The fame of wines from South America grows like a wild fire. Argentina and Chile have made such incredible headway into the wine world that it’s now uncommon to find someone who doesn’t know about Argentine Malbec or Chilean Carmenére. Even as recently as three years ago that would have been the reverse, eyes glassing over at the mention of wine from either of these countries.
Now the same holds true for Uruguay and Peru. There's a look of shock as those who are otherwise astute wine drinkers try to reach into the crevasses of their brains to figure out where exactly these two countries lie in relation to their now more famous neighbors.
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2010.