Highway 40 Tour & the Finca Colome: luxury, great wines and fabulous art



Around the world, the Argentine wines are being recognized, tried and enjoyed more by the minute. This "new" discovery for the wine lovers around the globe dates in our country of over two centuries; but it wasn't till recent years that Argentina's wines began to play a central role in the Wine world of abroad. Mainly known by its outstanding Mendoza vineyards and wineries, its fine Malbec, the world of Argentine wine is far broader than the Cuyo Region. Towards the northern frontier, as the green valleys began to turn red and sandy, the humidity turns into a dryer and hotter weather, there's another winemaking region of outstanding quality that hasn't yet
been truly appreciated to it's highest extend by wine lovers from around the globe. The province of Salta, and more specifically the area around the town Cafayate, is the heart of this new unexplored fabulous wine.

High Altitude Grapes & Vine Yards only found in Argentina.

Pioneers in the area were southern Spanish and Italian descendants who brought to our nation their winemaking techniques and found a very similar weather-geography-geology in this region. The area wines are stronger, featuring fuller bodies, mainly due to the climate and soil. Something not every winemaker is capable of appreciating and promoting to a sophisticated extent. Those with the sharp eye, the adventurous heart and the sensible palate to create superlative wines out of those grapes have the key to a wonderful world of senses, emotions and an unexplored market.

Donald Hess, of the Hess Collection, the Swiss magnate, owner of some of the world's finest vineyards -among many other successful projects- has recently discovered the majesty of the Calchaqui Valleys' wines, geography and special sweetness in the air. He decided this was the place for his next venture. It will soon become not only a venture but a life meaning path.

But Hess does nothing less than spectacular, none of his projects or visions is the sure thing, the trail everybody is going thru. So he picked upon the growing interest in Argentine wines, and developed a boutique top notch quality concept, miles away from the ever-growing Mendoza. Hess went directly for a Calchaqui Valley vineyard. But, yet again not just any vineyard. Colome is the oldest and highest vineyard in Argentina, and one of the highest placed ones in the whole world…………. Some 20 kilometres from Highway 40.


Highway 40 in the high mountains of North west Argentina.

Press here for photo gallery of the last Highway 40 Tour: Highway 40 from San Juan all the way up North West Argentina.

…….156 km north from the delighting and gorgeous town of Cachi, and 4 hours away from Salta capital city of the prvince of the same name, is Finca Colome, the oldest vineyard of our country. Following the shadow of Highway 40, traced by provincial route 53 leaving the small town of Molinos and heading 20 km more into the heart of the northern Puna is Colome.

Colome was back in the 19th century grapevines farm, featuring a main house-ranch, surrounding cultivating lands and a couple of houses for the workers. According to specialists the old Colome winery was founded in 1831, by the last Spanish governor of Salta, Nicolas Severo de Isasmendi y Echalar. In 1854, his daughter Ascension, married Jose Benjamin Davalos, and introduced pre-phylloxera Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines to Colome that were specially brought from France. Three vineyards dating from this time still produce grapes and stupendous wines thanks to the sharp eye and palate of Hess' sommelier. The winery and vineyards remained in the Davalos family until 2001, when Raul Davalos sells the Finca to Donald Hess.

The 96,371 acres at 2,300 meters over the sea level, facing the stupendous Cachi snowed peaks are the perfect complement to the superlative colonial central house. Designed and decorated in tune with the local Andes geography, highlighting the earthy colours. Each of the nine rooms is spectacular and extremely pleasant to be in. Visitants are pampered and every detail is taken care of wonderfully. From a superlative gaucho bar, a meditation area, fireplace living room areas, putting green and an outstanding pool, the Finca was successfully transformed from an old colonial building to a gorgeous boutique hotel that will soon feature its own Art Gallery hosing Hess' private collection of American and international artists.


If you would like to take part in any of our future venture tours or in this interesting rally venture, thru and along Highway 40, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly thru email, phone or chat. Press here: Contact me See "artdealer_ar" profile on Yahoo, I'm online now!:You can chat with me using Yahoo Instant Messenger.


Route 40,Argentina



Ruta 40, Route 40
Email : Email Bob Frassinetti.

 Route 40 Patagonia and North of Argentina
Topic: Route 40 Tour
Just arrived back in B's A's after an exhausting long trip along the Route 40 that runs both South and North of Argentina along the Andes Mountains.

Some more information on Route 40 ……

It’s a difficult road to drive, goes from a good motor way all the way up to over 4000 meters in the mountains where the air is hard to breath, runs along river beds as dirt roads and in this season of summer some of the rivers are bursting with water and its near impossible to cross. All the same I was able to do it an 2 wheel drive car, without to much trouble, more to luck I think than other questions.

Its for the idea of off road rally car project I'm working on, so I checked out places hotels routes and sight seeing tourist like places for future use, I hope to be able to come up with a good plan for taking adventures tourist out on a 4WD trucks, and maybe why not a Estanciera.... or some other Kaiser built jeep Willy here in Argentina.

So if you would like to take part in any of my tours or in this interesting off road rally venture,for Route 40 Patagonia & North of Argentina please don?t hesitate to contact me directly thru email, phone ( 054 11 6965 1955 ) or chat using Yahoo, press here: Contact me See "artdealer_ar" profile on Yahoo, I'm online now!:You can chat with me using Yahoo Instant Messenger.

Email : Email Bob Frassinetti.

We had a fantastic time, sleeping in really some very nice hotels, comfortable ones, as well as one owned by the US actor Robert Duvall. He married a woman from Argentina. The House of Jasmines, Historical colonial estanciera-inn with seven rooms located on a 900-acre ranch bordering the Arenales River, just off Highway 51 in Salta, north Argentina.


The scenery goes without saying was supreme, from low flat lands to high mountains, dry weather, and strong sun shine; cool in the shade as well at night. Fantastic the scenery of the country side........ to incredible old mud houses used still by the natives of this continent.

So give me a day or 2 to get back into my computer mode and I will have time to chat some more……..

Here you can see some photos of the trip:

www.flickr.com <><><> <><><>

Ruta 40, Route 40

Bob Frassinetti, art and antique dealer and free lance journalist from Argentina, Buenos Aires, working on the web, writing both for pleasure and work on art, antiques and collectibles, in and on Buenos Aires, Argentina as well are neighboring countries, Chile and Uruguay. "I've written for several Travel Adventure, Art & Antiques Magazines on and off the web and have researched Toys made here in Argentina, as well as Travel Adventure from Route 40 and Lighthouse Adventures along the Atlantic and Pacific coast, Dakar Rally  2009, 2010 and now for a 3erd time, 2011, and now we are “Building a Gallery Museum in the Province of  Cordoba” Real Estate Investment  ........  Travelling for Art and Antiques"   and I have been on line since 1996