SIRI compiles data based on items scanned at major supermarkets and drug stores. For the first quarter of 2011, dollar sales at retail for wines from Argentina increased by an impressive 34 percent.

A vast majority of Argentinean wine exported to the United States is Malbec.

In France, Malbec plays a supporting role to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the great red blends of Bordeaux. But in Argentina, it has become the red wine star, and the SIRI data provides tangible evidence.