Even by the flamboyant standards of modern winemaking, few know how to grab the public's attention better than Argentina's Nicolas Catena. His flashy new winery in the shadow of the highest peak in the Americas, 22,851-foot Aconcagua, is a futuristic version of a Mayan temple. Never mind that the Mayans were hooked on cacao, or that their empire never stretched beyond Central America. Convention doesn't matter much to Catena, the high-profile guru of a growing pack of innovative vintners transforming Argentina's Mendoza wine region into the Southern Hemisphere's equivalent of Napa Valley. "Building a French chateau or Italian palazzo-styled winery never entered my mind," says the 63-year-old Catena. "We're part of the New World, so it's only fitting we honor our own heritage."
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