South America produces one bottle in seven of the world’s wine. Argentina is number 5 in world-wide production.Yet very few people had heard of, or tasted , an Argentine wine until the past few years. That will soon change since Mendoza, the heart of the Argentine wine country, is attracting the leading wine makers and wine companies of the world. The result has been startling: superb whitre, red and sparkling wines and because of the troubled peso, probably the world’s best wine values today. Argentina’s claim to fame is the malbec.

Chile is the other South American country making world class wines. The Maipu Valley is on the other side of the Andes from Mendoza and is the heart of the wine regions of Chile. Santiago’s rainfall is scarce so the vineyards utilize a system of canal irrigation eveloped by the Incas. Chile’s claim to fame is the carmenere rape.

Other countries starting to produce wine of merit are Peru, Uruguay and Brazil.