spaswinefood: Cafayate wine country stops along Salta's Ruta Del Vino

After a three-hour drive from Salta airport, along one of the most scenic driving routes in Argentina, we began our Cafayate wine country adventure. Wine enthusiast hold Cafayate, a sub-region within Salta Province, in high regard for the overall quality of its wine. Part of what makes the Cafayate wine world so special is that it is located in the southern part of Valles Calchaquíes, with vineyards at 5,400 to 10,000 feet. Wine making has a long tradition here however, in recent years it has become known for its high altitude wines. Join me as Spaswinefood explores Cafayate wineries along Salta's Ruta Del Vino.

Vasija Secreta, Cafayate © Spaswinefood

While in Cafayate we so enjoyed discovering the special offerings at each winery. When wine enthusiasts make their way to Cafayate they will find an amazing diversity of wineries scattered throughout the Valles Calchaquíes.

Wine Stops on Ruta 40
The bodegas on Ruta 40 are amongst Cafayate's best known wineries.

1. Bodegas Etchart
Our first introduction to Cafayate wines was at Bodegas Etchart. Probably it would have been the first winery visited on our more recent trip, except it was closed.

Bodegas Etchart © Spaswinefood

Closed, Bodegas Etchart © Spaswinefood

2. Bodega El Esteco
True it is so easy to fall in love with Cafayate wine country's high desert scrub landscape, which provides a stunning contrast against the vineyards. We especially enjoyed rediscovering Cafayate's Bodega El Esteco wines.

Bodega El Esteco © Spaswinefood

The Bodega El Esteco 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. This was followed by expansion and updating in 2004 when it was renamed Patios de Cafayate. Today the historic resort, surrounded by 1000 acres of vineyards, is also home to El Esteco, one of Argentina's top wineries.

3. Finca Quara
We could not resist visiting Finca Quara, a beautiful wine estate, in the heart of Cafayate Valley.

Finca Quara, Valle de Cafayate © Spaswinefood

Finca Quara is located just outside the town of Cafayate on Ruta 40. The winery is easily recognized by a stately gate at a guarded entrance. Upon gaining entry to the estate you pass by an olive tree line driveway, which takes you through the vineyard to the winery.

Finca Quara Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood

Wine making has a long history in Cafayate. Finca Quara is part of that history. José Fortunato Lavaque from Lebanon found his way to Cafayate at the end of the 19th century. There he established a winery. In 1980's Rodolfo Lavaque (fourth generation) took over managing the family business. Lavaque then acquired Finca El Recreo (originally owned by the Peñalba family) from Michel Torino. Finca Quara was established in this location. Today Rodolfo's children (fifth generation) continue his pursuit of wine making excellence.

4. Vasija Secreta
Vasija Secreta, another Ruta 40 winery, is one of the oldest Cafayate wineries. Its history dates back to 1857.

Vasija Secreta © Spaswinefood

Vasija Secreta, Cafayate © Spaswinefood

Here you can not only taste the wines but view their wine museum and artifacts.

La Banda, Vasija Secreta © Spaswinefood

The historical barrel display both inside and outside the winery is very interesting.

Wine Stops Southwest of Town
Yes, it was a beautiful day for touring wine country, with just a few clouds in the sky, when we set out for Bodega Mounier.

Onwards to Amalaya and Mounier © Spaswinefood

When we reached Amalaya the winery closed and so we continued onto Mounier.

Malaya, Cafayate © Spaswinefood

Amalaya means "hope for a miracle" in a local indigenous language. While that might have been appropriate initially for the challenges of high altitude wine making in Cafayate however, today wineries are doing well. Amalaya winery, part of Hess Family Wines, produces excellent Malbec and Torrontés cuvées. North of Cafayate you will find Bodega Colomé, another well known Hess Family wine estate.

Bodega Mounier
Bodega Jose L. Mounier at Finca Las Nubes was founded by José Luis Mounier, an enologist from Mendoza. Mounier's dream was to own a winery and produce wines that bear his name. In 1999 his dream was realized when he purchased Finca Las Nubes (las nubes means the clouds). This organic wine, boutique bodega has a welcoming cafe with beautiful views of the Valles Calchaquíes. Even though the winery is located 5 km from the town of Cafayate it is well worth the drive. Just setting on the veranda, drinking wine while taking in the stunning valley views makes this bodega the perfect place for a relaxing, casual lunch.

View from Bodega Mounier, Finca Las Nubes © Spaswinefood

Wine Stops in Town
There are a number of wineries located in town. If you are limited by time or transportation you will not be disappointed.

1. Bodega El Provenir de Cafayate
Bodega El Provenir de Cafayate, formerly known as Bodega El Provenir de los Andes, is a boutique family winery. The winery was originally founded in 1890 by Italian immigrants. Today the Romero Marcuzzi family winery is run by Lucia, granddaughter of Roberto Romero. Since 2000, after modernizing an old winery in Cafayate their focus has been on creating high quality wines. They use sustainable farming practises in their four vineyards (El Retiro, Rio Seco, Alto Los Cordons, and Alto Los Cuises). Part of these efforts included restoring El Retiro, a 50 year old vineyard where Malbec, Tannat, and Torrontés are planted. Other varietals are also grown in their estate vineyards.

Bodega El Provenir Tasting Room © Spaswinefood

Bodega El Provenir wines are amongst some of the best Cafayte wines that I have tasted.

2. Bodega Nanni

When I think of Torrontés, Argentina's emblematic white wine, my thoughts quickly return Cafayate, Salta. Amongst the first images that pop into my mind are those of Bodega Nanni, a small, organically certified winery know for its organic wines. The winery is located on a street not far from the central plaza. I looked forward to revisiting this Valles Calchaquíes winery because I had such fond memories of this Argentine producer's wines. During our recent visit we enjoyed lunch at their restaurant, followed by a tasting of Nanni's wines.

Bodega Nanni © Spaswinefood

While waiting for the tasting to begin I saw a poster, which reminded me that the Valles Calchaquíes is home to high altitude wines. This family-run bodega has existed for 120 years. After they celebrated their centenary in 1997, they decided to go organic. Their Tannat, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are among the wines that are certified as ‘fully organic’ by SENASA. Their fresh and fragrant Torrontés, Argentina’s only native white grape, is definitely not only a flagship for this winery but the region. Bodega Nanni is a must for organic #winelovers on Salta's Ruta Del Vino.

Torrontés Moments, Bodega Nanni © Spaswinefood

As we approached the bodega a mural painted on a wall nearby caught my attention. The mural captures the beautiful, high desert scrub landscape of Valles Calchaquíes wine country.

Painted Murals, Cafayate © Spaswinefood

4. Bodega El Transito
Often smaller wineries like, El Transito are not well reported in the online literature. Even though Cafayate's tourist office has El Transito on the list it did not originally make our short list. Fortunately, this tiny boutique winery is one block from central plaza, which makes it quite visible.

Bodega El Transito © Spaswinefood

Bodega El Transito caught my attention when we visited Bodega Nanni. We decided to drop in for a tasting. I was glad that we did so. The winery is owned by Andrés Benjamin Nanni, whose family has been making wine in Cafayate for over 120 years. The family wine making tradition began with the arrival Andrés great-grandfather Pietro Marini, an Italian immigrant.

5. Bodega Domingo Hermanos
Bodega Domingo Hermanos is a popular family winery to visit in town.

Here you can do a wine tasting and take a tour.

Wine Stops Northwest of Town
Just northwest of Cafayate nestled in the Andean foothills, on Camino a Yacochuya, you will find some of Cafayate's best wineries. It is one of the most stunning locations on Salta's Ruta Del Vino. Here you will bodegas Domingo Molina and San Pedro de Yacochuyo, and Piattelli Vineyards. The Yacochuya region is an area where you will encounter top wineries, with stunning vineyard and views of the Calchaqui Valley.

1. Bodega Domingo Molina
Bodega Domingo Molina, 8 km southwest of Cafayate, in the Andean mountainside is one of Cafayate's top wineries. This Domingo Molina family winery is an important part of Salta's viticultural history. Given it location in the Yacochuya area if the vistas do not get your attention the wines sure will.

Domingo Molina (paternal and maternal names) is a family winery with a long history in Cafayate. It was founded in 1960's by brothers Palo and Martin whose father arrived in 1905. The present winery was constructed in the 1970's. Today the family winery is managed by brothers Osvaldo, Gabriel and Rafael (sons of Palo Domingo and Leonor Molina).

2. San Pedro du Yacochuya
Bodega San Pedro de Yacohuya sits at the foot of the Salta Mountain Range, with spectacular views of the Valles Calchaquíes. Its estate vineyard is located in a privileged part of one of the highest wine regions in the world. It was because of this vineyard that Arnold Etchart enticed Michel Rolland to come to Cafayate in 1988. Rolland came to explore the wine making potential of this old Malbec vineyard. They formed a partnership to produce wines from that Yacohuya vineyard. Their focus was to produce red wines in an area primarily known for its white wines, Torrontés.

The San Pedro de Yacohuya winery was opened in 1999 by the Etchart family. The same family that founded Bodega Etchart. They opened Bodega San Pedro de Yacohuya was shortly after they sold Bodega Etchart to Pernod Ricard Group in 1996.

3. Piattelli Vineyards
Piattelli Vineyards, one of Cafayate's newest wineries, is nestled in the foothills of Andes. This modern winery is located in one of the most stunning locations on Salta's Ruta Del Vino. These days aerial shots of the Piattelli Estate grace the covers of travel and wine magazines.

As you drive towards Yacochuya from Cafayate, about half way up the foothills the Piattelli wine estate comes into full view. This state of the art winery at 5,577 feet is surrounded by 477 acres. Piattelli Vineyards Cafayate started planting their vineyards in 2009, produced their first wine in 2012, with the first vintage being bottled in 2013, the same year the winery opened. For American owner, Jon Malinski this is the second Piattelli Vineyards in Argentina. Malinski first purchased a Mendoza winery in 2002. The Mendoza winery was founded by an Italian family named Piattelli. Hence there are now two Piattelli Vineyards (Piattelli Vineyards Cafayate, and Piattelli Vineyards Mendoza).

Those #winelovers who make their way to Cafayate will enjoy discovering the wineries scattered throughout the valley. While Cafayate is #1on the list of 2017 Best Wine Destinations this was not my primary reason for visiting. It was seven years ago on my first visit that my fascination for Cafayate began.

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 does offer a good range of choices for restaurants and accommodations. While in Cafayate we stayed at Patios de Cafayate at Bodega El Esteco.

Perhaps when most think of Argentine wine destinations they are most likely to think first of Mendoza. Mendoza is undoubtedly a great wine region. Cafayate in Salta Province however, not only produces equally wonderful wines but also it is an ideal place for a relaxing Argentine wine country experience. I invite you to check out my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

January 2017
Cafayate

Salta, Argentina

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Thursday, October 5, 2017

Cafayate wine country stops along Salta's Ruta Del Vino

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