Jesús Vilte Winery and Vineyards

The achievement of a family project for the most distinguished high altitude wine. 

Maimará, , the small town between Tilcara and Purmamarca where the Paleta del Pintor, a mountainous formation of extraordinary beauty and radiant colors, stands out, is also positioning itself as a wine destination, cradle of vines that give life to powerful high-altitude red wines.

One of them is undoubtedly Molino de Chicapa, a Malbec produced at 2,453 meters above sea level.

Arriving at Jesús Vilte's winery, on Belgrano Street, we rang the doorbell at noon on a Sunday, without much hope that we would be attended. To our surprise, the kind Susana not only opened the gate, but also welcomed us and invited us to visit her treasure. In the gallery, with gentleness and grace, she kindly and charmingly told us the life story of Jesus and how, almost by chance, her wine came to be. The fascinating story of the first planting of vines, the artisanal manufacture of wine, a process in which all members of the family participate, and the storage of the bottles. The renowned winemaker Marcos Etchart oversees the alchemy, guaranteeing a superb taste. 

The wine was baptized with a name that venerates the history of the only mill in the region, brought by Jesús' ancestors from Iruya area around 1860. The label, meanwhile, bears the grandiose design of Salta artist Mariano Cornejo.

Then, we entered the small winery, two adobe-walled rooms that until recently were the kitchen of her house, where the wines are produced and stored. There, Susana told us about her parallel project of making pomace flour, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, with the soon launching of alfajores made from the crushed grape skins, together with K’oa Chocopostales, another exceptional project of high chocolates with cards of the beauties of Jujuy.

Molino de Chicapa is a wine for aging, powerful and high altitude. The visit guided by its owners can be completed with a tasting in its colorful garden, overlooking the colorful Paleta del Pintor.