I do, however, believe there are interesting differences between vintages in Argentina. It is important not to generalize and talk of Argentina as a single wine region, as unfortunately many wine guides do. Instead, Argentina should be specifically assessed by region. It is a big country with very well-defined and distinct wine regions, from Salta in the north to Rio Negro in Patagonia. Even within Mendoza, there are four main wine regions that are all very distinct. Even beyond differentiating regions, specifications should be made among the varietals as well. For example, a good year for Malbec might not be the best year for Cabernet Sauvignon.

The truth is that a year with difficult climatic conditions, tends to make a superb vintage. It is actually in those difficult years, when the vines struggle and growers take the right decisions at the right moment, when we are able to judge that a vintage is a great one.  Of course that does depend on from which viewpoint you are making that evaluation.  A good year for a mass grape producer might be very different then for a winemaker who is looking for the best grape quality without caring much about volume.

According to Paul Hobbs and Alberto Antonini, International winemakers, 2011 was a year with equal or better quality compared to the 2002 and 2006 harvests – the best ones registered in Argentina’s history – mainly because of the balance of the wines, fruit expression, elegance, pureness and fruit clarity. I have to say that 2011 was a great year for The Vines of Mendoza. When tasting the wines with Santiago Achaval, our consulting winemaker, and Pablo Martorell, our head winemaker, we all agreed that the quality obtained in 2011 from our relatively young vines is amazing. The wines have an amazingly deep color, , great tannin structure, a lot of fruit expression, and very good aging potential.

Personally, I do believe in the differentiation of vintages and I think it is a challenge for our industry to market the wines and price them according to the results we obtain in the different years. I understand cash flow is important for wineries, and so  holding on to the best vintages and waiting for the right moment to release a wine can be very difficult decision. Yet, I bet there are many wine lovers that would adore walking into the best wineries in Argentina and being able to purchase our best vintages without caring much about price. As they probably do in some of the best wineries around the world!

The Vines Winemaking team – Pablo Gimenez Riili, Pablo Martorell, Santiago Achaval, Mariana Onofri – tasting the 2011 vintage.

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December is a very busy month for everyone- the mad rush to finally see everyone that you haven’t seen in the course of a year in the short space of a month. All in order to toast the year that is about to end. I personally like this concept and the hustle bustle of the season. It makes me smile and there seems to be an endless supply of champagne, or sparkling wine, which is never a bad thing either!

THE PERFECT GIFT- WINE!

The other great thing about the holiday season is that you not only get to receive gifts and thoughtful “somethings” from comrades, colleagues, friends and family, but you also get to give back as well. As I have been in the wine industry a long time, I naturally turn to wine as an easy escape route …to be honest it is a commodity that is a bit like flowers. Everyone is always happy to see it and it is never really necessary, so it’s one of those fun, guilty pleasures in life.

FOOD & WINE PAIRINGS

One of my other favorite pasttimes is cooking. I am sure you are like me in saying that I LOVE cooking for other people but when its just for myself, a grilled cheese with some tomato seems to do the trick (ok maybe with a sprinkle of  black truffle salt!).

This month I had some fun purusing the Food Network database, a favorite of mine to gain some meal time inspiration. I came across the site for $10 dollar dinners with Melissa D’Arabian. This is right up my alley for December when you are dashing about looking at your checking account balance decreasing daily … as you seem to remember more people to add to your holiday shopping list. I found a TON of recipes that are perfect, easy to make and best of all pair perfectly with The Vines $10 dollar wines!

$10 WINES!

Check out this page to see what $10 wines The Vines are offering. They are an unbeatable deal, cheaper than you could find when going to your corner grocery store and, plus, they land directly at your doorstep. These wines are perfect for the after holiday hangover- affordable yet indulgent, and you don’t have to feel guilty about dipping into your piggy bank for these wines.

Here is the full list, but a couple of my personal favorites are the Enrique Foster Ique which is light and fruity, the Serbal which is a bit more complex but really nicely balanced and the Ricomenciare Cab Franc blend. Try it – it will change your mind about the Cab Franc varietal!

So go forward, shop your feet (or fingers) off, but just make sure you have some good wines waiting for you when you get home to ease the pain!

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For example, Cabernet is very different in the Napa Valley from Cabernet in Argentina. When in Argentina, I would often chose a Malbec over a Cabernet, but in Napa, I chose Cabernet all the time. During my recent visit, I felt I rediscovered this grape in my palate and in my memory. From tasting the berries in Napa, I could tell that it is an environment where the grape shines and that there is great expertise in clones vineyard management and winemaking techniques.

As well as with Malbec in Argentina, with Cabernets in Napa you can enjoy all styles and ranges, from fruit forward and easy to rich bold and unforgettable Cabs!

I would like to share with you some of the Cabernets that were very memorable during my visit in Napa and also some Argentinian Cabernets that are worth to taste.

From Napa, US:

2009 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon US$70

Deep ruby red. Ripe black fruits dominate the aroma – cassis, blackberry, dark spicy notes and classic bell pepper. Red fruits open the palate then a solid dense core of mixed black fruit is detected. Structured tannins that need to be cellared but that you can start enjoying them now with a good food pairing. Nice persistency to the finish.

Robert Parker – 92-95 POINTS, Wine Advocate

2008 Mirror Cabernet Sauvignon- US$145

There is no doubt that as winemaker Rob Lawson explained, he has been able to capture the true flavors and regional character of the varietal by pairing New World technology with traditional techniques. The 2008 Mirror has aromas of blackberries, tobacco, dark fruit and spices.The palate is full with ripe and concentrated blackberries and black cherries. Its balanced acidity delivers a seamless harmony of fruit and tannins that integrate a clean and long lasting finish.

Robert Parker – 91 POINTS, Wine Advocate

2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia US$225

Dark in color. Rich aroma of mineral, baking spices, dark chocolate, graphite, and opulent plum and blackberry lead to a concentrated and balanced mouthfeel. Silky, well structured tannins, core black fruit and sweet oak notes from the estate vineyards create length and weight that will allow this beautiful wine to age, as well as remain approachable in its youth.

Robert Parker – 98 POINTS, Wine Advocate

Bond Quella Cabernet Sauvignon – US$345

A marvelous combination of blueberry liqueur intermixed with violets, earthy tobacco and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, majestically rich wine with a multilayered texture, silky tannins and a phenomenally long finish. Great aging potential.

Robert Parker – 97 POINTS, Wine Advocate

From Mendoza, Argentina:

Paul Hobbs is one example of a winemaker that has been able to showcase Cabernet’s true potential in Argentina. I think there is great opportunity for many other superior Cabernet Sauvignons in Argentina.

2005 BRAMARE MARCHIORI VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Deep garnet in color, this bold, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon boasts intense aromas of blackberry and red cherry. The palate is dense and complex, exploding with flavors of cassis, mocha and tobacco that are richly accented with notes of smoke and earth. The silky mouthfeel is supported by fine, well integrated tannins that persist through the long finish.

Robert Parker – 94 POINTS, Wine Advocate.

2005 COBOS NICO 2005 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Malbec

A vey refined, classic cedar and pencil-shaving nose. The fruit is extremely ripe and silky, but it retains that vigor and muscle. In the palate rich black fruit and well-integrated oak create a perfect balance. Rich and bold tannins together with its good acidity allow you to enjoy a real long finish.

Robert Parker – 98 POINTS, Wine Advocate.

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As you travel in this scenic area, you are almost always in view of a vine covered mountain or valley. Yountville was our first stop and I had the sensation I had arrived to THE perfect wine world. Restaurants, décor, perfect vines … a nearly perfect picturesque villa. We made a quick stop at Bottega, which I highly recommend, and headed to Chandon where we stopped to soothe our growing thirst and excitement.A cool glass of sparkling while lying on the grass and letting the bright sun warm our shoulders was a real treat for the senses and a true welcome to my wine trip.

Being my first time in Napa I was excited to discover this wine region. As Mendoza, it is consider to be part of the New World. So, being there, I could find the similarities in this classification, but it is very easy to find the differences as well.

In terms of geography, Mendoza doesn’t look a bit like Napa Valley. Napa looks much more as the wine regions in Chile, with vine covered hills and low altitude. Mendoza is about ten times bigger than the Napa Valley. However, despite its modest size, the Napa Valley is a region of enormous soil and topographical diversity. Vineyards are planted on the fertile valley floor, on the bench lands above the river, and on the thinner poor soils of the mountainsides.

The climate is quite different than Mendoza, as well. Napa, which gets a substantial amount of rain in the winter but almost none in the summer, is very hot in the summer. Mendoza does not have ANY rain in winter, and is actually is one of the driest wine regions on the planet. The other critical aspect to the terroir diversity of Napa is the effect of the ocean. As the Napa Valley is a warm, sunny region, the cooling fog that the hot Central Valley pulls in from the cold Pacific waters creates many different microclimates and is fundamental to moderating the warm temperatures. Mendoza has a climate that is 100% continental, with very warm summers and very cool winters and a very bright sun all year round!

In general terms, wineries from both regions share the same winemaking techniques. There is a sense of speaking the same wine language since in Mendoza and in Napa you talk of varietals more than appellations and the style of wines is quite similar. When tasting the wines you can better perceive these similarities. In many Cabernets, for example, I felt the same grandness you find in many of our Malbecs!

I’ll share more with you on my discovery of Cabernets from the region in my next post. Until then, salud!

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Monica Blanco, Rudolfo Menissi, Gabriel Blanco, Ricardo Menissi

The Vines of Mendoza hosts Winemaker’s Night every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. so wine aficionados can learn more about the history, techniques and vision of local wineries. Hosted in the outdoor patio tasting room, Argentinians and passing tourists alike can enjoy tasting some of the best local wines with the winemakers themselves. This past Wednesday, Gabriel and Mónica Blanco, who own and produce Mairena wines were our special guests, along with oenologists Rudolfo and Ricardo Menissi.

The Mairena Story: The Blanco Family is a full-fledged family winery. Of Spanish descent, the Blanco family wine production involves three generations, including Gabriel and Mónica and their five sons and daughters. In fact, the winery’s label Mairena comes straight from the family. Mónica Blanco wanted to name her fifth child Mairena, which is actually the name of a small pueblo in Southern Spain near the Sierra Nevadas. However, unlike other countries in which you can name your child whatever you like, Argentina only allows parents to name their child if the name is listed in a “permitted names book.” Unfortunately for the Blancos, Mairena had to be discarded. However, when they were considering the name for the wine label, they decided on Mairena because “they would take care of the wine like a child.”

Although the winery took up the family grape-growing tradition in the 1980s, it wasn’t until 2005 that the family was able to realize their dream of bottling their own wines. Starting with Malbec and Bonarda in 2005, Sauvignon Blanc in 2007, Torrontes in 2009, the family uses all of their own grapes except for the white Torrontes grapes they buy from Cafayate.

Winemaking Process: The family is in the process of constructing their own winery expected to be completed by 2012. All of the fields are located in Ugarteche, Lujan de Cuyo, which borders Valle de Uco, separated only by a hill between Lujan and Tupungato. This proximity gives the Mairena wines similar qualities to wines from Valle de Uco.

Ugarteche has an average height of 970 m, above sea level. The soil is sandy loam and its uneven nature favors isolation, which makes the land and excellent place for planting grapes. Additionally, the micro climate has a wide temperature, reaching 30 degrees Celsius during the day and dropping to 15 degrees Celsius at night. The winery uses a drip irrigation system and anti-hail nets.

Wine Tasting:

Mairena Torrontes 2011: It’s been just two years since the family began producing Torrontes from white wine grapes from Cafayate, Salta. This wine is expressive, explosive and fruity with a pale green and silver color. $38 pesos/$12 US dollars

Mairena Sauvignon Blanc 2011: A lemon-green color,  this Sauvignon is fresh and agreeable in the mouth and has fresh aroma notes of pineapple, grass, and citric fruits. It was noted during the tasting that is has a hint of ruda, which is commonly recognized in Sauvignon Blancs. Ruda is an Argentinean plant with a strong odor. In fact, the family says that it only ripens its Sauvignon Blanc grapes 80% so the wine will not lose its citric notes to this strong scent. With a short finish, this light and lively wine would pair well with sushi, ceviche, cheeses or enjoyed as an aperitif. $38 pesos/$12 US dollars

Mairena Malbec 2010:  A beautiful violet color, this Malbec maintains red fruit and plum primary colors as its complimented with secondary aromas of chocolate, coffee and cinnamon. Very delicate with smooth tannins that fill the mouth. Oak staves are inserted into the wine to create this elegant and feminine Malbec.~$45 pesos/$15 US dollars

Mairena Bonarda 2010: A deep violet characteristic of the Bonarda varietal, this wine has aroma hints of red fruits and blackberries as well as coffee and tobacco. As a single varietal, this Bonarda has lots of potential. $19 US dollars

Mairena Blend Reserve (30% Bonarda, 70% Malbec): When the family began making their own wine in 2005, Gabriel wanted to differentiate his family’s winery by focusing on Bonarda. The Menissi brothers insisted on taking advantage of Argentina’s powerhouse Malbec grape. So they decided to do both. This blend captures the family’s two opening stars with cherry and plum notes from the Malbec and raspberries from the Bonarda. Complex, balanced and pleasant with a slight sweet flavor and mild tannins. $90 pesos/ $39 U.S. dollars

Interesting Fact: Adding to the family bodega concept, Mairena’s two oenologists, Rudolfo and Ricardo Menissi, are brothers.

Winemaker Quotation: “You have to make what the market demands. But you also have to provide high quality,” said Gabriel Blanco.

Winemaker Night at The Vines of Mendoza Tasting Room | 7-9pm every Wednesday | $40 pesos  

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If you ask me, I would say wine is a part of my food pyramid ! However, as Fernando very well explains, if water and energy are scarce resources in the future, no doubt the wine industry will have to struggle to compete with the basic foods.

So UC Davis winery is the first of its kind to receive LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating for environmental design and construction, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)

Here is what it takes for it to be Leed certified:

* This sustainable winery building has a large-capacity system for capturing rainwater and conserving processing water. The stored rainwater will be used for landscaping and toilets.

* The winery also has been designed to capture carbon dioxide, a natural byproduct of fermentation, from a port in each of the new fermentors. An innovative process is used to remove the carbon dioxide from the winery, reducing the building’s energy requirements for air quality and temperature control, making it possible to sequester the captured carbon dioxide so that it will not contribute to global warming.

* Other environmentally responsible features include maximum use of natural light, rooftop photovoltaic cells to provide all of the facility’s power at peak load, new food-processing equipment that minimizes energy and water requirements, use of recycled glass in the flooring, interior paneling recycled from a 1928 wooden aqueduct, and use of lumber harvested from sustainably certified forest operations.

Another really interesting aspect is the technology applied in each of their small fermentors.The facility has what is believed to be the world’s first wireless wine-fermentation system, a multimillion dollar assembly of 152 wireless grape fermentors, designed, fabricated and donated by a team of research engineers led by T.J. Rodgers, the founder, president and chief executive officer of San Jose, Calif.-based Cypress Semiconductor.

Each of the 200-liter, electro-polished, stainless steel fermentors is individually equipped for automated control of temperature and the “pump-over” process, controlling two of the most important factors in determining final wine characteristics and quality.The new fermentor sensors frequently and precisely extract and transmit sugar-concentration data from white and red fermentations across a wireless network. Data from the sensors can be generated every 15 minutes with a precision of 0.25 Brix, a measure of sugar content.

I have to say that although I did not taste any wine in this winery, it was without any doubt one of the highlights of my wine trip to California. It is good to have young professionals like Fernando who are thinking green and who can help Argentina to understand the importance of applying sustainable concepts while making outstanding wine

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Friends at the Vines' Sensory Experience

Wet earth. Licorice. Mushrooms. Perhaps these aren’t the first aromas you search for in a wine. My family and I recently underwent a “sensory experience” at the Vines of Mendoza. We were led into a private tasting room and guided by sommeliers to try a variety of containers with different scents. While some were easy to identify, such as cinnamon, others were more challenging, like leather or black currant. It was fun passing around the different aromas and trying to guess what is was, but it was also educational. For me, my mind often recalls an aroma within the wine, but can’t put a name to it.

We then smelled and tasted five different local wines:

Montecinco 2009, 100% Malbec: Cedar, spice, blackberry, peppery and floral notes

Urraca Primera Blend 2006, 36% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot: Plum, red quince

Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc 2008: Ripe blackberry, cinnamon, black pepper

Monteviejo Blend 2006, 80% Malbec, 20% Syrah: black cherries, clove, caramel, smoke

Mendel Unus 2008, 70% Malbec, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon: spice box, incense, lavender, earth notes, black currant, blackberry, hint of balsamic

I recently heard the anecdote from a sommelier that when she was a little girl, she was a very picky and precocious child so whenever she ate anything, she had to smell it first. However, little did she know, that her smelling habits would pay off and train her mind to recognize scents in wine later on in life. They say in the wine world, Taste, Taste, Taste. Perhaps we should add, Smell, Smell, Smell. I now find myself smelling everything when I’m cooking: fruits, spices, sweets. It truly heightens your awareness of the flavors that you can actually experience in the wines. Even more interesting are the personal flavors people recognize from their memory. Perhaps a certain floral aroma reminds you of a lavender perfume your mother wore growing up or a specific spice, like cloves, reminds you of Christmas, depending on where you’re from. Everyone’s pallet is different, so what one person may smell or taste in the wine can be different from someone else’s. For example, in the Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc 2008, I sense an overwhelming scent of fresh green pepper. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t listed as an aroma for the wine. However, it doesn’t mean necessarily that you’re wrong if it’s not listed on the bottle.

Interesting facts on Detecting Aromas:

Of the five senses, smell is the most acute, approximately 1,000 times more sensitive than the sense of taste.

Smell and taste are the chemical senses because their receptors are stimulated by chemical molecules, rather than by energy from light, pressure, or sound.

While smell is the most easily stimulated of the human senses, it is also the most fragile. There is a great variation between individuals in the elements to which they are sensitive. A person’s absolute threshold is the smallest amount of stimulus required to produce a sensation. Once that threshold is reached, unless trained, the individual can only recognize and unconsciously catalog the smell as either “familiar” or “new.”

To date, scientists have cataloged over 17,000 different smells; about 10,000 can be distinguished by humans.

Sources: LaMar, J. (2011, Sept 27). Sensory user’s manual. Retrieved from http://www.winepros.org/wine101/sensory_guide.htm

Happily, with training, concentration, and practice, nearly anyone can learn to dissect and describe complex aromas!

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

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Once I started visiting vineyards in Napa, I was surprised to find Malbec in almost every vineyard estate I visited – a small number of acres, but still there. Malbec is part of the Bordeaux grapes and as such, it was planted in these vineyards together with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

An important difference, though, in the Malbec between Napa and Argentina is the clone identification. All Malbec in California was brought from France and is identified with a clone classification. Historically, Argentine vintners have not engaged in selecting clones. A less than rigorous attention to clonal selection means that Malbec vineyards in Mendoza consists of massal populations, a highly heterogeneous, haphazard mix of clones throughout the vineyard, but still with amazing results. That being said, there are some important wineries in Argentina, such as Catena Zapata and Tempus Alba, among a few others, that have invested in clonal identification. There is a need for Malbec clones with improved quality-based characteristics such as low yield, plant balance, and fruit concentration. So while doing berry tastings with Rob Lawson, consultant winemaker at The Vines, I could see the bunches looked bigger – bigger berries and rather tasteless, I have to say. And when talking to winemakers they would agree that it is a difficult grape for them, but it is still used  in their Cabs to add some complexity.

But there is definitely an attempt to know more about Malbec in California and fortunately I had the chance to go and visit UC Davis where I met Fernando Buscema – Research and Development Director in Catena Zapata and currently a UC Davis Grad Student doing research about Malbec with Roger Boulton.

Fernando Buscema is conducting a comparative study on wines made from Malbec, grown in Argentina, California, and Washington state. The goal of this study is to determine what areas are best for growing Malbec and what sensory profiles the wines from these areas possess. This information will provide a tool to develop new Malbec vineyards in the United States, as well as inform growing and grape purchasing decisions for those already in production. So, he guided me through the amazing, state-of-the art, sustainable building – which deserves a separate chapter – and while he explained the protocols of the winemaking in this research he inoculated the recently harvested Malbec in California.

Fernando has made wine from 28 vineyards in Argentina that now he will be comparing that with 16 other vineyards in California and Washington. He is a passionate winemaker and you can easily see his enthusiasm to learn more about Malbec. The more we know about it the better, he explains. Having access to one of the most high-tech labs, and to learn from well-known professors like Roger Boulton is a privilege that not many winemakers have. He is convinced this doesn’t create any competition, rather it is a study to build up knowledge to continue improving and making the best Malbecs in the world.

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Monte Cinco Owner Arturo Berdona (left) with Oenologist Marcos Maza (middle) at the Vines of Mendoza’ Winemakers’ Night

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring in Mendoza, as well as Students’ Day. We decided to join the celebration by hosting a Winemakers’ Night on our patio with the boutique family winery Monte Cinco.

Who are they: Monte Cinco as a label started ten years ago with Malbec in the Agrelo region of Lujan de Cuyo. However, the Berdona family has been involved in wine since the beginning of the 1900s when they moved from Viamonte, Italy to South America. First trying to settle in Brazil, the family moved on to Mendoza, Argentina, where they found the right conditions to grow their grapes. Thus, this long family history of winemaking has yielded vines as old as 85 years on their land.

Winemaking Process: The grapes are handpicked April 7-10 in one harvest and stored in 14 kg plastic boxes and then transported and destemmed at the winery. The grapes then go through a double selection process to ensure the best grapes are chosen for Monte Cinco wine. Before being fermented, the grapes go through cold maceration for three to four days. Maceration is the process in which tannins, anthocyanins and flavor compounds are leached from the grapes skins, seeds and stems into the must. This is how red wine gets its color. Cold maceration specifically keeps temperatures low to encourage extraction by water and added sulfur dioxide rather than relying principally on heat and alcohol to act as a solvent. The wines are then fermented in stainless steel tanks and fermented with selected yeasts and then aged in American and French oak barrels. The winemaker mentioned that the winery prefers to use American oak barrels.

Wine Tasting:

Petit Verdot 2007: The wine aged 4 months in oak barrel and 11 months in bottle. An intense violet color (the cold maceration seems to have intensified all of the hues of Monte Cinco’s wines), the Petit Verdot has complex aromas of spices and chocolate with a nice structure and a medium finish.

Malbec 2007: A well-balanced Malbec with an intense red color and violet tones. A very smooth texture with aromas of red fruits, spices and a hint of vanilla and chocolate. I personally preferred the 2007 over the 2009 for its pleasing smooth texture.

Malbec 2009: This wine was rated 92 points by Wine Enthusiast magazine. The magazine describes the wine in its review as “Cedar and spice are the lead aromas, and beyond that there’s blackberry, pepper and floral notes that rain complexity down on the bouquet. The palate is superrich, a bit tannic and deep as night, with black fruit, espresso, syrup and spice flavors. Finishes brawny and long, with toasty richness. Drink now through 2013.”

Interesting Fact:

Monte Cinco has won many awards for its wine including the Grand Gold Medal at the 2008 International Malbec Competition and the 2003 Gold Medal Malbec Award at Vinandino. Because the winery won the Vinandino award on an odd year (2003), the winery only releases wines on odd years to continue the success.

Winemaker Quotation: “Petit Verdot reaches higher quality in Argentina and will one day make history here.”

Learn more about Monte Cinco wines by watching our interview with him in 2009.

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On a recent bike & wine trip in Lujan de Cuyo, I had the pleasure of visiting Tapiz winery. In terms of winery tours, Tapiz is one of the less visited wineries, perhaps because its surrounded by big players such as Chandon and Norton. However, in my experience, usually whatever a winery lacks in size, it makes up for in personalized attention. Such was the case at Tapiz when my family and I were treated to a two-hour individual tour around Tapiz’s vineyards and buildings.

Interestingly, Tapiz, or tapestry, used to be owned by American wine mogul Jess Jackson (read: Kendall Jackson). He acquired the winery in 1996, but when Argentina’s economy tanked in 2001, he cashed out of the Mendoza winery business. Today the winery is owned by an Argentinean family that resides in Buenos Aires. The winery also lays claim to Club Tapiz and Casa Zolo, a fine dining restaurant and guesthouse on a historical estate in Maipu, and produces several lines of olive oil.

If you’ve gone on several wine tours, you realize there is somewhat of a pattern in most wine tours: a history of the winery, a tour of the vineyard, a tour of the winemaking facilities and a winetasting session. However, the best bodegas add their own touch of flair to the visit. There are three unique characteristics about this winery tour that stand out in my mind.

First off, I don’t think I’ve ever met a tour guide so enthusiastic about his job. Juan, a native Argentinean who gives tours in English and Spanish, explained to us that he studied tourism throughout college despite protests by family and friends because it was his passion. Juan has now been giving tours at Tapiz for two years and shares a contagious excitement for Tapiz, visitors from abroad and wine in general.

Secondly, the llamas. I still get giddy when I see llamas and this visit was no exception. However, please note that llamas are skiddish animals and will run away if you try to chase or take a photo with them…. Tapiz keeps the llamas for the natural fertilizer, but also have a corporate social responsibility aim for the animals. When the llamas’ hair is sheared, Tapiz will give the hair to the grape pickers, who usually are seasonal workers from Peru and Bolivia, so the women in the family can weave the hair into clothing and then sell their products at Tapiz. Thus, they will have a supplement to their income when they are seasonally unemployed.

Finally, Tapiz does a great wine tasting in which you can compare a wine from the tank to its final product. In our case, we tried a Torrontes, a Sauvignon Blanc and of course, a Malbec. If you’re interested in trying their wines, look for their Tapiz line (within this line, all carry the name Tapiz except their organic wine Spirit of the Andes and their ultrapremium Malbec Black Tears) and Zolo. Visit the winery yourself for 25 pesos or for free if you decide to take a nice wine home for yourself.

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

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