Anyone traveling to Santiago should not forget that Chilean wine country is within easy reach. If you are so inclined to explore wine country there are a number of day trips that you can easily do. Aconcagua Valley, Maipo Valley and Casablanca Valley wine regions are all good options for day trips from Santiago.
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| Santiago is a very modern city © Spaswinefood |
At the end of our Las Américas Trip we spent a week in Santiago before flying to Buenos Aires. We had visited Valparaiso-Santiago area in early February 2010 (to check out options to ship our vehicle back to the United States) and we returned to Chile at the end of March to ship. After we shipped our SUV from Valparaiso we went to Santiago. We stayed at the Providencia area of Santiago. We enjoyed our stay in Providencia and found it a convenient location to explore Santiago. Las Condes is another area of Santiago that you might want to consider if you plan on staying for a week or more. Las Condes area tends to have upscale restaurants, apartments and hotels. Santiago has restaurants for every budget and taste. Needless to say you will have no problem finding great wine in Santiago. Often Chilean wineries have their main office in Santiago.
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| Our apartment building in Providencia © Spaswinefood |
If you are planning a trip to one of the three valleys then there are a number of ways you might consider to get there. For most people a wine tour is probably the best option and there are many advertisements for wine tours online. You can, however, hire a taxi or rent a car. If you choose one of the later options I would recommend that you make a reservation with the wineries you plan to visit in advance.
Aconcagua Valley Wineries
The Aconcagua Valley is located about an hours drive north (100km.) from Santiago. We travelled through the Aconcagua Valley via Ruta 57 in February 2010 when we drove from Mendoza, Argentina to Valparaiso and return. To get to Aconcagua Valley from the Argentine side is quite a scenic drive. The route across Los Andes through the Redentor Tunnel climbs to a pass, which is overlooked by Mount Aconcagua at 22,828ft. (6, 956 meters). Mount Aconcagua is the highest mountain peak outside Asia. Anyone wanting to visit both Chilean and Argentine wine regions can travel through this pass.
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| Heading towards the pass from Mendoza to Santiago © Spaswinefood |
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| Mount Aconcagua at 22,828ft. (6, 956 meters) © Spaswinefood |
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| Traveling through the pass © Spaswinefood |
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| 29 switchbacks need to be navigated © Spaswinefood |
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| 29 switchbacks need to be navigated © Spaswinefood |
On the Chilean side the Aconcagua Valley is feed by waters from Río Aconcagua, which is joined at the village of Río Blanco by Ríos Blanco and Juncal. Aconcagua Valley has a number of wineries such as Agustinos, Errazuriz, Mendoza, San Esteban and Von Siebenthal. Of those Viña Errazuriz founded in 1870 is the best known. Viña Errazuriz produces some great wines, such as 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Although we drove through the Aconcagua Valley on two occasions regrettably we did not take the time to visit the winery. Since returning home we have discovered their wines are excellent. We have put this winery on our list to visit.
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| Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 © Spaswinefood |
Maipo Valley
Maipo Valley is south of Santiago. Maipo Valley is the oldest and most famous wine region of Chile. There are over 40 wineries in the Maipo Valley regions of Alto Maipo, Central Maipo and Pacific Maipo. If I had to make a short list there are three wineries Concha y Torro, Santa Rita, and Undarraga that I would put on my list. I have found that wines from these three wineries have consistently been good value for the price. However everyone has different tastes and there are certainly many excellent wineries in the Maipo Valley.
Concha y Torro is one of the first Chilean wines that I can recall tasting. That is probably because Concha y Torro is the oldest and best known wine producer in Chile. You can visit Concha y Torro in Pirque, a small town 27km. south of Santiago in the Maipo Valley. They also have a tasting room in the Condes area of Santiago.
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| Casillero del Diablo Camenere 2008 © Spaswinefood |
Another Maipo Valley winery that we like is Santa Rita.
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| Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 © Spaswinefood |
Undurraga Viña owns two vineyards (Santa Ana Estate and Codigua Estate) in the Maipo Valley. Santa Ann Estate is located in Talagante County (34 km. from Santiago); Codigua Estate is in Melipilla County (70 km. Santiago). While in Chile all the Undurraga wines that we bought came in an oval shaped bottle. We miss seeing this unique shaped wine bottle since returning to North America.
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| Undurraga Cabernet Sauvignon © Spaswinefood |
Cajón del Maipo in the Maipo Valley is also a popular getaway for those seeking outdoor adventures. Mid-March 2010 we visited the Maipo Valley and stayed at the Cascada de las Animas. There you will find La Tribu Restaurant with an excellent chief.
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| View of river from La Tribu Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| My vegetarian pasta was excellent!! © Spaswinefood |
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| John's salmon was excellent as well!! © Spaswinefood |
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| Note: when ordering salad at a Chilean restaurant it is sufficient for two © Spaswinefood |
Casablanca Valley
Situated between Santiago and Valparaiso is Casablanca Valley. It is less than an hour's drive west of Santiago.The Casablanca Valley is relatively new to the wine industry it has quickly gained recognition for its Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Carménere and Sauvignon Blanc.You may want to check out my earlier post on Casablanca wineries for more details. One winery that I did not get to visit was the organic winery Emiliana, which makes excellent wines. I would certainly want to visit it next time.
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| Casablanca Valley from Viña Indómita © Spaswinefood |
I invite you to join me in my travels in Chile and elsewhere at Spaswinefood, or you can visit my travel column at the Examiner.
Sharon
Tasting Memories from the Las Américas Trip
The following Spaswinefood posts on the Chilean Wine Regions you should find helpful:
For the Argentinian Wine Regions see the posts on:
I believe that the best wine can be found in the province of Mendoza. El gran Bar Danzon seems like a pretty good option too. Actually, the reason I decided to rent an apartment in buenos aires and stay longer in Argentina was because of the cocktails and good drinks and wineries they have over there. They have the culture and the history of this industry!
ReplyDeleteLindsay
There are excellent wineries in both Argentina and Chile.
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