The Vineyard at the End of the World

Grapes have been grown in the Mendoza region since the 16th century, but its fine-wine industry dates only to the early 1990s. Ian Mount’s highly readable 2012 book, “The Vineyard at the End of the World” — complete with helpful index — summarizes the winemaking history of the region, emphasizing what led to the transformation of Mendozan wines from plonk to world class. He details the fascinating story of legendary bodeguero Nicolás Catena and his consulting winemaker, Paul Hobbs. And the chapter titled “‘Discovering’ Malbec” is particularly illuminating. The prose is sometimes too informal for my taste, with pop-culture references to things such as Jenga and “The Flintstones.” But reading this book in advance of my visit greatly enhanced my experience.