became one of the biggest wine producing countries in the world. I learned a quite bit about many subjects reading this book. The history of Argentina, especially the Italian immigration to the country, was quite interesting, since I knew so little about the country's history before. I was fascinated by how "modern" wine making is improving wines by avoiding oxidation, which was rigorously researched in Napa and UC Davis. Also the relationship between the altitude of vineyard to the taste of wine was informative. I learned about Robert Parker and his wine rating, and how it has affected consumers and dynamics in industry. I know understood why highly rated wines by Robert Parker tasted somewhat similar. Learning from this book, I feel that I can make a better choice of wines I buy and drink. So, I recommend this book to anyone who likes to drink wine, especially good quality wines with reasonable prices.
May 6, 2012
Interesting historical overview of the rise of the Argentinian wine industry, and the Malbec grape. Could have gone with a little less colonial history -- it was dry and seemed marginally relevant to more recent developments. Still, I would recommend this to any wine enthusiast.
February 15, 2012
Starts out with pretty detailed history of western Argentina. Interesting enough, especially b/c I know nothing about Argentina, but somehow wasn't grabbing me. Another time....
April 28, 2012
An interesting study of the history of wine in Argentina, along with the struggle to establish a quality wine industry in that country.
May 23, 2012
Loved it! Highly recommend it. (Will give it a proper review soon.)
January 1, 2014
This book will make you feel smarter for having read it! Nicely written with history, story and a bit of science.
January 24, 2012
Well researched some gossip ending made me reluctent to visit Mendoza ex Goldberg experience
April 16, 2016
Excellent read on Argentine wine and history. Well done.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews