Catalina Deguer
03/19/2021 9:00
Clarín.com
Trips
Updated 03/19/2021 10:32 AM
When it comes to visiting vineyards and tasting wines, many automatically think of landscapes such as Mendoza, a province where the Wine Route is the protagonist of tourist experiences.
But this time, away from the Cordillera, we are going to visit the wineries of the province of Buenos Aires.
Viticulture was prohibited in Buenos Aires -and also in Entre Ríos- from the 1930s until 1997, because it sought to protect the regional economies of Cuyo.
To have a notion of the impact of this measure, Daniel Di Nucci, owner of AlEste winery and vineyards, explains that in the surroundings of San Nicolás they had to close 33 wine productions.
Trapiche Costa & Pampa winery and vineyards in Chapadmalal, province of Buenos Aires.
Photo: Trapiche Costa & Pampa
The
reactivation of the business
in Buenos Aires began more than 20 years ago and there are already several places where you can currently do
wine tourism
.
Some of the red grapes found in the area are Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat and Merlot, while the white group is made up of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
In addition to wines, some of these establishments offer other products, such as jams, cheeses, honey and even items related to cosmetics.
Here, the wineries that can be visited in the province of Buenos Aires and for more information: www.buenosaires.tur.ar and web pages and social networks of each of the undertakings.
AlEste Winery & Vineyards
Visitors are usually surprised to find vines in
Médanos
, Villarino party.
Until the mid-1930s, in this town there were 300 hectares of vineyards cultivated by the immigrants who came to these lands, from whom the current inhabitants are descended.
Inside the cellar of AlEste Bodega y Viñedos.
On December 1, 2000, AlEste began production and became the first in the area to resume activity, after the prohibitions imposed by the national government.
It took eight years to come up with wines suitable for sale.
Initially, he harvested eight varietals: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat, Syrah, Tempranillo and Petit Verdot as red grapes and Chardonnay as white grapes.
Some were imported directly from the renowned Mercier nursery in France, in bare root cuttings.
Today it produces approximately 60,000 bottles of wine a year, between reds and whites, varietals or blends.
The commercial focus is on Bahía Blanca and its surroundings.
But the brand can also be found in much of the country, from Ushuaia to the North, passing through the City of Buenos Aires.
Bodega y viñedos AlEste began its production in December 2000. Photo: AlEste
To learn about the history of the winery and the production of wines in the province, the establishment offers visits from Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays until 12 p.m. It is without reservation and free.
How to get there:
To the east it is 680 km from Buenos Aires by RN 3 to Azul, RP 51 to Bahía Blanca, again RN3 and then RN 22 to Médanos, 13 km past the roundabout at the junction between routes 22 and 3.
Trapiche Costa and Pampa
Trapiche Costa y Pampa winery in Chapadmalal.
Photo: Marcelo Carrol.
Trapiche is recognized worldwide for the quality of its vines.
It received the Wine Star Awards for the Best Winery in the New World 2019. It is present both in Maipú (Mendoza), and 6 kilometers from the sea with a winery located
between the soft dunes of Chapadmalal
.
There it offers a wide variety of activities that can be carried out from Wednesday to Sunday and holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Throughout March, you can go to learn about history, tour the vineyards and participate in a tasting.
This option costs from $ 500 per person.
You can also organize a picnic with a bottle of Trapiche Costa and Pampa accompanied by premium cheeses: it costs $ 2,300 and is for two.
A walk through the vineyards of Trapiche Costa & Pampa in Chapadmalal, province of Buenos Aires.
Photo: Trapiche Costa & Pampa
To get out of the traditional, there are sulky tours, photographic safaris, country hike and Estancia Santa Isabel, with lunches or tastings depending on the program.
All activities require prior reservation through https://trapiche-costaypampa.meitre.com/.
How to get there:
Costa & Pampa is 440 km from Buenos Aires by RP 2 until Mar del Plata and Av. Antártida Argentina until km 16;
at 749 street turn left for 1.3 km.
White Cord
It is a family business that took its first steps in 2008 and planted its first vineyard west of Tandil, in the La Elena area.
Little by little, the venture grew and another emerged with the aim of testing new strains, south of the city, in the Don Bosco area.
In Tandil, Cordón Blanco proposes to know his venture.
Photo: White Cord
As a result, the first microvinifications obtained varieties that were vinified in a natural way, almost artisanal and without any type of corrections, which were within the limits suitable for going on the market.
This is how in 2012, Tandil welcomed its first wine.
The varieties of the vineyards are Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Carmenere, among others.
Cordón Blanco offers tours of the Don Bosco vineyard every day.
The tour, which lasts two hours, allows to know the history, includes a wine explanation by a winemaker or sommelier and ends with a tasting.
The entrance costs 550 pesos.
The wines of Cordón Blanco.
Photo: White Cord
How to get there:
Cordón Blanco is 350 km from Buenos Aires by RN 205 to Cañuelas, RN 3 to Las Flores and then RP 30;
3.5 km after the junction with 226, take Galicia street.
Finca Don Atilio
The project dates back to 2011 with the implementation of the first stage of the vineyard in
Uribelarrea
, Cañuelas, which the following year was registered with the National Institute of Viticulture.
The two hectares are cultivated with syrah, merlot, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and mainly tannat red grapes, which are best adapted to the climate of the region.
No additives are used to make wine;
The traditional path inherited from the ancestors of harvesting, grinding the grapes and going through the fermentation process was chosen.
Vineyard of Finca Don Atilio in Uribelarrea, Cañuelas.
Finca Don Atilio offers a variety of five wines, two reds, one white, one rosé and one sparkling wine, which are obtained in Uribelarrea and in the winery.
All with a natural and homemade essence.
Tourists can take a guided tour of the vineyard and the winery with a tasting of 3 wines, picada and empanadas with drink every Saturday and Sunday.
Reservations for March are sold out, but there are spots available for next month.
It will have a value of 1,800 pesos and children from 4 to 12 years old pay 50%.
In addition, once a year they carry out the harvest in which 50 tourists participate.
This time it will be on March 28th.
The activities begin with the harvesting of grapes, continue with a wine tasting accompanied by bruschettas, pizzetas, baked goods and dips and end with a live show by the tenor Eduardo Napolitano.
Prior registration is required through wines.uribelarrea@gmail.com.
It is only for people over 18 years old and the ticket has a value of 5,000 pesos.
Finca Don Atilio organizes guided tours of its family winery and plantations.
How to get there:
Don Atilio is 88 km from Buenos Aires on the Ezeiza-Cañuelas highway and RN3.
Just after the Cañuelas tollbooth, take the road to La Noria;
the winery is 3.3 km past that spot.
Cooperativa de la Costa de Berisso
The wine production of the Costa de Berisso dates back to 1940. This project took shape again in early 2000 when its reactivation was promoted.
Four years later the cooperative was formed, co-responsible for the organization of the provincial festival Vino de la Costa, which takes place in July every year.
In 2008, the construction of the wine-making room was completed.
Most of the productions are familiar, in small areas and with a high diversity of crops.
There are vines, but plums, figs, pears, wicker are also planted.
The Cooperativa de la Costa de Berisso organizes the Provincial Wine Festival every year.
The
guided tours
are usually done within the framework of the Festival of Wine.
However, due to the pandemic last year they could not be organized and now the cooperative is offering a tour again on Saturday, March 20 at 11 a.m.
The visits usually start in the vineyard, where it is explained what the management of the crop is, in what phenological state it is, what are the tasks that are done, what yields they have, the varietals and destinations of the production.
It continues in the wine-making plant, where the entire production process is explained and then goes to an agribusiness room, where different sweet and savory preserves are made.
It ends with a small fair with local producers.
Every year in July, Berisso organizes the Wine Festival.
In 2020, the celebration was virtual due to the pandemic.
The visit is free and requires prior registration by phone: (0221) 5997758. For more information on upcoming tours, consult the Facebook page Vino Costa de Berisso.
How to get there:
Berisso is 65 km from Buenos Aires by RN1 (Ricardo Balbín Highway) to Av. Domingo Mercante.
Take the exit to La Plata / Ensenada, continue on Av. 122 / RP 11, streets 125, 129, Av. Del Petróleo Argentino / RP10 and Av. Rio de Janeiro towards Av. Montevideo / RP 15.
Saldungaray Winery
The first wines from the town of Saldungaray, in Sierra de la Ventana, appeared in 2007, and today the winery of the same name has seven products that are sold in the winery, online and in wine shops or restaurants.
There is a line of six young wines with wood, which includes a white wine, a rosé, three varietal red wines, a blend and a sparkling wine made with the traditional method.
The vineyards of Bodega Saldungaray, between mountains, province of Buenos Aires.
Photo: Bodega Saldungaray
It also grows fruit trees with which they make jams in the artisanal confectionery and has a line of moisturizing creams made with grape seed oil and wine extract, whose fragrances are related to those of its beverages.
The winery can be visited all year round from Thursdays to Sundays and holidays, with guided tours that depart from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., every hour on the dot.
It is not necessary to make a reservation, the quotas are filled in order of arrival.
The tour is 30 minutes inside the winery from where the vineyard is observed, characterizing the terroir and the production process is explained, with a simple tasting.
It costs $ 200 per person, refundable for the purchase of wine.
Bodega Saldungaray is open to visitors.
Due to the pandemic, no guided tastings are carried out and there is no gastronomy service either.
Photo: Tourism of the province of Buenos Aires
Due to the pandemic, the face-to-face directed tastings and the gastronomy service are suspended.
How to get there:
Bodega Saldungaray is 571 km from Buenos Aires by RN 3 until passing Azul;
then RP 51, RP 76 and, already in the Sierra de la Ventana region, RP 72 up to 2 km passing the town of Saldungaray.
My Colors
In the La Catalina ranch, in Coronel Pringles, in November 2010 a vineyard was planted that currently exceeds two hectares.
The first wine was made with the 2013 vintage. They specialize in high-end sparkling wines and work with the classic method.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Myl Colores (@mylcolores)
Located within the mountainous system of Ventania, the marked thermal amplitude that exceeds 12 degrees in the summer period and the summer wind with gusts that exceed 30 kilometers per hour, are key to the ripening of the grape.
Among its products, the Myl Colores stands out, an extra brut rosé with 15 months of aging in lees.
Due to the pandemic, no tastings are taking place, but there are visits to the facilities, all with prior reservation.
For more information on dates and prices, check the Facebook page Myl Colores or Instagram @mylcolores.
How to get there:
Myl Colores is 525 km from Buenos Aires by RN 3 and, after Azul, RP 51 up to 22 km passing Coronel.
Pringles.
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