Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
El Valle de la Concepción
4 / ELEV 1900-2100M
The Concepción Valley, or simply 'El Valle,' is the heart of Bolivian wine and
singani
production. The village of La Concepción still bears many picturesque colonial elements
and the plaza sports some lovely endemic flowering ceibo trees, but there is no reason to
stay here - it is much more conveniently visited on a day trip from Tarija.
The
Fiesta de la Uva
(Grape Festival), held here for three days in March, coincides
with the grape harvest.
Wineries
The Tarija region claims to be home to the 'world's highest wines'. The grapevines, first
brought to the region by 17th-century missionaries, grow at a staggering 1900m and
2100m and are only 22 degrees south of the equator. They ripen quicker than their sea-
level cousins and the wine is given a head start in the maturing process, making rich re-
serves easier to produce. The grapes grown here are a mix of muscat of Alexandria and
Californian, but with a crisp taste all their own.
Most bodegas also produce
singani,
a distilled grape spirit (40%) of varying quality.
Mi
Socio,
the cheapest and harshest, is marked by a blue-label; the red-label
Special de Oro
is
of medium price and quality; the best,
Colección Privada,
is a flowery, fresh, fragrant
spirit and has a black label. The cheaper types are usually drunk mixed with soda and lem-
on. All offices sell bottles at factory prices (B$15 to B$100).
