You work for the French Secret Service. You’ve
been sent on an urgent mission to discover the high tech, underground
lair of a company intent on world wine domination. Intelligence
and satellite images have located the winery in Valle de Uco,
Mendoza. This is not surprising. The valley is fast becoming the
heartland of prestigious Argentine wines. Mineral rich water from
the mountains and a perfect altitude and soil are creating an
army of grapes that threaten the Old World order. Further Investigations
and discreet inquiries in the tourist kiosk on Ave. San Martin
reveal Salentein is the name of your quarry. You are intrigued.
Next, how to penetrate vineyard security and find out just what
it is that’s making your chiefs back in Paris so nervous.
You go disguised as a tourist, armed with a high
tech digital camera and factor 30 sun screen. The Bodega is a
stark, modernist bunker set in thousands of hectares of vines.
Note the latest drip irrigation system – water piped directly
to every individual plant. These people are serious. The tinted
windows and minimalist steel and brick design is imposing. Keep
calm. You use your suave French charm and a friendly, company
guide to get past reception. Suddenly you are in the heart of
the winery. It is huge, spacious and well designed. The network
of pipes that feed the stainless steel vats is operated by an
invincible energy source – gravity. Much of the building
is underground and can be viewed from a circular gallery above.
Mounted oak barrels fan out from a central circular court. The
impression is startling. It looks like the showroom for a secret
weapon. You go below, skilfully dodging a busy platoon of men
on forklifts. It is cool and dark, so dark you must take off your
secret service shades. Against the walls are neat steel racks
holding bottles of maturing wine. You surreptitiously join a tour
group and successfully infiltrate the wine tasting rooms. The
lady pours you a Finca Portillo Sauvignon Blanc. It is golden
and fragrant. You are speechless. Dangerous thoughts of defecting
enter your head? You could hide out in 5 star luxury at the nearby
Posada Salentein. You calm down and take a sip of some oak-matured
merlot. Sacred Bleu! You panic. You see the future and it says
Salentein. The French are doomed. You see huge European wine lakes.
Unwanted Beaujolais poured down drains. You must go and report
to HQ as soon as possible, but wait. First lets try that nice
bottle of tempranillo…..
