That makes me feel better.

I've actually gone off whisky you know. No idea why. Didn't even buy any on my recent stopover in the UK. My latest bed time tipple is Reserva San Juan cognac. Great stuff at only 28 pesos a bottle. ^

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OMG.....

Ok, so the inexpensive wine is approved... but a Scotsman drinking domestic "Cognac" is taking this way too far...

Interesting perspective on Malbec in New York City....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=a_NEz6W.zPvE

"Argentine winemaker Susana Balbo compares her Brioso blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec - - which retails for about $45 in the U.S. -- with a $200-$250 bottle of French Bordeaux."

so what do i get with one of those $150 bottles of argentine wine? a wine equivalent to a $1000 bottle of french?

I think that in this case, both you and Susana Balbo are wrong.

Wine cannot be translated into a straight forward mathemetical equation. Yes, I think its true that Argentina (and various new world wine producers for that matter) produce top quality Bordeaux-style blends that offer amazing value for money... but I dont think the point is to compare a Mendoza Blend to a Bordeaux. Both wines offer different packages, leaving the economics aside for a moment... whatever happened to the expression of Terroir...?

The fact that there are Argentine wines priced between USD150-250 that will give French and other old-world wines costing USD1000+ some serious competition (and to some palates be better wines) has less to do with a simple 4x factor and more with different conceptions of wine, winemaking style, natural conditions, etc.

^ I live in a region that has some of the worst value for money, i.e., Napa (and portions of) Sonoma county wines. Yes, we produce some that are amongst the world's best, but even my unsophisticated palate would identify almost all of them as new world. This is not a bad thing, it is just different. Last night, I had a lovely Carmenere (Chile) which was US$15 and if it was $45 in a Napa Valley tasting room, people would gobble it up. My overall observation is this: On the low end, you are much more likely to get a pleasant, drinkable wine in the under $5 range in Chile and Argentina than anywhere else. On the high end, so much more goes into it. I cannot say that if I ever have the opportunity to drink $500 or $1000 wines that they will be any better than the 2 most memorable bottles I've ever had, one of which was about $50 (some time ago) and the other, just over $100. Both from California. You'd never mistake them for a Bordeaux.

As another aside, this is a great time to be exploring wine from both the right side of the Andes (the right side, when flying southbound ) and the "other side" (el lado caos). Winemakers are breaking out of their traditional molds, and planting things that grow well, but previously unknown in these parts (at least on "my right side ") such as more rhone varietals, more small/independent bodegas are popping up, and while the results are variable, at a minimum, they are decent, and interesting, and usually affordable. The worst thing that can happen is that the export market will dictate "this is what Argentine Malbec" should taste like, and almost everything the export markets will receive will fit the profile. With limited exception, look at what comes from Australia - how many Shirazes didn't taste like you expected? How many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs didn't taste just like you expected?

As I ramble on, so much of what you are paying for with a Bordeaux is name, just like any other retail product. Look at how pissy some of the other boards here get when their airline pours them a perfectly nice sparkling wine in the business class from somewhere other than Champagne - they aren't happy if they aren't drinking a vomitous swill from Champagne, when a better sparkler from elsewhere is offered.

Keep it fun, keep it interesting, and keep pouring! ^

Your above post is almost perfect.... you just to leave out the mention of the wrong side of the Andes....

And, BTW, no matter which way your fly from or look at the map, there is only one right side of the Andes....

I agree 200% !!! ^ ^ ^ ^

There is a HUGE amount of label & DOC discrimination.... this is rampant among the less experiences wine drinkers. Its a shame... but its how things are.

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Another pet peeve for me with wine is residual sugar....

Most people say they like dry wines, but have them drink a fruit bomb with high residual sugar and watch them go nuts....

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Here is a 'new' little gem to look out for...

2002 Terrazas Barrel Select Malbec Cabernet, limited edition series made by Roberto de la Motta.

let them blind taste a fully dried out somewhat tannic red, like a bordeaux. or a really fully dried blanc champagne.

i see

Terrazas de Los Andes Malbec Afincado

is that it?

By the way, my '05 quimera finally arrived. i hope it just needs more time in the bottle to come together. it is still either very disorganized, or badly shaken from the trip.

The Afincado is a different wine I believe that the one Alex is mentioning. It is one of Terrazas higher end wines. We had a chance to try the Afincado when we had lunch at Terrazas and it was a varietal if I recall correctly.

Alex, what is the price point for the new Terrazas and any idea how soon we should see it in the US? We fell in love with the Malbec-Cab combo while in Mendoza so this sounds like something we'd like to try.

No. Barrel Select and Afincado are not the same wines.

Afincado is a different line of wines, which has world-wide distribution. Afincado wines follow the single-vineyard concept. Afincado has three versions.... a Malbec, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and an 'elusive' dessert wine made from Petit Menseng**.

(**) I understand that the dessert wine is the only member of the Afincado portfolio that is not exported

Yes, you are correct. Please see my post above for details on the different Afincado wines.

This line of wines will not be exported to the USA... they are super limited edition labels, some of which are one-time only releases (this is the case for this Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon). Production for this blend was only 2,800 bottles.

Almost certainly the latter. I'd never drink a fine wine like that without letting it settle down for a month or so after a long journey.