Overlooking the vineyards of Aranjuez
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Tarija Bolivia, the New Wine Region of South America

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All you need to know to explore Tarija Bolivia, the high altitude wine destination!

If you think of wine regions in South America, your first thought is Argentina or Chile. Very few, if any, think of Bolivia. But what if I told you about a wine region in Bolivia worth visiting?

While Bolivia’s tourism scene increased exponentially in the last decade, few ventured far beyond the iconic must-sees of the Uyuni salt flats or the large metropolitan city of La Paz. Very few dare to venture into the uncharted territories of Bolivia. For those willing to go off the beaten track, the wine region in Bolivia is a must-see.

Located in the southern part of the country on the border of Argentina is the city of Tarija Bolivia. Reaching a higher altitude than most wine-producing regions, Tarija is quickly making a name for itself globally. Though most notable as a wine region, Tarija is also home to distilleries, restaurants, bars. We have rounded up some of our favorite eating and drinking experiences in Tarija.

Getting to Tarija Bolivia

Getting to Tarija Bolivia requires more planning than other Bolivian cities. The handy tourist bus service, the Bolivia Hop does not go to Tarija Bolivia. You can, however, catch a public bus from all of the major cities. Buses leave from La Paz (18 hours), Sucre (10 hours), Santa Cruz (14 hours) and Tupiza (7 hours).

If you are traveling South America by van, the drive from Tupiza to Tarija through the Cordillera of Sama Biological Reserve is stunning. Dramatic landscapes through canyons, winding unsealed roads and tiny villages nestled along the river bed made it one of our favorite drives in South America. With only a handful of other vehicles on the road, it is a scenic route not to miss.

Where to Drink in Tarija | The Bolivian Wine Capital

Tourism is new to the area but it is gaining traction. Planning is key to visit the wineries in Tarija Bolivia. Most wineries locked their doors and only opened if a reservation is made in advance. And even making reservations could be challenging as many of the smaller wineries failed to even acknowledge our request to visit. Despite this, we still managed to visit one great winery and a popular distillary and enjoyed plenty of delicious Bolivian wine.

Casa Real

Casa Real in Tarija Bolivia

After a couple of failed attempts at visiting wineries in Tarija Bolivia, we stumbled upon Casa Real. Casa Real is not a wine producer but rather a Singani producer. Singani, the national liquor of Bolivia, is distilled from white Muscat of Alexandria grapes. Only produced in the high altitudes of Bolivia, Singani is similar to brandy. Singani, in fact, is so similar to brandy that it is commercialized in the US as such. This is because there is no official treaty with the US and Bolivia to market Singani under its official name as there is with other national liquors such as tequila in Mexico.

The Tour and Tasting

Casa Real offers a one hour tour of the facility explaining the history of the distillery and the Singani making process. After the tour, there is a Singani tasting. The Singani tasting at Casa Real, however, is unlike other tastings. Instead of a sample of three or four different varieties of Singani, Casa Real makes you a cocktail, the chuflay. The chuflay is Bolivia’s national drink made with Singani, ginger ale and lime.

The chuflay originated in the 1800s during the construction of the railroad by the British and Americans. The men requested “gin on gin” from the Bolivianos. A “gin on gin” was gin with alcoholic ginger beer. As both gin and alcoholic ginger beer were unavailable at the time in Bolivia, they improvised. They decided to use the local liquor, Singani, with ginger ale as an alternative.

There is some controversy over how the name, however, was born. One story suggests the name then arose from the railroad term “shoofly”. A “shoofly” is a short workaround from one track to the main track used as a temporary fix. Others suggest the name is from workers swatting flies away from the drink saying “shoo fly”. Regardless of the origin, the Bolivianos interpreted the word as “chuflay” and it stuck.

Aranjuez

The many Bolivian wines offered at Aranjuez including two gold metal tannats in Tarija Bolivia.
An array of the Bolivian wines offered at Aranjuez in Tarija Boliva

As one of the largest producers of Bolivian wine, Aranjuez is partially the reason for Bolivia’s recent boom on a global scale. Aranjuez’s Tannat is making a name for itself among wine connoisseurs. And it is slowly creeping into the US market due to recent articles posted by the Washington Post and the New York Times. After visiting, there is little secret as to why the secret is spreading.

The Tour and Tasting

A tour and tasting at Aranjuez will set you back a little more compared to other vineyards and certainly compared to other purchases in Bolivia. It is even more expensive than other tastings in both Chile and Argentina. But it is definitely worth it and has to be the best winery in Bolivia.

The tour begins with an introductory video outlining the progression of the facilities since it opened in 1976. Hopefully, the grandson will give you the tour which added a little extra touch to other wine tours we’ve seen. After the tour of the facilities, you load up on a bus to head out to the Aranjuez estate approximately 20-25 minutes outside of the city. With acres and acres of beautiful vines with ripe, juicy grapes ready for picking, the estate is impressive.

Wine barrels at Aranjuez in Tarija Bolivia

The tour continues with a drive through the vineyards. The guide explains the types of grapes planted and which wine is made from each hectare in the vineyard. For example, Aranjuez produces one wine, the Tannat Origen (Single Vineyard), which is made only from Block 40 on the Aranjuez estate. The name originated as the vine is said to be the first place the tannat grapes were planted in Bolivia.

At the end of the vineyard tour, it is off to taste the wines. Aranjuez offers two types of tastings. The regular tasting includes four varietals of wine from their Terruño line, Duo line and their Rosé. Each wine is accompanied with a small slice of cheese or meat suited for the aromas and flavors in the wine.

The premium tasting includes three additional wines two of which are the award winning tannat, the Tannat Origen and the Juan Cruz. Each of these, although unique in flavor, highlight their rounded, full character with each sip. Trust me. At the end of the tour, you will be purchasing a few bottles to send home to family and to stock your wine cellar. Delicious.

Once you have finished, the bus brings you back to the city where the house is located just a short distance from the city center. Although a little bit on the expensive side, the quality of the wines, the snacks to accompany and the view to boot make it worthwhile.

Overlooking the vineyards of Aranjuez

More Wineries in Tarija

Cruce del Zorro

A relatively new winery this team of international winemakers have been producing premium small batch wine since 2015. Cruce del Zorro specialize in bold red varietals.

Find out more on their website.

Casa Vinicola El Potro

A small and friendly winery.

Connect with them via Facebook

Bodega Magnus

An upmarket winery and vineyard with a selection of whites, reds, and rosés.

Where to Eat in Tarija Bolivia

El Fogon de Gringo

Now I am sure you think I am crazy to tell you to go to a restaurant with the word “gringo” in it. “Gringo” is the term used in some Spanish-speaking countries to describe Western people. You may also think I am crazy if I tell you that all the salads and sides that come with your meal are offered buffet style. I thought I left buffets behind me when I left small town Georgia, but I was wrong.

Looking past the name and the buffet, we found the steak (and the sides) to be outstanding. We ordered a 400-gram steak cooked rare to share and left fully satisfied. El Fogon de Gringo cooked the steak beautifully, but the best part of all was the price. At only USD $8, we walked away with a steak plus salad and sides. Total! This has to be the cheapest quality steak have ever eaten. Add in a bottle of Bolivian wine and two people can still get out for under USD $20. Amazing.

Where to Stay in Tarija Bolivia

Hotel Los Ciebos is the spot to be in Tarija Bolivia. Located in the historic district right near El Fogon de Gringo, it is the perfect place to stay. Plus, there is a pool to cool down in after a hot day exploring the vineyards and sampling delicious Bolivian wine.

Connectivity

Entel offers reliable 4G coverage in Tarija Bolivia and WIFI is available at most establishments.

Hopefully, our time exploring the wine region of Tarija, Bolivia, will help you plan what to do, where to eat, where to drink, and where to stay in Tarija. We hope your experience will be as great as ours!

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