Torrontés

High Altitude Wines of Cafayate, Argentina

Nikki — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:22:00 -0700

Visiting northern Argentina

Ever since a trip back in 2000 to the north of Argentina, I've been hooked. With its indigenous culture, beautiful red mountains, and tranquilo vibe, the only thing that could make the north better is wine. Oh wait, wine there is. Wineries in Cafayate have long been famous for making the best Torrontés available, but the quality of its reds are quickly improving as well. Bodega Mounier/Finca las Nubes is a favorite winery in Cafayate, but we visited some other interesting ones as well. Interestingly, most wineries in Cafayate are producing Tannat, a varietal made famous by Uruguay and seldom found in the rest of Argentina.

Finca las Nubes: Wines from Bodega Mounier

Nikki — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:11:57 -0700

Visiting Finca las Nubes

First charmed by Mounier when tasting its incredible Torrontés in Mendoza, we jumped at the opportunity to visit the winery, known by both Mounier and Finca las Nubes, and located in beautiful Cafayate in the north of Argentina.

Eleven years old, this boutique winery makes affordable and wonderful wines. The only drawback for North American consumers is its export ratio: 90% of the production remains within the country while a tiny 10% is exported. Since the winery makes a mere 50,000 bottles annually, not much ends up on wine shop shelves in the US.

Malbec and Torrontés from Alta Vista

Nikki — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:52:34 -0700

About Alta Vista

Ten years ago, French wine group Edonia purchased Alta Vista from its Spanish owners in the Luján de Cuyo region of Mendoza, Argentina. The winery is beautiful: in addition to the typical vineyard and mountain view, the entrance is lined with full lavender plants and ancient olive trees. Like CarinaE, Alta Vista has done a great job of keeping with tradition while having their own modern style. The winery building and equipment has been restored for their needs but in a historically-minded way.