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A tropical country like Colombia doesn’t exactly top the list of wine producing countries, but near the town of Villa de Leyva, a few Colombian winemakers think they’ve found the perfect balance to make good wine.
Villa de Leyva and its surrounding areas in the department of Boyacá have much cooler average temperatures and drier climate than the rest of tropical Colombia. Coupled with soil rich in minerals, it’s not perfect but it’s an ideal place for grapes to grow and produce Colombian wine.
Viñedo Ain Karim
Our first stop was at Viñedo Ain Karim, which works with vines imported from France and Napa Valley. It opened in 1994 and its Marqués de Villa de Leyva branded wines have been internationally recognized.
Admission to the vineyard is COP$79,000 (as of October 2023) and includes a guided tour and wine tasting, which lasts just under an hour. It’s not possible to visit the store only. Viñedo Ain Karim is open daily except Tuesdays from 10am to 4:30pm.
The tour is a fairly straightforward introduction on wine production. It starts with a walk through the vineyard where the guide explains the cultivation process and how the grapes are harvested. He also touched on the climate of Boyacá and how it was good for wine production.
It then moves to the fermentation tanks, where the guide talks about how the grapes are processed and how the tanks work. From there, it’s a short stop in the cellar before heading back upstairs to the tasting area.
For the wine tasting, we were given two very generous pours of their cabernet sauvignon reserve and merlot. The guide finished the tour by talking about proper wine tasting methods and pairings.
At the store, it’s possible to buy wine and other local products. We took home a couple bottles of wine (2015 Merlot and 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve), but unfortunately they were out of their award-winning sauvignon blanc. We also bought a tabla and two glasses of cab to enjoy on the beautiful patio.
Viñedo Umaña Dajud
The second vineyard we visited was Viñedo Umaña Dajud. It’s a much smaller operation than Ain Karim and has only been selling wine to the public since 2015. The vineyard is open 9am to 6pm Friday through Sunday and on Monday holidays.
Like Ain Karim, it has a pleasant patio to enjoy your wine with a tabla. There’s no admission charge unless you want to take the tour, which is similar to the tour at Ain Karim. It costs COP$65,000 per person (as of October 2023).
The tour starts with a walk through the vineyard where you get the same explanation about the climate of Boyacá and how the grapes are harvested.
It then moved to the production area, which is a small building with only a few fermentation tanks. We were show the machinery and how the wine is bottled by hand before a visit to the tiny cellar.
The wine tasting was more of the same. We were given another generous pour and taught how to properly taste wine, but it wasn’t paired with any fruits or chocolate like at Ain Karim.
At the store, we were only allowed to purchase two bottles due to their low volume of production. We bought their Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve and weren’t too impressed with it.
Before leaving, we purchased a glass of rose and cabernet sauvignon along with a tabla of meat and cheese. The setting on the patio was wonderful as I mentioned earlier, but the wines were below average.
Conclusion
Based on our strange experience at Casa Grajales in La Unión, our expectations with the vineyards in Villa de Leyva were extremely low. Thankfully, the two vineyards we visited completely redeemed our faith in Colombian wine. No, it’s not France, Italy, Argentina, or Chile, but the information we received, the professionalism, and overall quality of both the tours were a pleasant surprise.
As for the wine, Viñedo Ain Karim wins hands-down. The wines were average to above average. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve we took home was my favorite and exceeded my expectations. Viñedo Umaña Dajud does have potential as a very young winery, but they still have a long way to go before making drinkable wines.
