Trapiche is a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

in Mendoza,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. It was founded in 1883 and consists of over 1000 hectares between several Mendoza vineyards. It is a two-time winner of the

International Wine and Spirit Competition The International Wine & Spirit Competition is an annual wine and spirit competition founded in 1969 by the German/British oenologist Anton Massel. Each year the competition receives entries from over 90 countries worldwide. The awards given by ...

Argentine Wine Producer of the Year award, and is the largest producer of wine in Argentina. Trapiche is owned b
Grupo Peñaflor
one of the first ten wine producers in the world.

History

Trapiche was founded when Tiburcio Benegas bought property in Mendoza in 1883, which contained a small vineyard. Benegas named his property El Trapiche, and grew it to 6,653 hectares. When Benegas died in 1908, his business became Benegas e Hijos S.A., of which his son Pedro Benegas was the chief winemaker. Pedro Benegas created a number of new wines, including Fond de Cave, Broquel, Monitor, Crillon, Puento Viejo, Feudo Viejo, Trapiche Viejo, and Vezely. When Pedro Benegas died in 1943, the company was taken over by his sons and renamed Benegas Hermanos. In 1971, Benegas Hermanos was sold to the Pulenta family, who renamed the company Peñaflor S.A. Peñaflor continued to produce and modify its existing Trapiche, Broquel, and Puente Viejo wines, while developing new brands and its white wines.

DLJ Merchant Banking Partners aPriori Capital Partners is a private equity investment firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions. The firm was founded as an affiliate of Credit Suisse and traces its roots to Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, the investment bank acquired by ...

acquired the Pulenta family's stake in Penaflor and Trapiche in 2002 and arranged to export Trapiche to over 40 countries, including to the United States through American wine importers Frederick Wildman & Sons. In 2002, Daniel Pi was appointed Chief Winemaker and

oenologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

, who consolidated all of Trapiche's winemaking and viticulture. Pi also helped establish Trapiche's line of single vineyard Malbecs, and established the Tributo winery. In 2010, the Bemberg family acquired Grupo Peñaflor’s full stock of shares.

Wine brands

Trapiche produces many of its

varietals A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

under the Trapiche brand name, largely coming from selected vineyards in the "high area of the Mendoza River and in the east region of Mendoza." These include a

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Merlot,

Torrontés Torrontés is a white grape variety, mostly produced and known in Argentine wine, producing fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose.Robinson, Jancis '' ...

, Rosé, Viognier, and a

Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

. Trapiche sells a yearly set of single-vineyard

s, created by Daniel Pi as a way to show an appreciation for smaller, individual Mendoza vineyards, some of which were cited by ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

'' as "the best wines that Trapiche has ever produced." As part of the Trapiche Single Vineyard Malbec series, Pi selects three of the best Malbec grape growers in Mendoza each year.

Awards

Trapiche was named ''Impact Magazines 2007, 2008 and 2009 "Hot Brand." It was named the "Argentinian wine producer of the year" in 2004 and 2008 by the

. Trapiche wines are also frequently named to '' Wine and Spirits Magazines Value Brands of the Year list, noting, "It's wineries like Trapiche that have given Argentina a name for value. The brand has been a regular among our Value Brands of the Year."

References

External links

Official Facebook page for TrapicheInternational Wine and Spirits CompetitionWines of ArgentinaFrederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd.
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107043503/http://frederickwildman.com/wildmansite/wmphp/winery.php3 , date=2009-01-07 Wineries of Argentina Argentine brands Wine brands Companies established in 1883 Mendoza winery