June 2012 Featured Book
Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemaking and the Rebirth of Malbec
by Ian Mount '92
"A definite must-read for Malbec drinkers everywhere, and Argentine wine fans." - Lettie Teague, Wall Street Journal "On Wine" Blog
- Learn more about the author (view alumni profile)
- Listen to the interview with Ian Mount '92 and Steven Edwards '93
- Read an excerpt
- Read a review from The Wall Street Journal
- Explore Ian's photo gallery
- Join the discussion
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.