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At Cafayate entrance, on Nº 68 Provincial Route, La Rosa Wine Cellar opens its doors to share an unforgettable experience of Oenological Tourism.
When arriving to the white main house of the Farm belonging to Michel Torino Wines, you are invited to go on an interesting and rich tour around the plant to learn about all the secrets of regional wine.
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Surrounded by a landscape of centennial vineyards, the cellar shows all the magnificence of colonial architecture with wide corridors next to the attractive bell tower.
Inside, you will be welcomed by Daniel García, who has been guide of La Rosa Cellar for more than 21 years and who will take you to observe the grinding, to enter the barrels room and will invite you to taste different wines while telling you about "La Rosa" history and production.
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As you visit the country infrastructure, with its wide patio of rosebushes, you will listen to the short but precise familiar history of the cellar founders.
“In 1892, brothers David and Salvador Michel, of Catalan origin, decided to work on the regional wine growing and supported this cellar which had plantations since 1860. Later, David Michel married Gabriela Torino giving thus, the name to this prestigiopus and famous establishment- Michel Torino and Brothers Cellar ”
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You will learn that, in 1925, La Rosa cellar joint the familiar firm, and belonged to this enterprise until some years ago in which a viticultural group made up of Santa Ana , Peña Flor and Michele Torino Cellars bought it , having the family no shares in the corporation.
Currently, the cellar is exporting to 24 countries in the world and has received notable prizes and medals that speak about the excellent quality of its wines.
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After learning about the history and development of La Rosa, you will learn that this could not be so if Cafayate climate was not so particularly great.
The topography is that of a long valley, parallel to the pre- mountain range with a great thermic amplitude, preventing the area of viruses and providing , thus, with an excellent environment to produce organic wines without agrochemicals.
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Appart from this, in the region there are 340 sunny days average per year helping the very best ripening of the vine at harvest time.
You will learn that the grapes are gathered in a manual way to prevent the fruit from being taken with leaves. Then, the fruit is taken to a stainless steel filter where the stalk is separated.
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Grapes release the juice, peel and seeds to be deposited in a fermentation pool where yeasts start working. As the temperature goes up, the biologic process of transformation from sugar to alcohol starts.
Daniel will tell you that this way of fermentation is "unaerobic, spontaneous, natural and static, generating no oxidation or bacteria being preserves not necessary". Once it has fermented, wine undergoes a process of six months of filters, studies and cuts.
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You will go to the casks and barrels of French oak where wine is stored to mature for a period that ranges from four months to one year according to the wood inner toaster. Then, wine goes to the bottling plant , to the labelling plant and , in the end, to the tasting room. |
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You will be invited to taste the wine and you will appreciate the different noticeable stock of La Rosa Cellar.
In different crystal glasses, you will observe the color and brightness of wines, you will analyse them as you smell them, turn the glass to prove the tears or legs that dennote the body of different wines. At last, you will drink them to end up the taste.
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You will learn that "when drinking wine you must be patient and give time to your mouth to analyse it since this is the best lab human beings have". After the mouthful, you swallow it and proceed to analyse it with your tongue against your gums. When wines are very astringent, your tongue stops on your gums due to the high presence of tannin in them.
Finally, after tasting wines, you will end up the tour grateful and satisfied because of the nice shared time in the majestic natural environment of Cafayate Valley situated at 1700 meters above the sea level.
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Marcelo Sola 
