Argentina Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

A Walking Tour of 2 Wineries in Cafayate, Argentina: El Porvenir & El Transito

On the main plaza of Cafayate, Salta (March 19, 2014) – The next morning we decided to do some shopping on the main plaza in Cafayate, and I found a charming local arts market where I bought a pair of silver earrings with llamas on them. Later I stopped by the small tourist office on the plaza and picked up a winery map. It was then quite easy to see all of the wineries within walking distance of the plaza, and I found that it reminded me a bit of Healdsburg, California where tourists can shop and find great restaurants [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:21:52-08:00July 1, 2014|

Checking into Patios de Cafayate Wine Resort & Dinner at Vinas de Cafayate, Argentina

Entrance to Patios de Cafayate Wine Hotel After the splendid tours and tasting of Bodegas Piattelli and San Pedro, I checked in the luxurious Patios de Cafayate Wine Hotel. This is a spacious old hacienda built of white stucco with a bell tower. The approach is magnificent as you enter a gated vineyard and traverse a long driveway to see the long white resort glowing in the sun and backlit by the red mountains rising behind. The resort is also part of a working winery, Bodega El Esteco. I spent 3 delightful nights here and enjoyed waking up every morning [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:22:31-08:00June 14, 2014|

Visiting the Famous San Pedro Yacochuya Winery – Four-wheel Driving & Cactus

View of Valley from San Pedro Winery That afternoon we visited the famous Argentine winery called San Pedro Yacochuya where we met the Etchart brothers, Marcos the winemaker and Pablo the marketing expert. The winery achieved its fame partially because they hired Michel Rolland as their consulting winemaker, and became highlighted in the movie Mondevino. In actuality they hired Michel in 1988 before he became famous, and he worked his magic on the San Pedro Yacochuya Malbec. Now Marcos continues the tradition, and the wine truly deserves its great reputation. It is huge, complex, and brimming with concentrated dark berry [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:22:50-08:00June 11, 2014|

Driving from Salta to Bodega Piattelli in Cafayate, Argentina

Cafes in Salta Along the Plaza (March 2014) We had flown into Salta the evening before, and after checking into our hotel walked several blocks to the main plaza. The sun was just sinking behind the green mountains and cast lovely light on the beautiful pink cathedral that dominated the square. We quickly found a sidewalk café, and enjoyed a bottle of cold Torrontes with a platter of empanadas. We watched people stroll around the plaza, and enjoyed the balmy evening as a few musicians played for us. The next morning, we left early to drive the 2.5 hours south [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:23:10-08:00June 5, 2014|

Salta, Argentina – One of the Most Beautiful Wine Regions in the World

Pink Cathedral in Salta Dubbed by many to be one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world, Salta is located in northern Argentina near the Bolivian border. It is home to the highest altitude vineyards in the world with vines growing at over 10,000 feet high. The major challenge for wine tourism in this region is arriving. Flights only come from Mendoza twice a week, or visitors have to start from Buenos Aires to catch a daily flight. Upon arrival in the town of Salta, it is another 2.5 to 3 hour drive south before arriving in Cafayete [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:23:31-08:00June 4, 2014|

Visit to the Spectacular Salentein Winery in Uco Valley, Argentina

Horse Drawn Wagon in Uco Valley After breakfast at our hotel, we left the city of Mendoza around 10am in order to make our 11am appointment at Saletein Winery in the Uco Valley. It was a sunny warm day and we could see the snowcapped Andes mountains in the distance. As we drove through the hills and vineyards, we passed small villages, and at one point, saw man driving a horse-drawn wagon filled with branches. As we crested the hill and saw our first view of the Uco Valley everyone caught their breath in awe. So we stopped the car [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:25:06-08:00May 28, 2014|

Visiting Cahors Malbec Wineries – The Black Wine of the Middle Ages

June 14, 2011 –We took the back roads from Le Bugue to Cahors arriving in the city via D9 through the little towns of Espere and Mercues. On the way out of Le Bugue we were sidetracked for an hour when we ran into the weekly open air market on Tuesday mornings. It was a wonderful market with plenty of food – olives, foie gras, cheeses, truffles, wine, etc – as well as clothes, jewelry and household items. When we finally got back on the road it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to drive to Cahors, passing through [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T20:48:36-08:00June 29, 2011|