Colombia is a country we are only just beginning to cover on The Pairing Passport, and it earns the attention. Three mountain ranges, two coastlines, and a food culture that shifts dramatically from the Caribbean coast to the Andes mean that no single city gives you the full picture. This hub page collects our destination guides as we publish them, starting on the coast in Cartagena, with more of the country to follow.
Unlike our European wine region series, Colombia is not a wine-producing destination. What it offers instead is a genuinely interesting dining scene built on imported South American, Spanish, and French wine lists, paired with some of the most distinctive regional cooking in Latin America. We are approaching this series the same way we approach our European coverage: firsthand visits, verified restaurant details, and honest notes on where the wine angle does and does not apply.
Destinations Covered So Far
Cartagena
Our first stop in Colombia, and the natural starting point for most visitors to the country. Cartagena’s walled old town sits in sharp contrast with the high rise beach neighborhood of Bocagrande just minutes away, and the city has quietly built one of the more serious fine dining scenes on the Caribbean coast. Our guide covers the old town, three standout restaurants (1621, Carmen, and Alma) with a close look at their wine programs, and two nights on the Rosario Islands, an hour offshore.
More Colombia Destinations, Coming Soon
We are planning further coverage of Colombia beyond the coast. Bogotá and Medellín, in particular, have food and wine scenes that differ substantially from Cartagena’s Caribbean cooking, shaped by altitude, a stronger farm-to-table movement, and Medellín’s role as home to Grupo Carmen’s original restaurant. We will add those guides here as they are published, along with any additional coastal or island destinations worth a dedicated write-up.
Planning a Trip to Colombia
A few things worth knowing before booking, regardless of which region you are headed to.
Regional variation matters more than in most countries. Cartagena’s Caribbean coast, Bogotá’s Andean plateau, and Medellín’s temperate valley each have distinct climates, ingredients, and dining cultures. What holds true for one rarely holds true for all three, so treat this hub as a starting point rather than a single unified itinerary.
Wine is imported everywhere. Colombia’s climate does not support commercial viticulture, so every restaurant wine list in the country is built on imports, mostly from Argentina, Chile, Spain, and France. The upside is that South American wines are often available at more approachable prices than you would find in Europe, since many are regional rather than long-haul imports.
Book ahead for the well-known kitchens. Restaurants like Carmen, with locations in both Medellín and Cartagena, and the top tables inside Cartagena’s boutique hotels fill up quickly, particularly for courtyard or garden seating. If a specific restaurant is the reason for your trip, reserve before you travel rather than on arrival.
We will keep building out this hub as new Colombia guides go live. If there is a specific city or region you would like to see covered next, the Cartagena guide is a good place to start while the rest of the series takes shape.