THE Salta Wine Regions
Salta is a state, also the capital city of the province, located in the far northwest of the country at high elevations in the foothills of the Andes Mountains 600 miles north of Mendoza and bordering Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile. This is Argentina’s second largest wine region becoming famous for its unique grape… Torrontés. Another unusual grape grown here is Tannat. Plus they grow Argentina’s notable Malbec, in addition to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In all of Argentina, Salta is considered the city which has preserved its colonial architecture the best. Nicknamed Salta La Linda (Salta the beautiful), it has become a major tourist destination due to this old and restored colonial architecture. Salta is the city you must fly into in order to venture out to the wine regions. It has a population of 600,000 and an elevation of 3,780’ with many exciting tourism opportunities. Since the wine regions are at least two hours away, you might as well explore Salta for a day or two on your way.
Salta is considered the highest altitude wine-growing region in the world averaging 5,500 to 6,500 feet elevation in Cafayate, 7,500 feet in Molinos and exceeding 10,000 feet in Payogasta. Salta is growing an exciting newer varietal originating in Argentina: Torrontés, nicknamed The Liar because of its beautiful floral sweet nose, then a surprise of a crisp dry finish on the mouth of apricot, peach and grapefruit.
To get from the city of Salta to the town of Cafayate (the primary wine region of Salta), you drive about 120 miles southwest on Route 68 through some very picturesque landscapes. The road is mostly paved and well maintained when hard-packed dirt. Both Salta and Cafayate are in valleys, Lerma and Calchaquí respectively, divided by a mountainous region known as Quebrada de las Conchas. It is a scenic drive leaving Salta through the valley of Lerma, a green subtropical highland climate, traversing through the dramatic scenery of Quebrada de las Conchas, and then into the Cafayate valley of Calchaquí, a dry desert climate.
Cafayate is located in the southern most part of the Salta Region in the Calchaquíes Valley and is the primary wine growing region in Salta with roughly 35 wineries, most are small family operations. Cafayate is a quaint little colonial town with a population of only 12,000 people. It has a lively square in the center of town, nice restaurants and a very interesting museum about this wine region. Being only eight square blocks, you can easily stroll around and visit the shops, restaurants, church, and the 10 or so wineries located in the town.