Wine from Argentina’s North

After a brief visit to Cafayate in 2000 when Greg visited me while studying abroad, we decided to head back on this trip. The town has certainly grown in tourism these past 8 years, and has capitalized on its winery tours. We arrived right at harvest time, and loved seeing the tours with wine-producing in action. Bodega Mounier (also known at Finca los nubes) was our favorite tour, partially because of its picturesque location and boutique production, but also because we’ve been enjoying Mounier’s Torrontés for months now. It was interesting to see some more mass-produced wineries like Bodega Echart and Esteco, which are strongly represented in the internal and international wine markets.

Getting outdoors in Cafayate

Wine tours aren’t the only thing on the itinerary in Cafayate. Outdoor activities are relatively accessible, our favorite being a bike ride in the Valle de Yerma. After renting a bike in town, you can hop on a bus that will drop you off at the Garganta del diablo (Devil’s Throat), a beautiful creation formed by layer upon layer of sandstone resulting in an enormous, improbable formation. The bike ride is about 45 kilometers back to town through amazing red rock formations that will remind you of Utah. Another worthwhile activity is a hike to three waterfalls starting on the southwest side of town. For a reasonable fee, a young guide will lead you to the waterfalls and will share some interesting information about the plants and animals in the area. Without the guide, we probably wouldn’t have found the first waterfall.

Relaxing in Cafayate

Most people probably only spend a few days in town, but we stayed almost a week and did a fair amount of relaxing and studying/working. We’ve realized about ourselves that we really enjoy being able to spend a longer time in a place to get to know it a little better rather than running from place to place and only scratching the surface.