A Bolivian Wine Country Guide For Adventurous Oenophiles

13.07.2024 - 14:01 / cntraveler.com

There’s no question that Bolivia’s food scene is having a moment, with three restaurants (Phayawi, Ancestral, and Gustu) in Latin America’s 100 Best Restaurants—up from zero in prior years. And that may be thanks, in part, to the fact that the top restaurants in La Paz showcase standout local ingredients, including the country's bountiful wine. In the first half of 2024, Bolivian wines have already earned 40 medals in international competitions such as the Bacchus Awards (Spain), Virtus (Portugal), and the Brussels International Competition (Belgium). Producers like Jardin Oculto, for instance, have bottles prominently featured in several Michelin-starred restaurants outside Bolivia, too, including Central in Lima—one of the top restaurants in the world, according to World's 50 Best.

Bolivian wine making dates back to Spanish colonial times, when the industry was supplying bottles for the Catholic church and then the moneyed mining industry. The flagship Bolivian wine-producing regions of Tarija, Cinti Valley, and Samaipata saw their first vineyards planted in the second half of the 16th century. High altitude wines are their specialty, with Tarija and Samaipata at 1,700 to 2,000 meters above sea level, and the Cinti Valley at 2,200 to 2,400 meters. The unique Andean terroir, alongside the elevation, provides Bolivian winemakers with interesting earth elements to innovate—and a unique product as the result.

Marquez de la Viña, based in the central city of Cochabamba, buys grapes from all around the country. And according to Maria Eugenia Apaza, sommelier at Gustu, the producer’s quintessentially Bolivian “line of wines is one way to taste the variety that Bolivia has to offer.” But if you're an oenophile who wants to experience Bolivian wine country for yourself, grab a car and wind your way through Tarija, the Cinti Valley, or Samaipata, which beckon with lesser-known varietals and ancient vines you might not find elsewhere.

Below, we cover each region, and how to decide which to visit based on your travel and sipping style—but nothing is stopping you from hitting all three.

Mercedes Granier cofounded boutique winery Jardin Oculto with her sister Maria Jose and enologist Nayan Gowda in Bolivia's Tarija region. The team sources grapes from the neighboring Cinti Valley's ancient vines.

The heart of Bolivian winemaking

A short flight from La Paz, Cochabamba, or Santa Cruz, Tarija is the most developed wine producing region of Bolivia. Kohlberg and Campos de Solana are some of the largest producers in the country, with varieties imported from Argentina, France, and Italy, yet their grapes find new expressions in the Bolivian highlands. Both have been handsomely rewarded in international competitions,