When most
think of Argentine wine country they think first of Mendoza. Another Argentine wine country best is Argentina's Salta
Province, where colorful, grandiose landscape is a totally
awesome experience. This video on the Quebrada de Cafayate, Salta Province features the scenic landscape. However, while Salta Province is known for its spectacular scenery it also is known for
its high quality wines.
When we cross into Salta Province on Ruta 40 we drove north to the town of Cafayate. The Cafayate wine region is a sub-region within Salta Province, which
is held in high regard for the overall quality of its wine. Cafayate is
located in the southern part of Valles Calchaquíes, with an
altitude of more than 1,800 meters. This high elevation enables Cafayate to
produce high quality wines.
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Cafayate Wine Country © Spaswinefood
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| Cafayate Street Side Dining © Spaswinefood |
In Cafayate, also known as the Cradle of Folklore, we decided to check out the wines and get to know this region. Our timing was perfect because Cafayate was
getting ready for a wine festival. Some of the local artists were painting wall murals for the wine celebration, as part of the Serenade
to Cafayate. At the same time, the indigenous
people, Kallchaki, began their celebrations.
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| Mural for Serenade to Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| Colorful Costumes, Kallchaki Celebrations © Spaswinefood |
The Cafayate wine region is best known for Torrontés, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec,
Tannat and Merlot. Just like Malbec has drawn attention to Mendoza Province so
has Torrontés to Salta Province. We especially enjoyed discovering
Cafayate and exploring the wineries in the area. While in Cafayate one of
the wineries we visited was Bodega El Esteco.
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| Bodega El Esteco, Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
Bodega El
Esteco
Bodega El Esteco produces several well-known labels, including Elementos, Don
David and Ciclos. By Argentine standards a wine tasting at
Bodega El Esteco can be on the expensive side because you have to buy a
“flight” of three to four wines in a series. Each taste is a glass of wine for each
wine series. So we each decided on a different flight for each of us and shared. We tried
all of them and end up buying because they were all good.
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| Wine tasting at Bodega El Esteco, Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
You can check out reviews of El
Esteco wines by Marks and Spenser, Natalie Mclean, Sedimentality, The Independent Wine Review, WineAccess and at Snooth. You might also want to check the description of a winery visit by Mónica Pons and Eduardo Epifanio.
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Bodega El Esteco wine with dinner © Spaswinefood
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If you are
looking for luxury accommodations in Cafayate then Patios
de Cafayate Hotel and Spa at the El Esteco is
worth exploring.
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Patio de Cafayate Hotel and Spa © Spaswinefood |
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| Landscape near La Casa de la Bodega © Spaswinefood |
Just
north of Cafayate, on Ruta 68, is the beautiful canyon, Quebrada de Cafayate on
the Rio Conchas. We took a day to explore the scenic
Quebrada de Cafayate. We unexpectedly discovered a small boutique wine
hotel, La Casa de la Bodega about 16 km northeast of Cafayate. Unfortunately, we were a
bit too late to taste their wines but we did take a tour of the hotel. If you want the best in a rural setting this is the place.
Getting
to/from Cafayate
Cafayate does
not have an airport and is only accessible by car or bus. The shortest route
(Ruta 68) is 165 kilometers of scenic, winding road from Salta, capital city of
Salta Province. Cafayate wineries, such as Bodega El Esteco are delightful to visit. It is well worth the trip.
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| Bodega El Esteco wine © Spaswinefood |
Sharon
September 2012
September 2012
© Spaswinefood
To paraphrase a friend, it was one of my favorite places.
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