|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Chilean
Wine Fanatic's Tour |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In
Chile:
Phone: (56) 2 244 2750
Fax: (56) 2 244 2749
In
the U.S.:
802 904 6798
email |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This
tour is for those ‘loco’ for ‘vino’ that
jut can’t get enough of the stuff! Maybe you’ve already
traveled to famous wine regions in France, Italy, or California,
and are looking for more. Maybe you want to visit some “new
world” wine country firsthand and see what all the hype’s
about. Maybe you have just always wanted to experience Latin America
and can finally indulge your curiosity while tasting some amazing
food and wine. Whatever the reason, this tour may just be for
you! We will pack in lots of visits to Chile’s top vineyards
– from the ultra-modern & cutting edge, to the family
owned garage boutiques, to the centuries-old traditional classics
– we will only visit and taste the best! You will leave
with a full understanding of Chile’s diverse wine regions
and most important wineries. All lodging has been reserved at
quaint, top-quality lodges, restored mansions, and boutique hotels.
And then of course, all included meals are top-notch and are paired
with quality wine selections. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"...the
winery selections were the key to our trip's success."
Austin
George, Trip Leader, Chile
& Argentina Wine Tour 2006
International Wine & Food Society of Baltimore
|
|
|
|
Departure
Dates:
February 8, 2009, March 19, 2009
Price
Per Person:
$3,850 double occupancy, $720 single supplement
Minimum group sized required
Price Includes:
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Welcome
dinner and Chilean wine tasting hosted by our professional sommelier
- Vists
to 21 top Chilean wineries with tastings
- Professional
English speaking guide
- All lodging
and ground
transport
- Breakfast
and lunch days 2-9
- Five
gourmet dinners
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chilean
Wine Fantatic's Tour -
Itinerary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 1 - Santiago – Intro to Chilean
wine. Your Santiago Adventures representative will meet
you at the Santiago International Airport upon your arrival. Our
tour begins with an afternoon departure from the hotel to see
the city of Santiago. We will visit the most important sites of
the city including the historic downtown area and the traditional
food markets including the Mercado Central, Santiago’s most
important fish market, and the nearby La Vega vegetable and flower
market.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our tour
will end at a local boutique wine shop where we will enjoy a
special Chilean wine tasting hosted by a local sommelier. We
will learn important information about the Chilean wine regions
and enjoy several wines representing the different regions and
varieties.
Tonight
we will have a special dinner at one of Santiago’s top
restaurants Astrid & Gaston. Owned and run by a Peruvian
couple the menu highlights Chilean seafood and adventurous fusion
options. It has an elegant atmosphere and a great Chilean wine
list.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day
2 – Maipo – Classic Wine Country. The Maipo
Valley, the oldest and most famous of Chile’s wine
valleys, is home to many of Chile’s famous wineries such
as Concha y Toro, Cousino Macul and Santa Rita and the valley
is also famous for its Cabernet Sauvignons. In the town of Pirque
is Concha y Toro, the largest wine producer in
South America. Here we will have a private tour of the facilities
followed by a private tasting led by the Concha y Toro sommelier.
The tasting will include their premium chardonnay – Amelia
and their premium cabernet sauvignon – Don Melchor. Our
second visit will be to Chile’s top premium wine producer,
Almaviva, a joint venture between Concha y Toro
and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The Bordeaux-style assemblage
is the first wine in Chile to receive an “Excellent”
rating from Wine Spectator (Almaviva 2001 – 95 points).
The visit and tasting is topped off with a gourmet lunch in their
gardens. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day
3 – Maipo – Classic Wine Country. The Maipo
Valley has seen a growth in new boutique wineries which will be
the focus of today’s visits. First though, we will stop
in to Nadalie Chile, a cooperage, and learn about
the barrel making process and its importance in fine wine production.
We will then drive into the Maipo Alto region along the Andean
foothills arriving at Perez Cruz, the producer
of five award winning wines including Malbec and Syrah. Next we
will visit Antiyal where winemaker Álvaro
Espinoza’s celebrated namesake wine Antiyal is often referred
to as Chile’s first “garage wine.” Here we will
learn about the bio-dynamic winemaking process from Alvaro’s
charming wife Mariana. Finally we will visit Haras de
Pirque, a winery that combines the Chilean aristocratic
tradition of horse racing with fine wine. Here they have an equestrian
center that breeds and trains race horses alongside their horseshoe-shaped
winery producing award-winning wines. Their 2001 Albis was named
one of the world’s top 100 wines of 2005 and is a partnership
of Eduardo Matte and Piero Antinori of Italy. We’ll have
lunch at the winery. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day
4 – Aconcagua – In the Shadow of the Andes.
An hour north of Santiago is the Aconcagua Valley and on a clear
you can see the stunning peak of Aconcagua (actually located across
the border in Argentina) which gives the river and valley its
name. At 22,800 feet, it is the highest peak in the Americas.
Our first visit is to Von Siebenthal, a boutique
winery producing only 4 wines, 1 silver and 3 gold medal winners
at the Brussels Wine Expo in 2004 including their Premium Montelig
which won best red wine in the world at the Expo. Next we will
visit Errazuriz Winery, once the largest wine
producer in the world, they now hold the title of most beautiful
winery in Chile. A special tour and tasting await us followed
by a delicious lunch. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day
5 – Aconcagua – In the Shadow of the Andes.
On the east side of the Aconcagua Valley and in the foothills
of the Andes is Vina San Esteban, a mid size
family winery. The important Guia de Vinos de Chile selected their
2003 Laguna del Inca as one of the top 10 assemblage wines of
2006. We will tour their hillside vineyards, some of the first
hillside plantings in Chile, which include some interesting petroglyphs
left by the valley’s earliest settlers. Our lunch will be
in the warm home of Marcela and Alexis at Casa San Regis
a beautifully restored 18th century hacienda. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day
6 – Casablanca & San Antonio - Coastal Wine Country.
Today we will head west to the Casablanca Valley
known for its premium Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Our
visit today will be to one of the first wineries in the Casablanca
Valley and one of our favorites, Villard. Our
host, second generation winemaker Charles Villard will share with
us their excellent Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs. Our next
stop will be right next door at Viña Organica Emiliana
a leader in the Chilean organic movement and recognized
internationally for their premium wine Coyam. We’ll have
lunch in their new restaurant and enjoy the chef’s special
creations that pair with VOE wines. |
|
|
|
| After
lunch we will continue to the San Antonio Valley.
This is the closest Chilean valley to the Pacific Ocean and the
ocean breezes provide the ideal climate for white varietals. Casa
Marin is the story of a dream by Maria Luz Marin, who
was named “Business Woman of the Year” in 1998 being
the first female winemaker in Chile to have her own winery. She
and her husband Andy will share with us the results of her dream.
Viña Matetic describes itself as “the
future of Chilean wine!” Stunningly modern, this new all-organic
winery has named their wine “EQ” which stands for
“Equilibrio,” the Spanish word for balance - the harmony
of soil, climate and vine. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Santiago
Adventures provided a trip through Chile's wine country that exceeded
our most optimistic expectations in every respect."
Dick
West
Reno, Nevada
Seven Day Custom
Wine Tour |
|
|
Day
7 – Cachapoal – Brimming with Hidden Wine Gems.
Our first stop in this valley one hour south of Santiago is Chateau
Los Boldos (“The French Chateau of Chile”)
owned by the Massenez family and producers of Eaux de Vie in Alsace,
France. Then on to Altair, a partnership between
Chile’s second largest winery San Pedro and Chateau Dassault
in Saint Emilion, France. Nestled in a remote corner of the Cachapoal
Valley, the winery provides fantastic views of the central valley
and a great lunch spot. Heading south another 30 minutes we will
arrive at the eastern end of the Colchagua Valley and Casa
Silva, the oldest winery in the Colchagua Valley and
known for their award winning Carmeneres, the signature grape
of Chile. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 8 – Colchagua – Pride
of Chile. The Colchagua Valley is emerging as the new
king of Chilean reds and today’s winery visits will no doubt
demonstrate the quality of new wines coming from Colchagua, particularly
of the Carmenere, Syrah and Malbec varieties. Our first stop will
be Viu Manent, one of the oldest wineries in
the valley and well known for producing one of the best Malbecs
in South America. Your visit includes a ride through the vineyards
by horse drawn carriage with an overview of the terroir of the
Colchagua Valley before sitting down to a light lunch at their
patio restaurant. Next, we will visit one of Chile’s most
famous wineries, Montes. Aurelio Montes started
the winery with three other Chileans in the late 1980s and their
success as quality wine producers is now world famous. Their ultra
modern winery is well worth a tour. We’ll return to the
hotel for some leisure time.
In
the early evening we head to Casa Lapostolle,
Chile’s only other top Premium wine producer with an ‘excellent’
rating from Wine Spectator. We will visit their brand new, state-of-the-art
gravity fed wine cellar Clos de Apalta before a sunset dinner
on their terrace with magnificent views over the Colchagua Valley. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 9 – Curico – birthplace
of the Chilean wine boom. We continue driving south arriving
in the Curico Valley. The valley is home to some
of the big names in Chilean wine including San Pedro, the second
largest winery in Chile, and Miguel Torres, the famous Spanish
winemaker who first introduced modern winemaking techniques to
Chile. We will stop in to the Miguel Torres winery
for a bit of a history lesson about their arrival in Chile and
taste some of their innovative wines. Next, we will visit the
small family bodega of Echavarria where meticulous
vineyard management and a great winemaker are producing some excellent
reds. Finally, we will visit the new Viña Altacima
winery. Owner/winemaker Klaus Schröder has been making wine
in Chile for over 40 years – previously with wineries such
as San Pedro, Santa Rita and Errazuriz. It is a small, modest
winery, but very well-designed and producing first-rate results.
We will have lunch in the Schröder’s home after the
visit.
Our
journey through Chile’s wine country has come to an end
and we will return to Santiago in the late afternoon for departing
flights or other travel arrangements. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
