A few weeks ago I had the extreme pleasure to visit the countries of Chile and Argentina thanks to the fine folks at Guarachi Wine Partners.

With the backdrop of the majestic Andes Mountains, it was an amazing time to be there as each of the wineries we visited were in the middle of their harvest and crush. The effort, dedication and different philosophies of each of the wineries on the way their grapes are harvested and handled was just short of phenomenal.

Over the next few weeks I will try to give you a little behind the scenes look at what each of these wineries go through to bring you some of the best South American wines to come to the United States, and some of the wines that aren't here now but I hope will be in the near future.

Montes with their spectacular Apalta winery is a real Chilean gem, from a wooden path over a small lagoon you enter in to this stunning winery that was built using the principles of Feng Shui, with all of the energy directed to the center of the winery.

This winery does not use any pumps during the wine making process, instead this winery is built to only use gravity flow during the entire wine-making operation. A very expensive and time consuming process, they just feel the gentle handling of grapes, to the must, to barrel gives them that special touch that make their wines truly remarkable. The wines are then finished in a barrel room that is just extraordinary.

With its beautiful soft lighting to the Gregorian chants being softly played there is no doubt these wines are relaxed and happy, I know I was.

The 2015 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon is beautiful in the glass and what I consider an old style Cabernet that gives you that feeling of your grandmas kitchen. All the spices are there with hints of blackberry, cherry and fig, followed by a extremely balanced finish with the perfect amount of tannins.

This wine is 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 10 percent Merlot, with 55 percent of this wine aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. This wine would be ideal with beef, beef and more beef. I give the 2015 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon a rating of 92 points and select it as a “Double Must Buy.” This wine retails around $19.99.