Apologies for the wait between my Chile blogs, but here is the news on the rest of my Chile trip.
After leaving Santiago, we head towards the coast. Valparaiso was the destination. Valparaiso is Chile's 2nd largest (in terms of population) city. It is also the main harbour for the country and it is views of tankers and container yards that dominate most of the views. It is city with a real bohemian vibe thanks to all the graffiti and painted steps all over the city. We had dinner in a fantastic seafood restaurant and enjoyed ceviche and oysters!
The following day we visited the Pumanque Valley, near the coast. This is a recently discovered valley for viticulture and Santa Rita were the first to plant vines here. It is only 20km (approx.) from the coast so it has a strong Pacific influence. This makes it a great valley to grow Merlot and Syrah. The views here are stunning and winemaking from this valley is still relatively undiscovered. Lunch was a lovely BBQ'd lamb next to the lake with plant of refreshing Sauvignon Blanc and some lovely Merlot. Bliss!
After a night in Valparaiso we then made our way to Buin (south of Santiago) to the home of Santa Rita and Carmen; Casa Real. Here we stayed in the fantastic Casa Real Hotel. We visited the Andean museum and enjoyed a full tasting of the Santa Rita range, including the Triple C and Casa real blend. A fantastic dinner was enjoyed with a few bottles of Casa Real and a night cap of Remy Martin VSOP!
Our final day involved a visit to the nursery and the biodynamic vineyards of Nativa Wines. We also had a full tasting of the Carmen wines, a tour of the Santa Rita winery and a cycle around the beautiful grounds of the Casa Real Hotel.
All in all the trip was an amazing experience. It was my first visit to South America and Chile is a wonderful country to visit.
Stay tuned for more wine updates and news. Follow me on Twitter @roberthaynes88
After leaving Santiago, we head towards the coast. Valparaiso was the destination. Valparaiso is Chile's 2nd largest (in terms of population) city. It is also the main harbour for the country and it is views of tankers and container yards that dominate most of the views. It is city with a real bohemian vibe thanks to all the graffiti and painted steps all over the city. We had dinner in a fantastic seafood restaurant and enjoyed ceviche and oysters!
The following day we visited the Pumanque Valley, near the coast. This is a recently discovered valley for viticulture and Santa Rita were the first to plant vines here. It is only 20km (approx.) from the coast so it has a strong Pacific influence. This makes it a great valley to grow Merlot and Syrah. The views here are stunning and winemaking from this valley is still relatively undiscovered. Lunch was a lovely BBQ'd lamb next to the lake with plant of refreshing Sauvignon Blanc and some lovely Merlot. Bliss!
After a night in Valparaiso we then made our way to Buin (south of Santiago) to the home of Santa Rita and Carmen; Casa Real. Here we stayed in the fantastic Casa Real Hotel. We visited the Andean museum and enjoyed a full tasting of the Santa Rita range, including the Triple C and Casa real blend. A fantastic dinner was enjoyed with a few bottles of Casa Real and a night cap of Remy Martin VSOP!
Our final day involved a visit to the nursery and the biodynamic vineyards of Nativa Wines. We also had a full tasting of the Carmen wines, a tour of the Santa Rita winery and a cycle around the beautiful grounds of the Casa Real Hotel.
All in all the trip was an amazing experience. It was my first visit to South America and Chile is a wonderful country to visit.
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| Casa Real Hotel |
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| Painted steps in Valparaiso |
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| Inside the Santa Rita winery |
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