Some people will go to the end of the earth for the right wine and others will go to the end of the earth to make it.  Ever since it was first described as 'the end of the earth' by Charles Darwin - ironic in a way, since it inspired a book called 'On the Origin of Species' -  Patagonia has had mythic status for its remoteness and awe-inspiring beauty. It is now emerging as a source of unique wines with a too-good-to-be-true story - one of the least populated and least polluted habitats on earth, the Andes, endless windswept plains, dinosaur bones, penguins - and now, astonishingly, wine.

Bodega Noemía is a collaboration between Danish winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers and Countess Noemi Marone Cinzano. Hans Vinding-Diers (whose cousin is Peter Sisseck of Pingus and Hacienda Monasterio fame) is the winemaker for the estate.  The project is new, but intriguingly viticulture in Patagonia is not: Bodga Noemia was inspired by the discovery of a small plot (1.5 hectares) of old vine, pre-phylloxera Malbec in the Río Negro Valley, where almost non-existent rainfall and incessant breezes make vine diseases virtually unknown.

A Lisa is a blend of Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, combining estate fruit and fruit purchased from neighbours. All the fruit is hand-picked.  The goal is to attain the highest possible quality with the least possible intervention, producing wine that is a true reflection of its pristine environment.  Fermentation takes place in a combination of cement vats and stainless steel tanks. Elevage follows in a combination of cement, 3^rd and 4^th use oak barrels and stainless steel. The resulting wine is classically structured, with a dense core of ripe brambly fruit balanced by uplifting, bright acidity - a function of high altitude and the moderating effect of cool night temperatures.  It is delicious, age worthy and tremendous value.