Memories of Mendoza

I joke a fair bit about Boo putting me on a No Buy Leash, but he is serious and I generally try and limit my purchases as much as can realistically be expected. Sometimes there is simply no choice in the matter though and I have to buy the bottle - regardless of the consequences at home.

Plus, this time I was pretty sure Boo wasn't going to be upset at all. After all, I was truly surprised to see this wine on a local shelf and there was no telling if it would be a one-off or a new regular to Vancouver.

1290.  2009 Tapiz Torrontés (Mendoza - Argentina)

Boo and I have some incredible memories of our time in Argentina back in 2010. Without a doubt, it would take no arm twisting to get either of us to return to dig a little deeper into an amazing world. One of our fondest memories was staying at Club Tapiz for two nights while in Mendoza. While planning the trip, I'd thought that it'd be special to spend a couple of nights at an Argentine winery. We managed to succeed but it wasn't the easiest of tasks. The possibilities are definitely expanding nowadays as wine tourism grows but, even as short as three years ago, the opportunities were limited.

Finding our winery accommodation is where Lucila Planas of Exotic Patagonia came in. She suggested we stay at Club Tapiz. We did and we loved it! Part of an estate that dates back to 1890, our stay included a walk through the vineyard (despite a pending thunderstorm), evening cocktails with the other guests, a wander through the old winery and dinner at their acclaimed restaurant.

Ironically, we couldn't fit in a tour of the current Tapiz winery. It was a couple of miles down the road and we didn't realize that until we'd already fully booked our limited time there.

And, to make matters "worse," we didn't really have an opportunity to bring back Tapiz wines. Canadian customs are such that each person is allowed to bring back a whopping two bottles of wine and Boo and I were well over our limit by the time we had to make our decisions about picking up some Tapiz wines. Considering we'd enjoyed two Tapiz tastings and wine at our dinner, we had to decide to pass on more bottles and had to keep our hands in our pockets.

That's why it was so exciting to see a bottle locally.

The winery is well established and produces a couple dozen different wines under the Tapiz label (and further wines under the second Zolo brand) - from the expected Malbec (including young vines, select label, reserve and single vineyard icon), Bonarda and Torrontés to the more adventurous sparkling wines, reserve cab sauv and a special edition blend of all three "signature" Argentine grapes.

I don't know if the Torrontés would have been my first choice if I were forced to only pick one bottle of Tapiz while in Mendoza but, then again, beggars can't be choosers. We chilled it down as soon as I got home and served it up with that Argentine culinary delight, panini. Okay, maybe panini isn't so much an Argentine delight - but the tropical fruitiness matched well with the melted cheeses and prosciutto.

If we ever make it back to Mendoza, we'd definitely look into staying at Club Tapiz again. In the mean time, we'll just have to remind ourselves with the odd bottle of Tapiz wine when we come across them.