It didn't take us long to find ourselves in the middle of another wine region. The vineyards of Cafayate in Northern Argentina are literally located in the town itself and their proximity and relatively small size make the tastings and visits more accessible and personalised. We preferred the wines here than in Mendoza and took a particular liking the the organic, white Torrontes Reserva at Bodegas Nanni.
Nestled in a valley, the town is small, pleasant and follows a strict routine of late mornings, long siestas (due to the sweltering heat of the day) and very late dinners, all which corresponded well with our own pace. We stayed at Hostel Rusty-K, which had a great courtyard and plenty of local Argentinian tourists, a great combination for long suppers and lively evenings. The lazy dog living at the hostel boasting rasta dreadlocks fit right in!
An important note for wine connoisseurs, (as we are aware many follow this blog), this season has seen many episodes of violent rains in late afternoons which may negatively affect the grapes. The storms were truly impressive as the thunder clouds slowly came over the mountain and poured heavy rains and hail into town at about the same time every day.
We spent a few days in nearby Salta but unfortunately don't have much to say about it. I was again brought down by the almighty empanada or Saltena as their called in the region. Delicious but potent, this second round of food poisoning has forced me to give up this great snack, maybe forever. We did manage to make it to the Inca Museum featuring well preserved, frozen Inca mummies, children sacrificed to the Gods over 500 years ago and now unearthed from the volcano tops at more than 6000 meters of altitude.
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