Continuing on our tour, we visited a winery. The vineyard worker gave us a tour but she spoke very fast in Spanish. The few nuggets I got was that they grew sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon grapes, though they are planning for the experimental planting of a few other varietals. Also, they harvest twice a year here. I suppose that's the advantage of the climate here. We had a chance to taste a glass. It was passable but nothing extraordinary. Oh, and the guy who started this winery studied inoculture at UC Davis. A Colombian wine our guide recommended was Marques de Punta Larga. This winery was apparently started by a former NASA engineer.
After our wine tasting, we went to Raquira, a small town that is known for its clay pottery. We first had lunch. Both of us ate conseulas boyocas, a local soup with beans, beef, tripe, and a type of collard greens. It was paired with arepas (a type of flat corn bread) with cheese, plantains, and rice. The Columbian soups here are very hearty and filling.
Many of the clay stores were touristy -- there were Angry Birds and Despicable Me minions objects. But we each managed to come away with a pair of glazed mini-goblets. We did see the place where they were made so we knew they were genuinely local.
The skies opened up and it was pouring on the way back. There were some mini-waterfalls on the side of the road from this rain. It took us a while to get back. We also hit traffic on the way back. Dinner became a local cheese that we picked up (8 oz. for $2.25!) and a bottle of wine. The cheese was a semi-soft cheese that was like a slightly more aciditic mozzarella ball. The wine was a Chilean Cabernet Merlot blend. A very makeshift dinner but it sufficed.
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