Think of the Patagonian landscape and you will probably think: jagged, snow-capped peaks; thunderous, rolling rivers; silent, open spaces and iconic views that have inspired everyone from Lady Florence Dixie to Bruce Chatwin. You might not think: world-class wines that embody the new world freshness, yet capture the old world savoir-faire and elegance.

And yet you could. Because Hans Vinding-Diers is on a one-man mission to put Patagonia in the spotlight of the new world winemaking stage. A long portfolio career brought globe-trotting Vinding-Diers to Argentina. Born to Danish parents in South Africa (Stellenbosch), brought up in Bordeaux (Graves), Vinding-Diers' winemaking education came from working at wineries in Australia, Chile, Uruguay, South Africa, France, Spain, Portugal and Hungary. His cousin is chief winemaker at Pingus and his father used to make Tokaji with Hugh Johnson at the Royal Tokaji Co (Hungary). Prior to his arrival in South America, he worked at Argiano, Noemi Cinzano’s (yes, as in that Cinzano) estate. Bodega Noemia is an homage (and joint venture) to the Italian wine Countess.

So together they came up with the idea of creating some complex, smooth Malbecs in Argentina's Rio Negro Valley. This wasn’t as crazy as it seemed, the area already had irrigation channels dug in 1828 by British colonists, and was famous for its apple and pear production. French varietals had flourished there in the early 1900s, Vinding-Diers saw no reason that they couldn’t again.

Vinding-Diers’ three main wines from Bodega Noemia – A Lisa, J Alberto and Bodega Noemia (the fourth is an occasional Cabernet Sauvignon called Due, only made in particular years) are of course Malbec, with the 100% Bodega Noemia being the premium wine of the bunch. The Cabernet Sauvignon scores particularly high when it is made, Robert Parker gave the 2010 95 points. Prices for this are stable at approximately €120-150 a bottle, but with the Vinding-Diers know how and gusto in every bottle, expect long ageing and steady ROI.