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Wine Travel in Tarija, Bolivia – Great South American Wine Regions, part 10
Not many people would expect Bolivia to be in a list of great wine destinations, but with the proximity to Salta in Argentina you easily start understanding why the region would be well positioned for wine growers. The Tarija region has a population of only 12000 people, and being situated at 1900 meters altitude you can imagine this being a great place to travel for adventurers and anyone who wants see undiscovered wine places. With 2500 hectares of grapevines, and 6000 more planned, it certainly looks like Bolivia has a future of growing importance.
I would suggest visiting to La Concepcion, Kohlberg and Magnus wineries for the most interesting experiences. Although you might not find the excellence of tourism luxury when compared to for example Argentina, going to Tarija is bound to be an adventure like no other on this list – and you would have the rights to brag about going to a top “undiscovered wine region”.
This is the tenth and last part in this series about amazing and beautiful wine regions to visit in South America. For more wine places, go through the backlogs to read about wine places in France and Spain. Next, we promise you a look at the amazing wine regions in New Zealand, followed by the beautiful spaces in Oz. Enjoy!
Wine Travel in Serra Gaúcha mountains, Brazil – Great South American wine regions, part 9
South America saw a real flooding of Jesuit missionaries who started organized wine production across the continent, and Brazil got their fair share. Many Germans and Italians ended up in the Serra Gaúcha region in the 19th century, with the Italians early on claiming the highlands 50 years after the Germans arrived in the lowlands. This gave the region a unique blend of culture, architecture and food, which you can still find in the picturesque cities. Especially the Italians brought wine making traditions, and this heritage is celebrated annually in the Festa de Uva festival in Caxias do Sul
For a great wine experience, go to Vinícola Vaccaro to see a mix of wine loving homes turned into tourist spots, Nova Alancia for chats with “The Brotherhood of Wine” and Vinicola Aurora for the largest winery in the country. If you want to visit many wineries in a short time, go to Vale dos Vinhedos for a tour of 25 really interesting winery visits.
This is the ninth part of 10 about amazing and beautiful wine regions to visit in South America, a series which has been previously summarized in GotSaga. For more wine places, go through the backlogs to read about wine places in France and Spain. After South America, we promise you the world, and a look at the amazing wine regions in New Zealand. Enjoy!
Visit Juanico, Uruguay for Wine – Great South American Wine Regions, part 8
Between the mighty South American powers of Argentina and Brazil, you will find Uruguay, a country of only 3.5 million inhabitants where vintners have decided to compete on quality instead of price – often resulting in surprises for tasters across the world. Despite the proximity to other great wine countries Argentina, Chile and Brazil, Uruguay has a wine growing climate more similar to Bordeaux, France or in New Zealand – and when you look at the map you’ll see that much of the wine from Argentina and Chile comes from areas near the Andes mountains, far away from Uruguay.
The greatest concentration of vineyards in Uruguay is in the Montevideo area near the southern coast. A number of wineries in the region have come together and created the ‘Wine Roads’, where visitors can visit nice bodegas to try the local wines and sample Uruguayan food. For some excellent local Tannat wine, visit Bodegas Bouza where you can combine the tasting with a superb lunch, and then continue to Bodegas del Viento – but don’t forget checking if they will be open before you take the time to get there. Other lovely places to stop for some sampling are Juanicó Winery, Los Cerros de San Juan and Bodega Marichal.
This is the eighth part of 10 about amazing and beautiful wine regions to visit in South America, a series which has been previously summarized in GotSaga. For more wine places, go through the backlogs to read about wine places in France and Spain. After South America, we promise you the world, and a look at the amazing wine regions in New Zealand. Enjoy!
Travel for Wine in La Rioja, Argentina – Great South American Wine Regions, part 7
Ever since the Spanish missionaries arrived in Argentina a few hundred years ago, the La Rioja region had the feeling of an amazing wine destiny, and you might wonder if those monks thought of it when bringing the Rioja name from Spain in the 16th century. In an area which is almost like a desert, you will find the third largest wine region of Argentina, giving some amazing wines to the world.
The most important part of La Rioja is Chilecito Valley, with excellent wine growing climate conditions. This is especially great for the common Bonarda grapes, but also Torrontés, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay vines are thriving.
If you plan on going to La Rioja, I would suggest starting your tour in the city of La Rioja. There you’ll find a number of interesting historical monuments, plazas, churches and other interesting landmarks – often with a strong European influence. If you enjoy festivals and have a free choice on when to visit, visit the city in March for the Festival del Vinador and celebrate local vintners with dance, wine tasting and music.
This is the seventh part of 10 about amazing and beautiful wine regions to visit in South America, a series which has been previously summarized in GotSaga. For more wine places, go through the backlogs to read about wine places in France and Spain. After South America, we promise you the world, and a look at the amazing wine regions in New Zealand. Enjoy!
Visit Salta, Argentina – Great South American Wine Regions, part 6
With an average altitude of 1700 meter above sea level and 300 annual sunny days, Salta has some of the highest altitudes in the world of wine. One of the sub-regions – the one we would most heartily recommend – is the mountainous and picturesque subregion of Cafayete. Despite the region having altitudes among the highest on the planet for wine growing, you actually still get some of the most suitable climates for viticulture in the world.
Considering the unusual conditions, many adventure travellers (who also love their wine) consider the Salta wine region their favourite wine destination in the world. If you love mountains and wine, grab your oxygen masks and climb up to the El Arenal vineyards – situated at 3 111 metres, having the current world record when it comes to altitude for vineyards.
This is the sixth part of 10 about amazing and beautiful wine regions to visit in South America, a series which has been previously summarized in GotSaga. For more wine places, go through the backlogs to read about wine places in France and Spain. After South America, we promise you the world, and a look at the amazing wine regions in New Zealand. Enjoy!
Travel to Rio Negro, Argentina – Great South American Wine Regions series, part 5
If you love sparkling wine, and perhaps enjoy a cooler climate, the Rio Negro wine region is probably a great destination for you. Just like in other Argentinean wine regions, many wineries have converted buildings into hotels and inns following the wine tourism boom, to let you experience the combination of great wine at the source with great living spaces. You can however also find Pinot Noir and Merlot wines in a European style in the windy and dry wine Rio Negro region – where the climate allows for more organic wine products and lets growers stay away from agrochemicals.
For a great wine experience and education, I would recommend visiting the Bodega Humberto Canale, which combines a century of wine producing knowledge with modern techniques; the Bodega Estepa with their wide variety of excellent wines, growing vines on both sides of the river in non-traditional picturesque vineyards
Travel to Mendoza, Argentina – Great South American Wine Regions series, part 4
This is the fourth part of 10 about amazing and beautiful wine regions to visit in South America, a series which has been previously summarized in GotSaga. For more wine places, go through the backlogs to read about wine places in France and Spain. After South America, we promise you the world, and a look at the greatest wine destinations in New Zealand. Enjoy!
The Mendoza region is now one of the top tourist destinations in Argentina. This was the first wine region I heard of in the country, and still the one I hear mentioned most often. Mendoza also has by far the highest amount of wine production in the country with 80% being produced here, as well as the longest history of wine making. There are around 1500 wineries in the region, divided into the five sub-regions Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Maipú (sometimes referred to as ‘The Centre’), San Rafael in the south and Rivadavia in the east. Lujan de Cuyo is considered being the “home of Malbec”, and I would highly recommend going there for anyone who enjoys the Malbec wines – I know I enjoyed it! You would also find a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as some Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah being grown in the region
Besides being the main wine producing region of the country, Mendoza is also a haven for adventure travelers – with world class hiking, biking, fishing, rafting and skiing, all within two hours flight from Buenos Aires, or 50 minutes from Santiago, the capital of Chile. If you enjoy festivals, you might love the Mendoza wine festival in March
Travel for Wine in Colchagua Valley, Rapel, Chile – Great wine regions in South America, part 1
Just a few years ago, back in 2005, Colchagua Valley in Rapel was rated the best wine region in the world by Wine Enthusiast. It is not difficult to understand why when you consider the quality of their wines – often based on Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet and Carmenere grapes – and that the area is host to two of the most famous wineries in the country, Casa Lapostelle and Montes. Besides having the most famous wineries, the area also have the Chilean wines regularly rated highest among wine experts and magazine reviews.
For anyone travelling to Colchagua Valley, I would heartily recommend taking the Train of Wine (El Tren del Vino) for a complete wine experience. You would have a train full of love for wine, 14 vineyard visits and a couple of museums on the way – and it’s easily accessible with transfer from Santiago. If you want to travel without any guides or the help of the wine train, I would recommend that you at least try to visit Viña Caliterra, Viña las Niñas and Viña Lapostelle.
Wine travel to Canary Islands, Spain – Great Spanish Wine Regions, part 10
Wines from the Canary Islands easily remind you of their volcanic origin, as well as the beauty of the islands. Even Shakespeare mentioned the Canary wines in one of his plays, and the English once opened a consulate on Tenerife because of the wines – but nowadays the islands are almost exclusively famous for tourism, and most people don’t even know there are wines coming from there.
Canary Island culture is actually as distinct from Spain as Hawaii is from the rest of United States, and many Europeans travel to the islands for their year round delightful mild climate. The name actually comes from the local breed of dogs (canes), not from the bird species of canaries, and was once known as the last stop on any voyage from Europe to the New World across the Atlantic Ocean.
I would recommend visits to the markets in Tenerife followed by a visit to one of the many excellent fish restaurants where you can get some tasty fresh seafood perfectly accompanied by the local wines. For a great local experience, go to Tenerife at the end of January to experience the carnival, then rent a car if you want to get away from the massive amounts of tourists, and drive up to the northwestern part of the island for wine growing mountain terraces in Tacoronte-Acentejo, where vines grow at altitudes up to 1000 meters.
Visit Galicia, Spain – Great Spanish Wine Regions, part 9
Just north of Portugal lies the Galicia wine region, with a lot of rain and great earth for growing grapevines. The regional wine producers love to experiment with new ideas, and a trip to the area can give even the most educated wine lovers surprises of great quality and originality. Rías Baixas is probably the most famous subregion in Galicia, producing aromatic white wine along the Portuguese border.
I would recommend starting off in the regional capital Vigo with some sightseeing, and a visit to the Sal Negra Restaurante for local wine and seafood, before renting a car to go south for a visit to Rias Baixas. Visit Bodega Argro de Bazan for a modern winery, Pazo Senorans for the historical experience in a 14th century building and Bodegas As Laxas with an estate by River Miño. From there, you have the possibility of crossing the border for the stunning Peneda-Geres national park in northern Portugal.