Rick's Excellent Adventure in Argentina - Part 3

We are off and headed to the Catena Zapata Winery. Once we get there, Pablo Sanchez explains the root stock. He talks about the 145 different clones of Malbec that were planted, and the selection process they went through to narrow down the clones that they wanted to use. After much time, discussions and of course tastings they narrowed it down to 5 different clones.

We had a nice tour of the winery and tasted several different wines from the tanks. The taste difference between the wines at this stage and the finished product is amazing. We then went to several barrels of Chardonnay. We tasted the wine, it was very clear. We then learned how to stir or "rack" the wine with a paddle.


Once this was done, the wine became very cloudy and tasted very different. This process brings the sediment from the bottom and blends it back through the juice. Our next task was to fill barrels from the large tanks. We each had to fill a barrel and the trick is to fill it and not spill it. Well, I failed, but not too badly, only one of our team, Michelle, did not spill a drop.


Next we went into the tasting room and learned the history of how and why Malbec exploded in Mendoza, about the different vineyards and growing areas, and learned how and why Laura’s father decided to head for the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Laura talked to us about her efforts working with the government, trying to develop a map showing different appellations.

Next we learned how to blend a Malbec. At each seat was 6 glasses of wine. One of them was the final blend of the Catena Zapata Malbec, and the other five glasses contained wines from different Catena vineyards. Our job was to taste each of the five and determine the flavors in each. We then tasted the Malbec and had to determine what percentage of each was used to produce the final blend. Once completed, Laura would come over and taste your blend. Not to brag but when Laura tasted mine she said that it was delicious. She looked at my blend sheet and said that it was very close to the actual blend. They collected our blend sheet and we were off to lunch.

Another fantastic meal made ever better with Laura, Alejandro Vigil Head Winemaker for Catena and Pablo joining us. We talked and then Laura had to leave for a flight to Buenos Aires. When we went downstairs to the Hospitality Center and there on the table was 11 bottles of wine, and each had personalized label and mine said “Richard’s Blend”. While we were at lunch the winery staff took our blend sheets and produced a bottle of wine for each of us to match our sheet. Wow, I made a bottle of wine! I have yet to open it and taste but Labor Day is coming up so I may open and taste with the family and then take the rest to work to share with my co-workers.


We made it back the house. There was this wonderful little lady that was there to show us how to make Empanadas. God bless her, she was not a day under 90. We each made three and they were taken away to be cooked as part of the dinner. We all went out back to pavilion and had the chance to watch the making of our dinner of Rabbit Stew simmered in Chardonnay. Okay, here I go again, another food that I have never tried. The group would laugh at me at each meal. They called me the "Coors Light and Cheeseburger" guy. But in the end, with the help of my new friends, I did try about 95% of the food and to tell you the truth I liked just about every item I tried.