Cafayate, Argentina - Day 6

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Due to the busy holiday weekend and Andi needing internet for work both today and tomorrow, we opted to stay in the town of Cafayate longer than planned. Our original itinerary had us traveling to Cachi this week, about three hours to the west of Cafayate, but after reading a lot of reviews about the internet being virtually non-existent there we decided to change plans.

Fortunately, there’s plenty to do in high-altitude wine country — beautiful landscapes, scenic drives, archeological ruins, great restaurants, and wine tastings at countless bodegas in the area. Since the wineries were so hard to get into over the Easter weekend, it’s been nice to have extra days in Cafayate to visit some of the top wineries on our list.

During the first part of the day, Andi worked in the upstairs portion of our airbnb and Tory, Aden, and I did school downstairs. Each time we do school on this trip, I feel a sense of justification because I’ve lugged those heavy books through numerous airports on this trip. I might have tweaked shoulders after this, but at least the kids stayed on track with math & language arts.

Around 3:00pm, Andi prepped dinner for the kids. He made them spaghetti with red sauce, cut up some fruit, and made more sloppy joe meat. This way, they could heat up some food in the microwave while he and I went to a sunset wine tasting & tour at Piattelli Vineyards. I feel slightly guilty leaving Tory and Aden at our airbnb while we visit these beautiful properties, but they really are overjoyed to be able to stay back and talk to their friends vs. sit and watch us taste wines.

Piattelli Vineyard is one of the top-rated wineries in Cafayate, and everyone says to book their sunset tasting which includes a tour of the vineyard, tasting of the bodega’s wines, and heavy appetizers on their outdoor patio overlooking the quebrada. Andi and I were glad we were able to get a reservation as this place is usually booked. Together, we drove about 10 minutes to the vineyard located on the outskirts of town. It’s another gorgeous property set in the countryside overlooking the Calchaquí Valley.

Surprisingly, there were about 10 other travelers who spoke English signed up for this tour. Usually, other tourists we’ve encountered are Argentinians traveling within their own country, but this was a diverse group from Australia, Belgium, Germany, and the United States. It was our tour guide’s second day on the job, so he wasn’t very knowledgeable about the wine making process, but whatever he lacked in knowledge he made up for in hospitality. It made no difference to Andi and I because after visiting several wineries in Mendoza and Cafayate, we’d already learned as much as we wanted to know about wine making. Truthfully, we were most interested in the tasting part! It was interesting to see the production facility in full “go mode” as they process the grapes recently harvested February - April.

I have to say, I much preferred the personalized wine tours & tastings in Mendoza vs. Cafayate. This tasting was fine, but it didn’t feel as personal in a group of 15 people. Piattelli has vineyards in both Mendoza and Cafayate, and I did think it was interesting comparing their two different Malbecs side by side. The host quizzed the group about the taste, texture, & smells of the wine, and truly — I hate when they do that! I have no idea whether the wine smells smoky or tastes like blackberries. Let me just drink the wine, OK?

Andi and I sat with the Australian couple during the wine tasting, and had an interesting conversation about traveling. They’d also spent some time in Patagonia and Chile, so it was fun comparing stories.

Following the tour & tasting, we seated ourselves at a table on the patio. Wine was not included in our sunset tour & tasting package, so Andi ordered a bottle of Malbec for he and I to share. Shortly after, a waitress brought a charcuterie board, bread, and chicken, tuna, and avocado sandwiches. Andi and I ate our food, drank wine, and enjoyed our beautiful surroundings. The weather has been absolutely perfect during our time in Cafayate — a very comfortable, sunny, 70-75 degrees every single day.

The sunset tour & tasting ended around 8:00pm. We returned to our airbnb and concluded the night by watching a few episodes of Ted Lasso. I’m fairly certain Tory and Aden were seated in the same positions they’d been in when we left! Talking to their friends on FaceTime and playing online games.

Tomorrow is another work day for Andi, so we don’t have too much planned. The thought of going back to Wisconsin is starting to creep into our minds more everyday as our departure grows near. As odd as it sounds, the closer we get to going home, the less interested any of us are in adventuring. I’m trying my best to stay in the moment in Cafayate and enjoy the last few days we have here in Argentina.