Travel to Tarija Wine Country

Tarija lies in the far south of Bolivia, a department of warm valleys and Andean foothills near the borders with Argentina and the Gran Chaco. The wine country spreads through the Valle Central de Tarija along the Guadalquivir River and south into the Valle de la Concepción, where most of the region’s vineyards grow between roughly 1,600 and 2,400 meters above sea level. This is some of the highest commercial wine country in the world. At these elevations the air is thin and the sun is fierce, the days are warm and the nights cold, and grapes develop thick skins, deep color, and concentrated aromatics that give the wines their character.

Winemaking arrived with the Spanish in the early 1600s, when Franciscan missionaries planted vines to supply wine for the missions and found that European grapes thrived only at altitude. The grape they brought, Muscat of Alexandria, still defines the region today, both in its wines and in singani, the grape brandy that became Bolivia’s national spirit. Over the centuries the valleys around Tarija grew into the country’s dominant wine region, today home to most of Bolivia’s vineyards and a mix of large modern bodegas and small family cellars. The industry remains modest by world standards, which is part of its appeal.

Singani is a clear, usually unaged brandy distilled from Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown at high altitude, and it has been made in southern Bolivia for nearly five centuries. The intense mountain sun thickens the grape skins and concentrates their floral compounds, giving singani its distinctive perfume of white flowers and citrus. Bolivia protects the spirit with a denomination of origin established in 1992, and the highest grade, known as singani de altura, must be made entirely from Muscat grapes grown above 1,600 meters. Most Bolivians drink it in a chuflay, mixed with a lemon-lime soda and a squeeze of lime.

For most of its history singani was almost unknown outside Bolivia. That began to change after the American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh discovered it while working in the country and went on to champion it abroad. In early 2023 the United States formally recognized singani as a distinctive product of Bolivia, a milestone that has opened export markets and drawn new attention to Tarija. Visitors can tour the distilleries that produce it, from large operations in Santa Ana to historic houses in the valleys, and taste the spirit at its source alongside the wines made from the same grape.

Tarija is one of the most distinctive corners of Bolivia, with a warm, Hispanic-flavored culture that has earned it the nickname the Andalusia of the country. Its people, the chapacos, are known for their hospitality, their sung coplas, and a calendar full of festivals. The grape harvest is celebrated each March with the Vendimia Chapaca in the Valle de la Concepción, while the city’s Fiesta Grande de San Roque, recognized by UNESCO, fills the streets with costumed dancers in late summer. The colonial center, with its plazas, churches, and the gilded Casa Dorada, rewards a slow day of wandering between tastings.

The countryside around the wine valleys offers more than the vine. Tarija is famous for its Ice Age fossils, displayed in a paleontology museum in the city, and for a regional table built around dishes like saice and chancho a la cruz. To the west, the Cordillera de Sama reserve protects high-Andean lakes where flamingos and vicuñas gather, along with stretches of old Inca trail, and the cloud forests of the Tariquía reserve lie to the southeast. Together they let a wine trip open out into the wider landscapes and culture of southern Bolivia.