Mendoza and The Vines of Mendoza are HOT! Not only is it summer and we are all sequestered under the air conditioner, but Mendoza, The Vines and the ubiquitous Malbec are hotter than ever in the press!

There are two really interesting articles out this week, one from Budget Traveler that lauds Mendoza as the newest and hottest wine travel destination. From the dramatic landscape, to the world class Argentine wines, and the amazing "carne," all doused with the romantic culture, oenophiles and foodies are in heaven. It also profiles the Uco Valley as the future of winemaking in Mendoza!

The Wall Street Journal was impressed as well with the beguiling Malbec. This exerpt should whet your palate: "The explosive emergence of Malbec from Argentina is like nothing we've seen since the sudden rise of Merlot more than a decade ago, and this is even more interesting: While much of Merlot's attraction was that it was smooth and easy, Malbec is more challenging, with spicier, edgier tastes -- and it's from a foreign country, too. We decided it was clearly time to revisit this phenomenon with this question in mind: How is Malbec handling its newfound fame?"

Check out the article for the full story and in the meantime I hope you are reading this with a glass of Malbec in hand!