Salta: Winemaking's high point

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Making quality wines in Salta might once have been considered rebellious, even heroic. Today, faced with climate change, winemakers around the world are looking to alternative terroirs, at altitudes and latitudes once deemed too challenging and extreme. In this context, Salta stands out as a region ahead of its time.

In the far northwest of Argentina, bordering Bolivia to the north, Chile to the east and the smaller Jujuy province on its northwestern corner, Salta is first and foremost a high-altitude wine region. With vineyards planted between 1,530 and 3,111 metres above sea level, the region’s terroirs are pushing the limits of viticulture. This, combined with an enduring winemaking heritage and a wealth of impressive terroirs, makes Salta a source of wines with very distinctive character – and incredible potential to develop further.

Note: Salta GI covers the entire province of Salta. Credit: JP Map Graphics Ltd

Terroir diversity – in technicolour

Salta’s viticultural area is concentrated in the south of the province along the Calchaquí Valleys, a 270-kilometre system of interconnecting valleys (and also an overarching Geographical Indication) that Salta shares with its southern neighbours, Catamarca and Tucumán.

The heritage of the indigenous Calchaquíes remains strong here. As well as fiercely resisting both Inca and Spanish invaders, they were skilled potters, herders and farmers; their patterned pottery, colourful textiles and stone structures still shape the region’s cultural and aesthetic identity. What’s more, high-altitude vineyards arguably also continue their legacy: many of the area’s steep hillsides are only cultivable at all due to the terraces the Calchaquíes built into the rugged landscape.

Low precipitation is just one of the challenges for Salta’s winemakers. Credit: Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate

The vibrant colours of traditional Calchaquí art echo those of the province’s dramatic and diverse landscapes. It’s not by chance that Salta is known as La Linda – the beautiful. As well as making for breathtaking vistas, its rust-huedcanyons, turquoise salt flats, thick, green jungles, pink sand banks and golden caves are all visual clues to the geological wealth of the region. Alluvial and volcanic soils – with a predominance of well-draining sandy-loams – translate into an intricate variety of terroirs.

Precipitation here is notoriously low (200mm per year); the Andes to the west form a rain barrier, while mountain rivers supply the region with much-needed water for irrigation. Salta’s combination of low humidity and good aeration from cool mountain winds provides the ideal natural conditions for effortless sustainable viticulture. This is bolstered by its biodiversity: vines share the slopes with local flora such as Algarrobos, Molles, Arcayuyos and Cardones.

Salta is home to some of the world’s highest-altitude vineyards

Taking the high road

The best way to discover Salta’s vineyards, terroirs and producers is to follow the iconic Salta Wine Trail. Running along Routes 40, 33 and 68, the Ruta del Vino is the world’s highest-altitude wine route. It offers visitors a highest-altitude wine route. It offers visitors a full immersion in the province’s natural and cultural identity, taking in Salta’s key wineries, historic settlements and natural landmarks, such as the beautiful ravines and rock formations of Quebrada de las Flechas and Quebrada de las Conchas.

The route passes through San Carlos, Molinos and Cachi, picturesque towns that give their names to their respective GIs. It was near Molinos that the province’s first vines were planted, brought by Jesuit priests from the Canary Islands via what is now Chile. Meanwhile, some of the world’s highest vineyards are located in Payogasta, just northeast of Cachi.

Salta’s high atltitude brings large diurnal temperature variation – promoting slow, balanced ripening. Credit: Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate

Salta has preserved an artisanal winemaking tradition – it remains particularly strong in Payogasta, Cachi and Seclantás. This in turn has preserved old vines that might otherwise have been abandoned or uprooted, and has sparked a renewed interest in traditional techniques and grape varieties in recent decades.

In the heart of the Calchaquí Valleys, 200km southwest of Salta, Cafayate is the epicentre of wine production in the province. The municipality (which is also a GI of its own) accounts for 60% of the vineyard area of Calchaquí Valleys GI, and 75% of Salta’s total area under vine. Therefore the area around Cafayate is where most of the province’s wineries are found. Also in Cafayate, the Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of the Vine and Wine) offers a comprehensive overview of the history, tradition and evolution of winemaking in the region.

Cool mountain winds and low humidity facilitate sustainable and organic viticulture. Credit: Santiago Lofeudo / Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate

Salta: Key facts to know

Latitude: between 26° and 25° south

Elevation of vineyards: 1,530-3,111m

Average annual temperature: 15°C

Average annual rainfall: 203mm/year

Area under vine: 3,604.4ha (69.91% red; 28.66% white; 1.43% pink)

Main grape varieties:
• Red: Malbec (1646.6ha), Cabernet Sauvignon (469.9ha), Merlot (52.1ha), Tannat (135.5ha)
• White: Torrontés Riojano (896.9ha)
• Pink-skinned: Criolla Chica (41.1ha), Cereza (2.4ha)

Geographical Indications (GIs):
Within the province of Salta:
• Cachi
• Cafayate/Valle de Cafayate
• Molinos
• Salta
• San Carlos

Shared with the provinces of Catamarca and Tucumán:
• Calchaquí Valleys

Source: Wines of Argentina

The taste of altitude

High altitudes together with long sunlight hours throughout the growing season allow the grapes to develop the particular, complex intensity that defines the character of Salta’s wines.

Elevation is key to this in two ways. First, grapes develop thicker skins in response to the increased UV exposure found at higher altitudes. Secondly, the extreme temperature variation (summer temperatures range from 38°C during the day to 12°C at night) leads to the development of complex aromatic compounds without a loss of acidity.

Ultimately, thicker skins and slow, balanced phenolic ripening deliver a high amount of complex compounds, making grapes grown in Salta the perfect raw material for high-quality, ageworthy wines. The province’s reds, particularly its expressions of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, are known for their aromatic depth and nuance, and robust yet elegant, ripe tannins.

Salta’s valleys are naturally biodiverse. Credit: Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate

Although pink-skinned Criolla varieties (namely Criolla Chica and Cereza) account for only a small fraction of Salta’s total vineyard area today, they are now seeing renewed interest from both winemakers and consumers.

Despite Malbec being by far the most planted variety in Salta, the province’s flagship grape is the white Torrontés Riojano, the most famous of the Criolla varieties. This natural crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica is well adapted to the challenging climate, producing some of its finest expressions in Salta, and in Cafayate in particular. In high-elevation vineyards here it benefits from low night-time temperatures – enabling it to retain refreshing acidity while developing its trademark floral aromas of rose, jasmine and geranium, lined with herbal and spicy notes.

Singular qualities like these reflect the uniqueness and heritage of Salta: a province whose past and present promise an exciting future for winemaking.