Having just returned from my sixth trip to Aruba, my friends consider me an expert on all things Aruba. This year I wanted to check out someplace I can’t believe I had never been … the only boutique winery on the island. Alto Vista Winery is Aruba’s first Aruban estate winery, which means it grows its grapes and produces its wine on the island. This is quite a feat, given the dry climate and sandy terrain, and it forces the winery to be creative with its vines. They also grow sugarcane on the farm to produce organic rum and offer tours of the vineyard, winery and distillery.

We stopped in for a tasting before dinner one night. All four wines were available: a nice, summery, fairly sweet Rosé 2023; Chenin Blanc 2023, a dry white; Tempranillo Reserve 2020, a historic Spanish red; and the Encanto Port-Style Wine. It also offers a refreshing rum cocktail made with its own Red Star rum, a recipe created by the sommelier.

If you take the tour, it also includes a pairing with a delicious charcuterie with cheese that pairs perfectly with the wine. The cheese comes from a little shop called Keshi Di Hulanda, which has an amazing selection of Dutch cheeses and wines from around the world. I heard it offered a great breakfast, so on our last day we headed there before our flight. The breakfast platters were so big, I shared one with my husband (and we each got a mimosa to celebrate a wonderful trip). My friend Cindy proclaimed the chocolate croissant was the best she had ever eaten … even better than the croissants she tried in France!

I was so sad I had waited until our last day to check this place out. I would have loved to buy a different cheese and bottle of wine for every day of our trip. Oh, well, next time, Keshi Di Hulanda!

— Tracey Cullen, art director