South America is blessed with many wine regions of outstanding natural beauty, but none are more spectacular than the province of Salta in northern Argentina. For the wine tourist, it is hard to beat, possessing as it does the highest commercial vineyard in the world - Colomé’s Altura Maxima site at 3,111m - as well as numerous other super-premium wineries and the delightful town of Cafayate around which many are clustered. Throw in accommodation options to suit a range of budgets as well as some superb restaurants in which to drink the local wines, and you have all the ingredients for a special wine tourism experience.
While Mendoza can boast more wineries, Salta has over 30 which are mostly situated between 1,700 and 3,000 metres high in the picturesque Calchaqui Valley, which extends 500 kilometres from the north of the province into two provinces further south, Tucumán and Catamarca. One of the most dramatic stretches of the Calchaqui Valley is the striking 65-kilometre canyon named Quebrada de las Canchas. The road from the city of Salta takes you through it en route to Cafayate, a three-hour drive to the south.
Estancia El Bordo de Las Lanzas
More on Cafayate later, but for those wishing to stay nearer to the city of Salta, a highly recommended option is a 400-year old estate named Estancia El Bordo de Las Lanzas. Remarkably, the 2,500-hectare property has been owned by one family since 1582, with the current proprietor Agustín Arias being eleventh generation. From there, Arias will organise visits for guests to the province’s wineries, saving them the hassle and potential pitfalls of car hire. He also arranges accommodation in Cafayate or at Colomé itself.
Agustin Arias
El Bordo de Las Lanzas is an experience in itself. Between them, Arias and his brother have 130 horses, providing guests with a selection of mounts for lengthy rides around the picturesque estancia. Also housing 500 head of cattle, it is heavily forested, with trees from all over the world. Its imposing main house is constructed in the Spanish colonial style with big bedrooms, thick adobe walls and ceramic tile floors. Guests are welcomed like members of the family, and royally fed, notably with the estate’s own beef.
Colomé – Argentina’s oldest winery
If staying at El Bordo de las Lanzas, the estancia can also organise transport to Colomé, Argentina’s oldest winery, which dates back to 1831. This is one of South America’s great drives – a long one of up to five hours south-west of Salta but a stunning one. It is a striking journey, taking you through the scenic River Escoipe valley, up a steep escarpment and then through the Cardones National Park where tens of thousands of cacti adorn vast landscapes.
From there, you pass through the quaint town of Molinos, and on through increasingly mountainous terrain till you reach the winery of Colomé. The charming Estancia Colomé boutique hotel, which has nine suites, is located right by one of its vineyards at 2300m in jaw-droppingly beautiful terrain.
Colome's Altura Maxima vineyard
A hike or ride on horseback takes you further up the mountain to its highest vineyard of 3,111 whose old vines, planted on limestone and granitic soils, produce one of Argentina’s greatest Malbecs, Colomé Altura Maxima. French winemaker Thibaut Delmotte, who has worked for Colomé for 20 years after marrying a local girl, uses no new oak for this notably floral wine, which spends 24 months in third and fourth fill barrels.
Colomé’s extreme remoteness, altitude and complete absence of light pollution afford it constellations of extraordinary splendour. In addition, thanks to its late owner Donald Hess, it houses the James Turrell Museum, which contains five decades of the renowned Californian artist’s work, which is about space and the light that inhabits it. Throw in the hotel’s superb restaurant, which specialises in own-farm-to-table cuisine, and you have a memorable place to spend a few days.
Staying in Cafayate
The same can be said for Cafayate, a delightful little town with colonial architecture and a laid-back rhythm. A lovely place to stay, on its outer edge but within walking distance of the main square, is at the El Porvenir winery. It has a guesthouse for six as well as five chalets in the middle of its vineyards and a couple of comfortable rooms in a converted stable block. Another good option - on the Estancia de Cafayate, a couple of kilometres outside the town - is the Grace Hotel’s high-end villas.
For cuisine in Cafayate, the Bad Brothers Wine Experience is the town’s most vibrant wine bar and restaurant, being co-owned by leading winemaker Agustín Lanús and American entrepreneur, David Galland. All the region’s extreme altitude wines are available for tasting, notably the Domingo Molinos wines and Lanus’ own ultra-premium Sunal labels. “Sunal” is a play on’ sun and altitude’ as well as being his name spelt backwards. Galland lives in England for the UK’s summer months but returns to Cafayate for the rest of the year as “I found paradise here.” A fitting epitaph for Salta.
