Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Ian Mount has found an important void in the current library of wine books: Mendoza and Malbec. The history is fascinating." Tilar Mazzeo, bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot
Review
"The rise of Argentine wine and the improbable triumph of the humble Malbec--the of grapes--is one of the great untold stories of globalization. As Ian Mount shows with great energy and feeling, the tale is as much about people and their dreams and obsessions as it is about the delicious drink that motivates them." Lettie Teague Wall Street Journal "On Wine" Blog
Review
"Ian Mount takes wine lovers on an intoxicating adventure. Anyone intrigued by how Argentina has amazed the wine world will love this gripping tale of invention, breakthrough and revelation. I enjoyed this wide-ranging book tremendously." Benjamin Wallace, The Billionaire's Vinegar
Review
" is a fascinating account of wine-world alchemy: what happens when the old world and the new world meet on the Argentinean frontier. This book will convince you--as if there were ever any doubt--that, for international wine lovers, the golden age is now." Vivienne Sosnowski, author of When the Rivers Ran Red
Review
"A definite must-read for Malbec drinkers everywhere, and Argentine wine fans." Publishers Weekly
Review
"This well-informed chronicle captures the distinctive nature of winemaking in a country challenged by an unforgiving climate and political and economic instability." Kirkus Reviews
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"[]... excels at telling the personal stories of struggling and speculation." Wine Spectator
Review
"An artfully written story of how a poorly developed wine culture grew into one of the best wine regions in the world... This engaging, important, and accessible book fills a gap in the literature of wine culture and history." Lisa Ennis
Review
"Mount's impressive history... provides ample regional and global color in a lively addition to wine literature." Library Journal
Synopsis
"The improbable triumph of the humble Malbec--the Seabiscuit of grapes." --Benjamin Wallace, author of
About the Author
Ian Mount has written about wine for the Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, and other publications. He lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.