Cafayate – 350 Days of Sun & Great Wine
After 3 bus rides and 20 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Cafayate – and the trip was well worth it. I would have to say that so far, this has been one of our most favorite stops along the way. It is a quaint desert/mountain town with a small town of yore feel. People leave their bikes unlocked, front doors are left open and the people are just extremely nice.
Cafayate is also known for its high altitude wines (1400 meters – 3800 meters) that tend to be bold and very distinct. It also produces two grapes distinct to this region – Torrontes and Tannat. Torrontes is a white wine that typically has a very sweet, floral nose, but is very dry when it goes down. Tannat, like Malbec, is a minor variety that is typically used in blends in France, but has found a home in the high altitude, hot climate of Cafayate.
Word of caution – due to the altitude, the grapes tend to be more concentrated and the result are wines that are typically 14-15% alcohol – so be careful.
Our First Day
We headed out with gusto and walked 2km outside of town to Bodega El Esteco, which is a fairly large production facility. We received a great tour and a decent tasting. We decided that there was more to taste, so we each ordered another glass, one from the Don David line and the other from the Ciclos line.
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Bodega Nanni
Our next stop was Bodega Nanni, an organic winery. The bodega was located back in the center of town. We arrived just as a very large tour group was starting their tasting. When we were finally able to taste the wines, we were surprised, but not impressed. They were all good examples of their style, but nothing unique.
Bodega El Porvenir
Our final winery of the day was Bodega El Porvenir – definitely the highlight of the day. It was just Carra and I on the tour. Our guide was very friendly and we had a great time talking with her. The grounds, production facilities and cellars were incredible.
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Fortunately for us, they had a special group come through in the morning and had numerous open bottles of some of their finest wines. We tasted the Malbec, Tannat, and a yet-to-be released blend (2005 harvest, 20 months in oak, 4 years in the bottle – it’s only had 2 years in the bottle). All were exquisite. Our favorite was the forthcoming Blend. However, the El Porvenir, Laborum Tannat was the biggest surprise. After tasting Tannat at El Esteco and Nanni, we had very low expectations for the wine because we felt the tannins were just too much and they seemed too heavy handed. But, El Porvenir’s Laborum Tannat brought something to the table every other sample didn’t have – balance and complexity. So, we walked away with a bottle of Tannat – 1 of 6,500 produced from the 2005 vintage.
Goat Cheese Farm
Our final stop of the day was the local cheese company, Queso de Cabra. Located another 2km walk out of town, we headed down the dusty road for a tour and tasting of the local cheeses. Touted as a goat cheese farm, we got the tour, saw a lot of goats and a few cows. Once we reached the tasting room however, they were out of goat cheese and could only provide tastings of the cow cheese – which was still quite tasty and we ended up walking out with a large chunk to enjoy later.
