Architecture, Boutique, Hotel Winery
Villa Santa Maria is a family winery which was started in 2004 and today has over 20 hectares of vineyards planted in the sub-region of São Bento do Sapucaí within the Serra da Mantiqueira wine region.
The mountainous region is popular for climbers and adventure sports, and a visit to this natural beauty spot can end with wine tasting in the winery or at their Bruschetteria da Villa restaurant.
Cruzat winery is an iconic sparkling wine producer in Argentina. Today it is the only winery in Argentina which is focused exclusively on traditional-method sparkling wine, combining tradition with technology and the experience of the expert winemakers. The extensive sparkling portfolio includes one wine which has spent over 10 years on the lees!
You can visit the winery which offers a host of dynamic experiences for both adults and children, as one of the few wineries in Argentina that is ‘kid-friendly’ with family-style activities. While sipping on Cruzat’s fine bubbles you can also absorb the stunning views of the vineyard and Andes mountains from the terrace.
Cruzat winery was started in 2004 with the singular ambition of making Argentina’s top sparkling wines. A venture between a group of four Chilean businessmen and Argentine sparkling winemaker extraordinaire Pedro Rosell, the goal was to make top end, traditional method sparkling wines seeking out the best terroirs in Mendoza to grow grapes and building a state-of-the-art winery to produce the wine.
Seeking out well-draining, high-altitude vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, the grapes are all handpicked and taken to the winery. The winery was designed to reflect a medieval style, a homage to the thousands of years it has taken to perfect the art of sparkling winemaking, and offers an ideal space for an entirely traditional method (Champenoise) production with long ageing on the lees and in the cellar.
Cruzat uses different vineyard sites in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley for their sparkling wine range. For the Premier line, Cruzat uses grapes from their own vineyards in Perdriel in Luján de Cuyo. The vineyard is located at an altitude of 1,100 metres above sea level on average and has rocky river soils.
The Cuvée, Single Vineyard and Millésime lines all come from vineyards in the Uco Valley, in San José de Tupungato (at 1,400 m.a.s.l.) and in Vista Flores (1,000 m.a.s.l.). The loamy, rocky soils are well-draining which combine with the high altitude for wines of vibrant acidity and intense fruit concentration.
Pedro Rosell is one of the most experienced sparkling winemakers in South America with a long career in Mendoza that spans five decades and experience in Champagne. Pedro has been a sought-after specialist in bubbly throughout his career and worked in several of the most esteemed sparkling wine productions around Mendoza, before starting with Cruzat.
“Patience, hard work and dedication are the key to obtaining good results in the world of wines,” says Pedro Rosell about the winery’s philosophy for making wines that are worth the wait.
Pedro’s right-hand woman, Lorena Mulet is one of the most promising winemakers of her generation and has specialised in sparkling wine since the beginning of her career. She originally studied under Pedro at University before working several years heading up the sparkling wine production in other wineries and working as a consultant. In 2011, Pedro recruited her to work full time as the main winemaker of Cruzat, where they continue to work together to this day.
All of the Cruzat wines are made with selected bunches of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in the traditional method. The first fermentation is usually a period of 12 months and the second fermentation on the lees starts at a minimum of 12 months up to ten years, depending on the wine.
The Cruzat Premier sparkling wines are made with grapes from Luján de Cuyo and spends 12 months in the making. The Premier wines are youthful, fresh wines with crisp floral and fruit aromas which distinguish their quality and style. Within the range, there is currently a Nature, Extra Brut, Rosé Extra Brut and Dulce.
The Cuvée line is the winery’s grand reserve line using their grapes from the Uco Valley, which enable them to achieve sparkling wines fuller body with defined aromas, a mature but approachable character with a persistent, creamy and firm mousse. The Cuvée range, which spends 24 months on the lees, includes Nature, Extra Brut and Extra Brut Rosé.
Coming from their Finca La Dama vineyard in Vista Flores in the Uco Valley, this Single Vineyard wine is from a specially selected site where calcareous soils help offer a sparkling wine with great character, structure and complexity. This 100% Chardonnay (Blanc de Blanc) spends six years on the lees and is elegant but complex, with aromas of toasted brioche and vanilla with an undertone of fresh citrus and floral aromas.
This is Argentina’s most iconic sparkling wine made with grapes from Tupungato in the Uco Valley which spends 10 years on the lees! It is one of the longest-aged sparkling wines of South America and combined with the addition of a liquor de tirage which has been aged for 20 years on the lees, it is an extremely complex and profound sparkling wine with layers pastry, orchard fruit, mineral and spice aromas. The current vintage on the market is 2006 and has been made with two editions – a blend (of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) and a Blanc de Noir (100% Pinot Noir). Millésime is the result of years of dedication and passion in each detail of the wine.
Cruzat recently launched two Chardonnay and Pinot Noir PetNat wines (pétillant naturel), which come from a method that was discovered by accident in France in the 16th century. Also called the ancestral method, these PetNat wines are made from bottling the wine before the first fermentation has finished to capture a light sparkle in the wine. Fresh, authentic and with their own unique personality, Cruzat’s PetNat wines are unfiltered, lightly cloudy and have no added sugar or sulphites.
If you are a sparkling wine lover, then Cruzat is one of the best wineries to visit in South America with a tourism team and engaging, creative tastings which allow you to experience the art of fascinating bubbles.
There are several visits you can choose from at Cruzat winery, including:
A classic tasting of three of Cruzat’s Premier and Cuvée sparkling wines with a tour of the winery.
This in-depth visit gives you the opportunity to make your own bottle of sparkling wine by adding the dosage, corking and labelling your own bottle.
This family-style tour is great for children as well as the parents and includes activities designing labels for children, and wine tasting for the adults.
This exclusive tasting includes a tasting of Cruzat’s top sparkling wines, Millésime and the La Dama Single Vineyard as well as the Cuvée line.
You can enjoy the gardens of Cruzat and sparkling wines with this special picnic experience, including empanadas, charcuterie and fizz!
The winery is open Monday through Saturday for visits and tastings, which need to be booked in advance online. The terraza is ideal for an afternoon spent enjoying the stunning view and sipping the delicious creations of Cruzat. Previous books are also recommended.
Find out more about tourism and visits on their website
Trapiche is one of the most emblematic wineries in Argentina and also one of the largest producers with a diverse range of wines from all over Argentina. The flagship winery of the Peñaflor group, you’ll find Trapiche winery in Maipú in a beautiful 1912 Florentine building which was lovingly restored in recent years.
With over 1,250 hectares of their own vines and purchasing fruit from growers, the portfolio of Trapiche wines is one of Argentina’s most diverse and you won’t run out of wines to taste over lunch at the Espacio Trapiche restaurant.
Trapiche winery was first founded in 1883, making it one of the oldest wineries in Argentina. Although it is a historic winery, it has been instrumental in introducing changes to the Argentine wine industry with many innovations throughout its history – including bringing some of the first French oak barrels into the country and developing micro-terroir single-vineyard wines.
With its enormous wine portfolio, Trapiche can also claim to be one of the most prized wineries in Argentina with an abundance of awards under its belt.
The winery itself was originally built over a hundred years ago but lay abandoned for decades. When the group repurchased the building, it was carefully restored and relaunched as a winery in 2008 with a tasting room and later a restaurant for visitors.
Trapiche owns over 1,250 hectares of vineyards which are mainly located in Mendoza. Trapiche also works with hundreds of different growers in Mendoza and beyond. As part of their commitment to their growers, Trapiche launched its grower series and single-vineyard range in 2003, in which the grower was named on the label of the wine.
Trapiche winery has a plethora of labels to discover. Here are some highlights:
Iscay is an iconic range in Argentina and best become known for offering two blends which were quite radical in Argentina at the time: Malbec and Cabernet Franc, and Syrah with Viognier. The wines are juicy, driven and bright.
The Trapiche Terroir Series is the modern incarnation of the original grower series in 2003, and now highlights some of the key vineyards and terroirs that Trapiche produce wine in. The range includes single vineyard Malbec and Chardonnay, which highlight the terroir differences and nuanced character of each place. This is a nice line for soil geeks!
Gran Medalla has been a well-known premium range of Trapiche’s for many years, renowned for making concentrated monovarietal wines focused on varietal expression. Within the range, there is a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Medalla is the second label of this series with more youthful expressions.
Fond de Cave is another long-established brand which has a Gran Reserva, Reserva and classic line, all of which are focused on varietal expression and usually made from a blend from Mendoza terroirs. There are also a handful of Trapiche lines which include Trapiche Reserva – a premium line of concentrated wines; Trapiche Puro and Impuro – duos of wines contrasting unoaked (10 months in cement) and oaked (10 months in barrel) winemaking styles respectively; Trapiche Perfiles – a series of three wines comparing soil profiles; and two Trapiche sparkling wines.
Alaris is the entry level, everyday range of wines by Trapiche which offer good value wines which are released in their youth and ready to enjoy on release.
By the coast, Trapiche also has their sister winery Costa y Pampa where they produce an exciting range of fresh, maritime wines, highlights of which include Albariño and Sauvignon Blanc.
One of the best-known winemakers of Argentina, Daniel Pi has been instrumental in establishing Trapiche’s contemporary wine identity and reputation in the last three decades. Born and raised in Mendoza, he studied winemaking at Don Bosco and has continued his training throughout his career by making technical trips in Europe and North America.
He started working for Peñaflor in 1992 and spearheaded their El Esteco winery in the Calchaquis Valleys in 1998, developing their exciting range of wines from northern Argentina. He returned to Trapiche in 2003 and has been instrumental in developing their wine regions and wines from San Juan and Mendoza, as well as pioneering the wine region of Chapadmalal in 2009.
An innovative and daring winemaker, Daniel has been responsible for some of the most important innovations within the group’s wine portfolio and he has been Winemaking Director for the group since 2010.
Read Amanda’s interview with Daniel Pi for Decanter online.
Sergio Eduardo Casé is the day to day winemaker at Trapiche and is in charge of the high-end wines in particular. Born into a winemaking family, he started working with his winemaker father at the age 13 and hasn’t looked back since. He has worked vintages and taken technical trips in a range of wine regions around the world including Bordeaux, Champagne, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tuscany and Napa. He has been winemaker at Trapiche since 2010.
After studying Agricultural Sciences at the Cuyo University in Mendoza, Marcelo went to UC Davis to do a Masters in viticulture. Since 2004, he has led the team of agronomists at Trapiche and in the Peñaflor group and is in charge of overseeing the diverse vineyards they have around different wine regions in Argentina. He has been instrumental in developing Trapiche’s technical understanding and soil mapping of their vineyards, and helped develop the innovative Costa & Pampa vineyard in Chapadmalal with Daniel Pi in 2009.
The beautiful winery can be visited any day of the week and there are a handful of different tasting experiences to choose from ranging from the classic tour and tasting with three wines from different ranges to an icon tasting with their top wines.
A highlight of any visit to Trapiche is their excellent winery restaurant, Espacio Trapiche. In a modern restaurant built in the garden and overlooking the stunning 1912 winery and gardens, renowned chef Lucas Bustos and his team serve an accomplished menu of ‘km 0’ cuisine – using local ingredients, many of which are sourced from their own biodynamic gardens and farm on site. You can either experience their three course tasting menu paired with wines, or linger over the seven-course tasting menu. The restaurant is open Friday through Sunday for lunch.
You can visit for tours and tastings any day from 10 am, with the last visit scheduled for 3.30 pm. Booking in advance is recommended especially for a table at the popular restaurant.
Read more about the experience at Espacio Trapiche in our article on the restaurant.
Benegas winery in Luján de Cuyo is one of Mendoza’s more historic wineries – the Benegas family first established their winery in 1883. That winery, Trapiche, was sold eventually but the fourth generation vigneron, Federico Benegas, bought back one of the old vineyards and its bodega in 1999 and the Benegas family wine production was reborn.
A visit to the 1901 Benegas winery is inevitably a step back in time, especially with the museum of winemaking relics from the last century. There’s also an excellent poncho collection and an atmospheric tasting in the cellar awaits. Try the Cab Franc.