Wine & Food

The cuisine of the Calchaquí Valley is dry and hearty, built around corn, goat, and little fresh vegetable. It's no coincidence that the wines paired with it bring plenty of acidity and, in the reds, firm tannin.

The empanada salteña reigns above all. Unlike other Argentine versions, it contains hand-cut rather than ground meat, diced potatoes, hard-boiled egg, and spring onion, baked in a clay oven. Peas or olives have no place here. A young, cool-served Torrontés pairs with this spicy, rich filling better than any red wine. Its acidity cuts through the fat, and its floral aromas counter the onion.

Locro, on the other hand, is a winter dish: a thick stew of corn, beans and squash, with beef and pork, served with quiquirimichi, a spicy paste of chili and green onion. That calls for weight in the glass. A Malbec de altura with ripe tannin stands up to the heat and the abundance of meat without disappearing itself.

Cabrito, goat meat braised for hours with potatoes and peppers, calls for the same robust red wine. Humita, on the other hand—the mild corn mash wrapped in corn husks—pairs better with Torrontés: no meat, little spice, and the sweetness of the corn meets the wine's floral aromas beautifully.

At the table in the valley, one simple rule applies in the end. Rich, boldly seasoned food like Cabrito or Locro meets Malbec de altura with its ripe tannin. Mild corn dishes and the salty empanada, on the other hand, get the cool, floral Torrontés — two wines for the same valley, depending on what's currently on the plate.