Wine Tasting, Cafayate, another pathetic attempt

Cafayate, Argentina

Cafayate is in the north west of Argentina, about a three hour drive from Salta. This area does produce Malbec and Cabernet like Mendoza does, the wine that Cafayate is known for is Torrontes, a very fruity white wine. Tourism has EXPLODED in the past six or seven years and now the place is kind of a tourist trap, but a very beautiful tourist trap. The drive up from Salta is almost half of the reason for the trip, you go through amazing red rock formations that are incredible and that my camera wasn't quite able to translate into photos of the same quality.

Crazy Aussies!

There are really amazing kind of "caves" in the rocks that you can get out and walk around. The whole area was shaped by water erosion thousands of years ago and when you are standing inside of one of these things you can almost feel the water rushing down on you.

Cafayate

My parents had stayed in Cafayate for a weekend before the whole wine craze really got off of the ground. They stayed at the Patios de Cafayate for 75 dollars, now it is 500 to give you some perspective (although that was also at the hight of the crisis so everything was much cheaper). They said it was Amazing, so we tried to go this time, and they wouldn't even let us through the gate since we weren't staying there.. kind of ridiculous. It looked beautiful from afar though.

Like the time before in Mendoza, we were pretty much thwarted from tasting much wine. Since we were planning on driving up and back in one day (really stupid) we didn't get to Cafayate until one-ish, at which point all of the wineries close apparently. The best way to do it is to drive up in the afternoon, spend the night, and then go wine tasting in the morning / late afternoon.

Photo from Bodega Vejesa Secreta or something like that

Above: pictures from Finca de Los Nubes (only open in the morning)

Beautiful church in the main square, Cafayate

Lowdown: 3 hours from Salta

Patios De Cafayate: ridic expensive but also ridic beautiful hotel, there is a vineyard you can visit but it is only open on certain days / in the morning

Vines de Cafayate: My padres stayed here a different time and said it was also very nice

Bodegas: Bodega Colome, Etchart, Las Nubes, El Esteco, Nanni, Domingo Hermanos