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  • Correspondents' Picks: Mendoza, Argentina

    Newsweek | Jun 3, 2008 10:38 AM

    By Kate Tedesco 

    NEWSWEEK's Kate Tedesco has been covering Latin America on various fronts for more than a decade. She spent a chunk of a recent trip to Argentina exploring the dynamic wine scene, and its corresponding culinary and design boom, in the city of Mendoza, which is fast developing an international reputation as the “New Napa.”

    Mendoza is nestled in the shadow of Acongagua, South America’s tallest peak, and has some of the highest vineyards in the world, so in addition to tasting world-class wine visitors can also take in some stunning scenery. The desert-like climate and rocky soil don’t necessarily make for easy agriculture, but area vineyards are irrigated by a pre-colonial canal system that channels melting snow from the surrounding Andes, and the challenging growing conditions contribute to the depth and complexity of the region’s wines. Malbec, Argentina’s signature red grape, thrives under Mendoza’s nearly-constant and highly-concentrated sunshine, but there are also a number of excellent local Cabernets and Merlots, and some younger vineyards are beginning to diversify into edgier varietals like Shiraz and Bornada.

    Taste: Start with a swing by the Vines of Mendoza, South America’s first regional tasting room (www.vinesofmendoza.com). Its cozy courtyard garden serves as a gathering spot for enthusiasts of all stripes, and the knowledgeable staff guide visitors through flights of boutique local labels, many of which are not available abroad (and all of which can be purchased and shipped back home at minimal cost through their Acequia Wine Club).  
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NWK Caption: At the Excel High School in Oakland, California a group of students, their teacher and members of community groups pose with air pollution monitors in front of a mural at the school.  July 26, 2008.       Left to Right:   Randy Colosky, a member of Global Community Monitor  wearing brown shirt ,Juan Hernandez, student (seated) ,   Ina Bendich, teacher Danyale Willingham,student in blue top).Elizabeth de Rham far right, member of the Rose Foundation.

Young pollution sleuths and community activists fight for healthier air.

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