Our drive
through Argentina's Salta Province was a totally
awesome experience. In Salta Province we experienced the most colorful,
grandiose landscape that you can imagine. Salta Province has some of the most
scenic driving routes in Argentina. However, not only is Salta known for its
scenery it is also known for its wines. Most of the wineries in Salta are located in, or
around the town of Cafayate.
This wine region is
held in high regard for the overall quality of its wine. Normally you would not
expect to find wines at this latitude. However, Cafayate is located in the southern part of
Valles Calchaquíes at an altitude of more than 1,800 meters. It is the high elevation that enables the
Cafayate wine region to produce high quality wines.
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| Vineyard at Bodegas Nubes, Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| North of Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| North of Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| North of Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
The region is known for its Torrontés, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec,
Tannat and Merlot. Just like Malbec has drawn attention to Mendoza Province so
has Torrontés for Salta Province. Torrontés is in fact the emblematic
grape of the region. We especially enjoyed discovering Cafayate and the
wineries in the area. Cafayate ’s Ruta Del Vino (wine route) begins near
Bodegas Etchart, which is located just at the entrance to the town.
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Bodegas Etchart, Cafayate © Spaswinefood
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Bodegas
Etchart
Our first stop was Bodegas Etchart founded
in 1850. It was acquired by Pernod-Ricard, a French company in 1996. The winery produces several very good wines, including a late
harvest Torrontés. Normally, we only did wine tastings at the wineries visited
but this time we took the Bodegas Etchart winery tour. The tour was unique in that they were
actually beginning the production of wine as we watched.
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| Bodegas Etchart, Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
After the tour
we tasted Bodega Etchart wines.
We liked the quality and so we bought several of their red
wines and the late harvest Torrontés. The
Etchart late harvest Cosecha Tardia Torrontés,
we had in the desert, near Colomé. Cosecha Tardia is a dessert wine that we
have put at the top of our list. I have yet to taste their new label “Gran
Linaje” luxury Torrontés. Check out
Bodegas Etchart wine reviews at Snooth and
Tanzer's
reviews posted at Vinisur.
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| Bodega Etchart wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Bodegas Etchart Cosecha Tardia 2009 © Spaswinefood |
+Torrontes+for+desert..JPG) |
Bodegas Etchart Cosecha Tardia 2009© Spaswinefood |
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 winding road from Salta, capital city of
Salta Province. Cafayate wineries were delightful to visit. Cafayate offers a
good range of restaurants and accommodations.
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| Street side dining in Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
Things to do and see in Cafayate
When we visited Cafayate the city was getting ready for a wine festival. Some of the local artists were painting wall murals for the Serenade to Cafayate wine celebration. At the same time, the indigenous people, Kallchaki, also began their celebrations. Cafayate not only has great wine, spectacular scenery to explore but is also known as the Cradle of Folklore.
For
more on my Spaswinefood
travels in Salta Province, Argentina and
elsewhere check out Spaswinefood, or visit my travel
column at the Examiner.
When we visited Cafayate the city was getting ready for a wine festival. Some of the local artists were painting wall murals for the Serenade to Cafayate wine celebration. At the same time, the indigenous people, Kallchaki, also began their celebrations. Cafayate not only has great wine, spectacular scenery to explore but is also known as the Cradle of Folklore.
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| Kallchaki Celebration © Spaswinefood |
Sharon
September 2012
© Spaswinefood
Cafayate is one of the best areas for Argentine wine.
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