Vines & Auld Lang Syne

I’m not sure how I didn’t see the cactus – it was 6 feet tall. I was watching for dogs and other cars, as I backed out of our parking spot. In any case, I was not paying attention to what was directly behind me! I felt like such an idiot – not a new feeling, but no less uncomfortable.

Gustavo and Alicia, our hosts at the Posada de las Viñas, had treated Liz and me like family up to this point. I was pretty sure that was over now, at least for me. Gustavo, however, simply shrugged and sighed. There may have been some unspoken curses about careless gringos, but he was determined not to let it spoil the New Years Eve celebrations. “There are lots more,” he indicated the desert landscape around his vineyard. “We’ll dig one up to replace it.”

Staying at a winery was high on Liz’s wish list for this trip. The Posada de las Viñas (Inn of the Vines) fit the bill perfectly. It’s a quiet family run operation on the outskirts of Cafayate in the beautiful Calchaquíes valley, with only 8 rooms, home cooked meals, a pool and 3 dogs. And it fit within our budget. Some of the wine “resorts” in the area charge USD $,1000+ per night.

Getting to Cafayate was a treat in itself – another stunning drive, this time along Ruta 68, through the red rock valley of the Rio Las Conchas. There had been some heavy thunderstorms in the preceding days and the road had only recently been cleared from the resulting mudslides. This was something we saw a lot of in north-western Argentina. Maintaining a highway system in an area subject to flash floods is no easy task.

We arrived at the Posada tired and hungry after the long drive down from Tilcara, but we were soon sitting on the balcony of our room, looking out over the vines, while Gustavo bustled in the kitchen, preparing our supper.

Owning an inn and vineyard had been something of a lifelong dream for Alicia & Gustavo. Why their dream didn’t involve riding hundreds of kilometers a day, on a motorcycle, over gravel roads, in a foreign country, I’ll never understand. But each to his own.

Five years ago, they sold their business in Bariloche, bought a plot of land, built the Posada and year by year, planted the vines, which now cover some 40 hectares. The vines (malbec and torrontés) are young, but according to Liz, the wines are quite good and will improve as the years go by.

We spent the next few days, strolling the grounds, playing with the dogs and lounging by the pool, with occasional trips into the town of Cafayate for lunch and people watching on the central square. It seemed like a good way to wind down 2022, with all of its excitement and challenges.

The preparations for New Year’s Eve began, mid-afternoon with Gustavo’s lead-hand, Jorge lighting and tending the fire for the asado. The guests for the evenings festivities included basically everyone: those of us staying at the Posada, Alicia’s & Gustavo’s friends and family, as well as the staff and children of those who worked at the inn and in the vineyard.

The menu started with four different courses for the appetizers alone! The main course consisted of meat, meat and meat, with meat on the side – sausage, chicken, ribs and steak – all perfectly grilled and with the exception of me, washed down with Gustavo’s best vintage. (To be fair, there was also a nice salad and some potatoes).

Alicia & Gustavo’s son Juan provided the entertainment singing the local peñas (gaucho folk songs) as well as a few contemporary favorites. We rang in the New Year watching the celebrations from Buenos Aires on TV, the Argentinian equivalent of watching the big ball fall in Time Square.

We were 8,000 km from our place on Ebbs Bay, but it felt like we were at home, with people who obviously loved each other and cared enough to enfold us with their kith and kin.

Liz and I managed to hold on until nearly 1 am. The party went for another couple of hours, but it didn’t bother us. We drifted off to sleep to the sounds of music and singing – the sounds of people basking in each others company, celebrating the triumphs and tragedies of the year gone by, and looking ahead to whatever the new year might bring.

Here are the photos of our drive to Cafayate and our stay at the Posada de las Viñas.