From the makers of Zolo wines, Bodega Tapiz

The story of Tapiz

The story of Bodega Tapiz is certainly the opposite of most wineries in Argentina. In 1999 after investing in the Chilean wine industry, American giant wine company Kendall Jackson decided to invest on the other side of the Andes, and started Tapiz in Argentina. After the economic crisis in 2001/2002, the company decided to sell and an Argentine family was able to purchase the winery. Many family-owned wineries were unable to continue making wine after the crisis, and many international investors swooped in to purchase the wineries at a discounted price. The fact that Tapiz went the opposite way is certainly notable.

Representing Argentine wines: Zolo in the US

Bodega Tapiz is a giant: it makes 1,400,000 liters of wine per year, much of it destined for export to countries like the United States, where it's sold under the name Zolo. Along with Alamos, San Telmo, Norton, Chandon and Trumpeter, Zolo is one of the bulk imports from Argentina.

It owns vineyards in four regions of Argentina: Maipu, Valle de Uco, Salta, and Luján de Cuyo, and buys grapes from others. The vineyards in Salta are some of the highest in the world. The winery believes that 60% of its work happens in the vines, because without quality grapes, there can be no quality wine. Its goal is to create the best expression of each varietal in each zone. The name Tapiz, or tapestry, reflects the winery's different land, climate and factors that layer to make its product.

Tapiz (Zolo) wines

Tapiz's many wines fall into one of three lines: "classic" Tapiz, Reserve Tapiz and recently introduced to the market...Barrel Selection Tapiz. One interesting method the winery uses is the (what seems to be environmentally sustainable) method of using loose oak pieces in the classic line for their reds. The oak used this way shares more surface area to add new flavors to the wine. For its price, the Barrel Selection line doesn't seem worth it, in my humble opinion.

My fav: 2005 Reserve Malbec