Cafayate has turned a regional quirk into a genuine attraction: its heladerías (ice cream shops) serve flavours made from local wine grapes — Torrontés, Malbec, Cabernet, and others — alongside the usual fruit varieties. The Torrontés sorbet is floral and dry; the Malbec is rich and slightly tannic; the Cabernet Sauvignon has a surprising depth for a dessert. This is not a gimmick — the wine here is good enough that using it as a base for ice cream produces genuinely interesting results.
The heladerías cluster around the main plaza, and comparing them is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Prices are low. The wine ice cream is best in the evening, when the temperature drops and the plaza fills with people. Children and adults from Cafayate eat it as a matter of course; visitors eat it with the faintly absurd pleasure of encountering something that sounds unlikely and tastes better than expected.