Uncork New World of wines
By Sonia Turek/ In Your Glass
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - Source: Boston Herald

In a wine-drinking rut? Always bringing home the same Australian bottle? There’s another Southern Hemisphere country you’d be wise to check out instead, if you’re looking for good prices and great flavor.

Argentina’s imports are getting a lot of attention these days, and it’s not hard to choose a good one.

Just think M & M: Mendoza and malbec.

Mendoza is the country’s great wine-producing region; malbec is its premier red grape. Once used in Bordeaux, now responsible for big, tannic wines in southwest France, malbec grown in Mendoza produces a fruity, plummy wine with a mouth-filling flavor.

The Mendoza region, home to 70 percent of Argentina’s grapevines, is high up near the country’s western border with Chile. That elevation, a desert climate and loose, sandy soil all help this grape achieve concentrated, sweet fruit and lush tastes.

Altos Las Hormigas is one label to look for; its 2004 malbec ($12) is a big and chunky wine, with the characteristic juicy plum fruit and nice acidity. Another is Clos de los Siete by Michel Rolland (2004, $17), primarily a malbec/merlot blend, which has added boysenberry and chocolate flavors, and lots of tannin.

Drink the first, lay this one down, and you’ll have a good start on this very up-and-coming New World wine region.