Salta & the Andean Northwest - Argentina - page 458

( 494061; [e-mail]; cnr Sarmiento & San Martín; s/d AR$200/350,
without bathroom AR$150/250; ) This is an excellent sleeping choice, with comfortable
rooms with cactus furniture. You're treated as one of the family and can use the kitchen;
breakfast is included, there's a washing machine, and the exceptionally welcoming and
accommodating owner is a great source of local advice.
Getting There & Away
There's a bus to Molinos from Salta (AR$95, six hours) via Cachi (AR$28, two hours)
on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It returns at 7am Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday. Shared remises (taxis) run thrice daily to Salta (AR$120) via Ca-
chi.
Local remise operators such as recommended Sergio Rueda ( 0387-15-447-8446) run
to Angastaco (around AR$300) on demand and can also take you to Colomé (AR$180
with waiting) and other wineries.
WORTH A TRIP
COLOMÉ BODEGA
Fine wines are produced at this ecological bodega ( 03868-494200;
www.bodegacolome.com ; tasting AR$73; 10:30am-6pm) , which is set (as they say here-
abouts) 'where the devil lost his poncho,' some 18km down a spectacular gravel
road west from Molinos. The vineyards enjoy a stunning natural setting, surroun-
ded by hills and mountains that seem to change color hourly. Forward thinking on
several fronts is also in evidence: the complex is electrically self-sufficient, has fun-
ded substantial infrastructural improvements in the local community and boasts a
stunning museum ( 2-6pm) designed by artist James Turrell, with a per-
manent exhibition of nine of his works. These are utterly memorable installations
involving light and the strange frontiers of our own perception; it's a remarkable
place. Both bodega and museum visits should be booked ahead by phone or email
([e-mail]), though you can often just turn up, too. As well as
tastings, the bodega serves delicious salads and sandwiches (AR$52 to AR$65)
and a meat option. The estanciahotel (doubles US$550) only opens for group
bookings, but it's worth enquiring, for if you coincide with a group, rooms may be
available.
Some 9 kilometers beyond Colomé, Bodega El Humanao is also worth a visit for
its beautifully balanced cabernet-malbec blend, among its other wines.