I have dreamt of returning to Cafayate, in Northwestern Argentina ever since we first visited the area. Right at the top of this Spaswinefood enthusiast's list was staying at Patios de Cafayate, Bodega El Esteco wine hotel when we returned. It is hard to beat staying here while visiting Valles Calchaquíes wineries. The high desert scrub landscape is an amazing contrast against the stunning vineyards scattered throughout the valley. Moreover, Patios de Cafayate, surrounded by 1000 acres of vineyard, is an ideal place to relax at the end of the day after exploring Salta Ruta Del Vino wine country.
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| Evening Reflections, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| Late Evening, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
When the estate was founded in 1740 it was first known as La Rosa. At that time La Rosa was surrounded by a cattle ranch. In 1892 La Rosa Winery was founded and the rest is history. La Rosa estate opened a hotel in 1998, with expansion and updating in 2004 it was renamed Patios de Cafayate. Today the historic resort, surrounded by vineyards, is also home to El Esteco, one of Argentina's top wineries. During Spaswinefood’s recent summer stay at Patios de Cafayate we enjoyed rediscovering local wineries and visiting some for the first time.
Patios de Cafayate Wine Hotel
If you are looking for relaxing vineyard accommodations in Cafayate then Patios de Cafayate Wine Hotel at Bodega El Esteco tops the list.
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| Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
This colonial style hotel has large rooms, a large, well maintained garden, beautiful pool area, and delightful courtyard, patio and veranda areas. We enjoyed seeing horses, llamas and other animals grazing on the property during our stay. Those looking for peaceful, wine inspired accommodations in Cafayate vineyards this is the place.
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| Llama, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| Mom and Baby Llamas, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
Early morning and late evenings was a perfect time to view the animals feeding.
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| Llamas Grazing, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
I also discovered that the hotel has a garden area where herbs are grown for use in their restaurant, La Rosa.
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| Herb Garden, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
Relaxing at Patios de Cafayate
Each evening before dinner El Esteco Sparkling Wines were served in the lobby.
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| Bodega El Esteco Sparkling Wine, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
During our stay we so enjoyed those before dinner wines.
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| Wine Time, Patios de Cafayate Courtyard © Spaswinefood |
Relaxing in the courtyard, or on the veranda with a glass of wine was perfection at its best.
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Courtyard, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood
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| Veranda, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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Restaurante La Rosa, Patios de Cafayate
Restaurante La Rosa serves breakfast daily for its guests, with lunch and dinner available for both guests and non-guests at the hotel.
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| Entrance, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
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| Restaurante La Rosa, Patios de Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
Each day before setting out for our Salta wine country explorations we enjoyed those tasteful and filling breakfasts. During our stay we had a number of dinners at the restaurant.
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| Appetizer, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
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| Salad, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
While most delight in ordering that fabulous Argentine beef I ate those wonderful pasta dishes.
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| Pasta, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
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| Delightful Paste, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
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| Lasagna, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
If you like chocolate inspired desserts this is the place. Yes, I tried a few.
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| Dessert, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
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| More Dessert, Restaurante La Rosa © Spaswinefood |
Besides savoring those awesome Torrontés wines from Cafayate we enjoyed a number of other El Esteco wines during our stay.
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| Bodega El Esteco, 1946 Old Vines Malbec 2015 © Spaswinefood |
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| 1946 Old Vines Malbec 2015 © Spaswinefood |
Bodega El Esteco
While in Cafayate we revisited Bodega El Esteco, which produces several well-known labels, such as Elementos, Don David and Ciclos. You can arrange a wine tasting at the hotel, or visit the Bodega next door. Later I will write about our bodega visit.
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| Tasting Area, Bodega El Esteco © Spaswinefood |
Cafayate wine country, a sub-region within Salta Province, is held in high regard for the overall quality of its wine. It is located in the southern part of Valles Calchaquíes, with an altitude of more than 1,800 meters. We especially enjoyed rediscovering the town of Cafayate and we visiting many of the nearby wineries.
Five days after arriving in Cafayate we returned to Salta City. It was bitter sweet as we drove by the vineyards for the last time. We took with us wonderful memories of this special wine country place.
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| Bodega El Esteco © Spaswinefood |
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| Vineyards, Bodega El Esteco © Spaswinefood |
Explorations In/Near Cafayate
Besides wine explorations along Salta’s Ruta Del Vino just north of Cafayate, on Ruta 68, we enjoyed exploring the scenic Quebrada de Cafayate. Visitors to Cafayate can also journey north on Ruta 40 to Motions then take a ripio (gravel) road detour to visit Colomé Winery, one of Argentina’s top wineries. Cafayate, home to indigenous people, the Kallchaki is also known as the Cradle of Folklore.
Getting to/from Cafayate
Cafayate does not have an airport and therefore 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. Flights to Salta from Buenos Aires and other major cities in Argentina are available on Aerolinas Argentinas and other carriers. It is well worth the effort because Cafayate is Argentine wine country at its best. The option of staying in the vineyards was our accommodation choice however, Cafayate offers a wonderful diversity of restaurants and accommodations.
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| Grace Cafayate © Spaswinefood |
Cafayate is an absolute must for wine enthusiasts. While in Cafayate our stay at Patios de Cafayate Wine Hotel at Bodega El Esteco was an amazing vineyard vacation. I can not think of a better place to arrive at the end of a day touring wine country than at this winery hotel. While Argentina is known for its wines Cafayate is a very special place within that world. Naturally this Spaswinefood enthusiast looks forward to writing more about our Argentine wine country explorations on Salta’s Ruta Del Vino. You can check out my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
January 2017
Cafayate, Salta Province
Argentina
© Spaswinefood
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| Remembering Patios de Cafayate Hotel © Spaswinefood |
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