Cafayate and around

Cafayate (1660 m) is beautifully situated in a broad stretch of the valley at the confluence of the Santa María and Calchaquí rivers. There are mountains on all sides, and the valley is filled with vineyards, which have long produced wine to rival Mendoza in quality, if not in quantity. Cafayate has long been a popular excursion destination for visits to the handful of bodegas which open their doors to tourists, with free tours and tastings for you to try their produce. There are superb red grapes grown at high altitude here, and it's worth asking specifically to try the white torrontesgrape, which is grown in few places other than Argentina, and flourishes in the annual 350 days of sunshine, and the cool nights.

Sights

Conventional sights aren't Cafayate's strong point; it's much more interesting to explore the landscape and the bodegas. The Museo de la Vid y El Vino Güemes, contains old winemaking equipment and a display on the history of wine. The Museo Arqueológico Rodolfo, is tiny but has some beautiful funerary urns, black ceramics from the fifth century, and Inca pieces too - well worth seeing if you haven't come across them elsewhere.

Bodegas

Cafayate's wines are sophisticated and generally of very high quality, with intense high-altitude reds (Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon predominate), and the famous white Torrontes. This superbly fruity dry wine with delicious floral aromas, is grown only in the Valles Calchaquíes, and makes an excellent aperitif (it also goes particularly well with carrot and coriander soup). There are several bodegas that can be visited and all are shown on the tourist office's map; the best are described below. Tours usually take around 45 minutes, are free, and are followed by a free tasting.

The most highly recommended bodega, with an informative tour, is El Esteco, www.elesteco.com.ar, Visitors can learn more about the process of winemaking and tasting in one of the courses on offer.

Another excellent bodega is Etchart, www.bodegasetchart.com, which produces high-quality wines.

The diminutive San Pedro de Yacochuya, www.yacochuya.com, is a boutique bodega, beautifully situated high up into the hills, making exquisite wines.

Once you've visited the best three, you could go to Finca de las Nubes, www.welcomeargentina.com/paseos/fincalasnuebes.com dramatically set against the mountains. This is a small family bodega, which produces fine wines, and offers simple meals so you can sit and enjoy a bottle of wine on the terrace.

Then there are two interesting mass-production bodegas that can also be visited: Domingo Hermanos www. domingohermanos.com, and Vasija Secreta, www.vasijasecreta.com.