| |
| |
At the very entrance of Cafayate Town, the oldest wine cellar of Calchaquí Valley opens its doors to the visitor to let him know the history, manufacturing and flavour of the traditional wine of Salta people.
To enjoy this experience, you must enter La Banda Wine Cellar through the detour on Nº 40 National Route. Once in the establishment, you will be welcomed by a guide that will tell you all the information related to the wine cellar.
|
|
| |
You will get to know that the origin of La Banda Cellar goes back to 1857 when the first wines of the valley were handmade produced . Two families from the Basque Country- Aramburu and Quintana families were the founders.
As time went by, the cellar has had different owners and currently belongs to Córdova-Murga family from Salta. They manage the production of "Vasija Secreta" Wine.
|
|
| |
  |
In the outdoors of the wine cellar, you will appreciate the old corridors supported by rubblework columns at the front providing the building with more transparency and depth.
Inside, you will observe old machines from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. They are shown as in a museum and were used for the manufacture of wine in the first half of the XIXth. century.
|
|
| |
After learning about the history of this legendary place, you will learn better about the process of vinification. You will learn that the production of wine starts at the first moment of vintage, that is with the grapes harvest.
Harvest time in the region goes from mid February to the end of March. Once the grapes are collected, they are weighed to know how many liters of wine will be produced. The proportion is always the same- 750 c.c of wine are obtained per each kilogram of grapes.
|
|
| |
 |
The next step is the grinding process where the stalks and leaves of the grapes, the peel and seeds are separated. The last three elements are put in a filter to be later deposited in fermentation pools as "must".
The guide will explain that "fermentation is the biologic transformation of sugar into alcohol being totally natural with no additives".
After fermentation, the must turns into wine and it is stored in barrels to be poured off and clariffied for 6 months.
|
|
| |
You will be surpriseed to learn that the barrels of French oak of La Banda Wine Cellar arrived to this country in 1880 totally disassembled. Each piece of wood had a number to help the assembly.
After clariffication, white wines are bottled while red wines are aged for a longer period in wooden barrels to be bottled later.
|
|
| |
The wines of this cellar are exported to countries such as Germany, Spain, Switzerland, England and Holand. Seventy per cent of the production goes abroad while only thirty per cent remains in the region for domestic consumption. |
 |
|
| |
After tasting wine, you will depart satisfied and grateful to the received warmth.
To get further information contact: |
|
| |
Contact:
La Banda de Vasija Secreta
Santiago del Estero 722
(4427) Cafayate - Salta
Tel: +54 (387) 42-25657
E-mail
|
|
|
|
Marcelo Sola 
