Malbec's stunning popularity continues with several new articles. One in the Global post talks about vineyard ownership in Mendoza as well as The Vines of Mendoza's Private Vineyard Estate project. It also mentions one of The Vines' good friend Frank Ansel, new on the expat scene in Buenos Aires.Click here for the full article

Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest wine producer, and the popularity of its wines has soared in recent years, thanks largely to increased exports of Malbec. The rich, earthy red has become Argentina’s signature grape, and most experts agree that the best Malbecs in the world are produced here, below the towering white-tipped peaks of the Andes Mountains, where the soil is ripe, the water is clean and the sun is strong.

“Argentina really found its identity with the Malbec,” said Andreas Larsson, who in 2007 won the title of Best Sommelier in the World. “The last 10 years has been quite a revolution in regards to better quality wine. Argentina’s challenge now is to find a personality, and evoke the elegance and layers of its wines,” he said.

While some, like Ansel, are taking a do-it-yourself approach to boutique winemaking, there is also a growing number of companies in Argentina that offer hands-on help to wannabe winemakers.

In 2006, Michael Evans, a former tech executive from Washington D.C., and his Argentine business partner, Pablo Gimenez Riili, purchased 650 acres of land in the Uco Valley. They've since sold small parcels to more than 50 owners from around the globe, including celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who plans to sell his Argentine wine at his restaurants in the United States.

Their project, which they call the Private Vineyard Estates, is run under the direction of renowned Argentine winemaker Santiago Achaval, whose Achaval Ferrer wines are among the most highly decorated of all Argentine wines.