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.

 

About Trapiche winery

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.

About the Trapiche vineyards

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.

About the Trapiche wines

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.

 

About the winemaker Daniel Pi

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.

Winemaker: Sergio Eduardo Casé

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.

Agronomist: Marcelo Belmonte

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.

 

Visiting Trapiche winery

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.

Video about Trapiche winery