As elsewhere in the New World, leading producers tend to make rather over-extracted, unbalanced luxury cuvées – perhaps with the intention of impressing wine critics and judges, to the extent that the ‘basic’ wines have almost invariably been preferable. Argentine Malbec can produce complex, age-worthy wines on a par with, say, top Cru Bourgeois claret, and, as such, can be among the best value wines in the world. Originally from north-western Italy’s Piedmont region, Argentina’s other natural red resource is Bonarda, a grape that until now has been underexploited (Colonia la Liebres , Dante Robino or El Retiro ). The distinctive white-grape Torrontés (pronounced with the emphasis on the final syllable) is related to Muscat and there’s certainly a family resemblance in the flowery, grapey aromas and frequently orangey palate. Neither Torrontés nor Muscat is a variety for making grand Vins de Garde but for producing substantial wines that are perfumed – sometimes intensely so – both are adaptable to food matching.

A plethora of international grape varieties thrive in Argentina: Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Tempranillo and – reflecting the large number of Italian families who settled in the country – Sangiovese and Barbera. Syrah, in particular, is worth checking out among the reds. Of the whites, Pinot Grigio, Semillon and Chenin Blanc show the most potential along with some cool, classy Chardonnays, especially from Tupungato.A

Geographically the Mendoza region is where it all happens. It accounts for seventy per cent of wine production and the Andes provides the cooling influence that keeps the wines fresh, a lesson that has been learned elsewhere. A varied region in terms of terrain, with vineyards at altitudes ranging from 700–1,700 metres, and of climate, Mendoza is itself divided into a number of sub-regions. The Uco Valley in the south, and especially the Tupungato area within it, and Luján de Cuyo – and its sub-divisions of Pedriel, Agrelo and Vistalba – are where some of the best wines are made. Way up to the north the region of Salta has, at over 3,000m what are believed to be the world’s highest vineyards.

San Juan to the south is the second-biggest producer and the vine action goes on southwards, in a small way, right down into Patagonia. Brief mention should be made of the country’s average annual consumption, which peaked at a heroic ninety litres per head during the darkest days of the 1960s and 1970s but is now less than half that amount.

Argentina remains a keen but nervous newcomer on the world stage: whilst growing, exports still account for only around twenty per cent of production. Producers bring to their wine a seriousness of intent normally reserved only for the tango. Having seen the potential, however, investors have arrived from all corners – to an extent that most of the high-profile new ventures are at least partly in foreign hands: Moët et Chandon (who have been making large quantities of very good ‘champaña’ for local consumption since the 1960s at Bodegas Chandon ); Portugal’s biggest producer, and maker of Mateus Rosé, Sogrape with Finca Flichman ; arguably the world’s most influential wine consultant Michel Rolland with his Clos de los Siete ; and Pierre Lurton of Bordeaux-legend Château Cheval Blanc is producing Cheval de los Andes with LVMHsubsidiary Terrazas de los Andes . And these are just the biggest names. Meanwhile, at the other end of the corporate scale, Fairtrade-accredited producers notably the La Riojana cooperative – appear to be thriving respectably in a fiercely competitive market.

Of the old guard of producers, include Norton (now owned by the Swarovski bangle family); Etchart (by Pernod Ricard); Flichman (by Sogrape); Weinert and Schroeder , only the latter two remain in private hands but all still produce good wines – funny about all those German names though. The price/quality ratio is enviable across the board – from entry level (Bianchi , La Esperanza , Graffigna, Las Moras , Michel Torino , Nieto Senetiner , Schroeder , Chile’s Concha y Toro-owned Otra Vida , Zuccardi ) through Sunday-best bottles (Alta Vista , Altos las Hormigas , prime mover Nicolas Catena , Colomé , Don Domenico , Gougenheim , Luigi Bosca, O Fournier , Pulenta , Renacer , Santa Ana , Trapiche ,Viñalba and Susana Balbo – another prime mover) to the very top, where the wines have chilled out admirably from the rather overwrought efforts of a few years ago (Achaval Ferrer , Alicia , Benegas , Bressia , Don Cristobal 1492 , Viña Cobos ).

Get a handle…ARGENTINA PROVES THAT BIG NEW WORLD REDS (ESPECIALLY MALBEC) CAN HAVE FRESHNESS AND COMPLEXITY. THE COOL NIGHTS AT ALTITUDE PREVENT THE WINES DEVELOPING THE BAKED SMELLS THAT USED TO PLAGUE SOUTH AMERICAN WINES AND THE DRY GROWING CONDITIONS MEAN THE VINES DEVELOP DEEP ROOTS THAT DRAW UP ALL SORTS OF FLAVOURFUL GOODIES.

Get a grip … best-value producers: Bianchi, Catena, Colonia Las Liebres, Las Hormigas, Luigi Bosca, Nieto Sentiner, O Fournier, Pulenta, Renacer, Michel Torino

aquavit/akvavit/akevitt – it’s vodka really, from Denmark (Aalborg), Sweden (Absolut, OP Anderson), Norway (Linie) and Finland (Finlandia, as if . . .), but let’s play along as it was probably the original version. All distilled from potatoes, flavoured with caraway and usually one or more of fennel, dill, aniseed, cumin and bitter orange.

Ardbeg – peatiest and smokiest of all of Islay’s peaty, smoky whiskies, its long story, which started in 1815, reached its most dramatic chapters only in the late twentieth century: having lost money for many years the distillery was mothballed in 1981 and after spasmodic attempts to breathe some water-of-life back into it over the next decade and a half it was finally bought by Glenmorangie in 1997, when full production resumed. If the award of the Whisky Bible’s ‘World Whisky of the Year 2008’ makes misty-eyed, Whisky Galore-style fantasies cloud the judgement it should be remembered that Glenmorangie was itself acquired by LVMH in 2004 and the cockles of the hearts most warmed by this story are corporate ones.

Argentinian wine – Argentina is the biggest producer among South America’s winemaking countries (and fifth in the world), with a long and proud history of viticulture and distinctive, signature red (Malbec) and white (Torrontés) grape varieties, both of which can be excellent value. As elsewhere in South America, vines were introduced by thirsty European invaders in the sixteenth century and the Spanish also established the first irrigation systems, which remain vital – in one form or another – to successful winemaking. Low rainfall and long, sunny summers combine with a third factor: cool nights at the altitude of the winemaking regions – the highest in the world at between 700 and 1400m – to complete a unique climatological recipe. The result is that Argentina’s reds (especially Malbec) have a freshness and complexity that other ‘New World’ producers have emulated. The dry growing conditions mean the vines develop deep roots to draw up all sorts of flavourful minerals; the cool nights at altitude also prevent the development of those baked smells and flavours that used to be common in wines from the other side of the Andes. (To be continued . . .)

Angel’s Tit – layer one part each white crème de cacao, cherry liqueur and single cream in a chilled liqueur glass, garnished with a maraschino cherry in the middle (at which point the name will become self-explanatory and mock the American bowdlerization to Angel’s Tip).

anis – (aka anise, anisette, pastis, raki, arak, ouzo); loose group of alcoholic beverages popular around a great swathe of the Mediterranean and which have in common the fact that they are aniseed-flavoured. Some are effectively flavoured vodkas; other sweetened versions are liqueurs. France’s leading brand, Pernod (see absinthe p. 4) is dry and less alcoholic than pastis, which is flavoured with both star anise and liquorice. Spanish anis (Mono, Chinchón) is sweet or dry(dulce or seco). French anisette liqueur (Brizard) is sweetened and similar to Sambuca in Italy. Usually served diluted with water (anywhere from 1:1 to 5:1). A rough Greek ouzo was responsible for one of my worst ever childhood hangovers, although sleeping on a sandy beach facing to windward didn’t help. The inevitable mouthful of sand and a steep climb back up to the bar where mein host informed me: ‘It’s still fermenting in your stomach’, finished me off.

appellation contrôlée (AC) – in full, appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) the French term for a demarcated region of production, originally for wine (the first was for Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1923) but now covering all manner of comestibles from cheeses to chickens. Portugal’s Douro claims to have had the first such system, devised in 1756; however, Hungary classified their vineyards in 1700 and Tuscany’s Carmignano had a go in 1716 and they both also claim the originating honours. It’s the French term that has stuck and I use it rather than ‘controlled appellation’ which sounds daft (especially in the US – there is very little control of anything in the Appalachians, as anyone who has watched the film Deliverance will know).Most national systems are based on the French model and the regulatory authority will not only demarcate the geographical area but also stipulate which grape varieties may be used, maximum yields, parameters for alcohol content and so on; in general, the smaller and more prestigious the region, the more hoops must be jumped through.Fundamentally such systems are best thought of as having a purpose similar to the UK Trades Description Act and are designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous producers. Conversely, narrowness restricts the output of scrupulous producers – to the extent that some of the best wines in Europe have to call themselves vin de pays or vino da tavola.

Algeria – of massive importance to the French wine trade in the middle of the last century with a million acres of vines providing bold reds to beef up all sorts of blended wines. The market plummeted after independence and in the early 1970s they were sending a billion bottles per year to the USSR. Production has fallen by ninety-five per cent and under a stricter Islamic regime more than half of grape production is destined for the fruit bowl.

Aligoté – unobtrusive white-grape variety that would be much better known and regarded if it were not thought of as the Cinderella grape of Burgundy, perpetually in the shadow of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It has its own appellation (and its own base in the village of Bouzeron) and makes appetising wines with good acidity; best sipped on their own on golden summer evenings. It’s the wine the French mix with a little Crème de Cassis to make Kir.

alcohol dehydrogenase – aka ADH, an enzyme found in the liver and stomach, where it breaks down alcohol (and without which its consumption would not be possible). Lower levels occur in people of Asian descent and this is thought to be responsible for their higher levels of alcohol intolerance and ‘Asian flush’. Lower levels also occur in women generally, but especially those from Essex.

alcohol-free beverages – happily, the nature of this work precludes much discussion of such vileness, such dross. Rather drink your bathwater, or even of your own waters. If you must, one or two of the ‘beers’ (Clausthaler, Buckler) are relatively inoffensive and with ‘spinning cone’ technology, the ‘wines’ have improved somewhat. But if you’re going alcohol-free, not much beats a spicy Virgin Mary or the clean taste of cranberry juice.

alcoholism – best defined for me by a close relative as his ‘morbid and insatiable craving for alcohol’; however, the spectrum of qualifying behaviours is broad, very broad. Many more millions would be defined as suffering from it by exceeding ‘guidelines’ for safe consumption than would be referred to as ‘functioning alcoholics’, though a non-functioning one is fairly easy to spot. It is undoubtedly a physical addiction and withdrawal symptoms can be severe even if judged only by the alternate substances people will consume in attempts to satisfy their cravings. Much debate relates to whether it is an affliction, a genetic inevitability or a choice. A consumption that exceeds the individual’s ability to deal with it either physically, psychologically or circumstantially is the common element but if the ‘problem drinker’ is recognised early, preferably by themselves, then – through intervention, moderation or abstinence – they can most often be kept from the park bench.

Airén – unspectacular white grape, the most widely planted of any variety (the equivalent of every square inch of Surrey) in Spain, and therefore, by acreage, the world (with some three-quarters of a million acres), making a sea of Spanish brandy and an ocean of Valdepeñas, which can be perfectly decent with a nice bit of fish on a southern Costa. Gradually being supplanted by more characterful varieties – could be ‘goodnight Airén’?

Albariño/Alvarinho – graceful white-grape variety of north-western Spain and northern Portugal, where it makes enigmatic, aromatic wines that have a Viognier-esque perfume about them with perhaps some smoky, oily Alsace Pinot Gris thrown in for good measure. Before the late 1990s Albariño seldom made it out of the lush green, fjord-scape of Galicia’s Rias Baixas (try ‘ree-ash by-shas’) appellation, where all Spanish stereotypes are redundant: them Gallegos are Celts, right down to the kilts and the bagpipes, and Celts everywhere would feel at home in the Galician rain – all 60 annual average inches of it, which requires everything to be kept off the damp ground including the vines that are trained up tall granite posts. Traditionally a highly prized – but moderately priced – local secret, the cat is now well and truly out of the bag and arguably Spain’s best white wine is ubiquitous. It is also being planted in the USA, where its popularity has surged rapidly. Preferably drunk young, on its own or with some pre-dinner salted almonds in order not to miss the subtlety, but most nonetheless have enough body to partner fish and mariscos (and enough acidity to hold their own should such things arrive in a dairy-based sauce).

* for an image of the other sort, scroll down the page

AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) – a salutary starting-point, in case one should get carried away with what follows. Conceived by Bill ‘W’ in 1934 on a rainy night in Akron, Ohio – and who, in truth, might not succumb to strong drink on a rainy night in Akron, Ohio? – ‘the club’ now has around two million members belonging to about 100,000 groups throughout the world. Iceland has one for every 1,250 people (the highest), while Britain has the same ratio of pubs per head of population – a much more sensible idea. The ‘Twelve Steps’– although it sounds like an Aussie Chardonnay – is in fact the core programme of the ‘fellowship’, which strives to maintain the anonymity of its adherents and encourages sober members to mentor new ones via one-to-one sponsorship. The first step requires the subject to recognise rock bottom and their powerlessness over alcohol; the final step exhorts them to carry the message of AA to other alcoholics. Controversy surrounds the quasi-religious terminology used by the organisation and its insistence that total abstinence is the only solution; however, their results are impressive (or at least they have been for a few members of my family – no names, no pack drill; I’m keeping mum. Oh, and, er … happy birthday, mum!).