Tarija

A 2010 zoning study credits the Central Valley of Tarija with more than 400 years of wine tradition. Supreme Decree 24777 of 1997 noted that a wine centre already existed in the valley, in Avilés province, to spread selected, pest-free vines and to run an experimental winery; the Tarija prefecture, which owned the centre, ceded it in usufruct to the new Centro Nacional Vitivinícola (CENAVIT), whose governing body included representatives of the prefecture and of the national association of wine industries based in Tarija. In 2012 Tarija produced 95% of Bolivia's wine, 76% of it in large wineries. The municipality now promotes a 'Ruta del Vino y Singani de Altura'.

The municipal government places the Central Valley of Tarija between 21°14' and 21°46' S. Cercado province covers 1,849 km² from 1,260 to 4,300 m; 80% lies in the Cordillera Oriental and 20% in the sub-Andean zone. Its alluvial valleys hold the farmland, beside lacustrine and fluvial plains and steep hills of grey shale with siltstone and thin sandstone; the drainage belongs to the La Plata basin. The climate is temperate, with means of about 16 °C in autumn and winter and 24 °C in spring and summer, and grapes are listed among suitable crops. The 2010 zoning study puts vineyards at 1,660-2,300 m and identifies eight climate types. The municipality gives 1,800-2,200 m and qualifies the slogan of the world's highest vineyards. Grafted plants are used against phylloxera, which the departmental centre says affects most vineyards.

The Centro Vitivinícola Tarija measures industrial and phenolic ripeness of the region's grape varieties, characterises wines through micro-vinification trials and offers quality control for wine and singani certification. Neither it nor the municipality publishes a sensory description of Tarija wine. The atlas therefore records the valley's altitude and climate, and the legal 'Vinos de Altura' band it falls within, without attributing a style to them.

Wines from grapes harvested between 1,600 and 2,850 m may be certified as Vinos de Altura; the valley's reported vineyard band lies within that range. Singani is distilled from wine of Moscatel de Alejandría and may use the denomination of origin only if made entirely from that grape. The Centro Vitivinícola Tarija makes varietal wines for small producers, grape juice from Moscatel, Ribier and Italia, and advises on wine and singani; its laboratory belongs to the national food and beverage control network with SENASAG. The municipal wine route links vineyards and cellars between Tarija and Valle de la Concepción, producing wines of all colours and singani; an illustration should not use a still or spirit bottle to stand for wine without explanation.