Wine Tour

This past Thursday, Kyle and I went on a professional wine tour. It was our 1-year anniversary so we wanted to do something special together. I found a company online called Uncorked, which offered an all day tour of 3 different vineyards, with all tastings, transportation and lunch included. It had amazing reviews on TripAdvisor and although it was expensive, we justified it based on all that was included.  The agency picked us up in an air-conditioned van directly outside my apartment building and we continued on to pick up 3 other couples. Everyone on our tour spoke English and was from the US, Australia or the UK. After everyone was picked up, we drove a little over an hour west, towards the coast, to a region called Casablanca Valley. This region is known for their white wines and their “soft” red wines. I don’t particularly like red wine (I don’t like it at all actually) so I was happy that Kyle wanted to go to this region rather than Maipo Valley (an equally famous wine region near Santiago but for red wines). 

Casablanca Valley with the morning fog

Our guide's name was Jose and he was fabulous. The tour took us to 3 vineyards (Kingston, Bodgea RE and House) and then dropped us off at the end of the day right on our doorstep. All of these vineyards were pretty small, which ensured that the wine was of the highest quality. The first vineyard only produces about 30,000 bottles per year! At all three vineyards we did an outside tour of the vineyards, an inside tour of the winery and a tasting of various wines that each vineyard produces, complete with cheese, bread and the region’s famous (and delicious) olive oil. 

At the last vineyard we actually sat down and had a gourmet 5 course lunch! In the car between vineyards, Jose educated us on what each vineyard was especially known for and other helpful information such as, why this region was particularly good for growing grapes (the cooler climates on the coast creates a cool morning fog and gives off more cloud coverage than in other places, which allows for longer ripening periods) as well as other items that grown in the sandy clay soil in this area (olives and avocados). I didn’t know anything about wine before this tour and I don’t consider myself particularly knowledgeable about wines now but I will say that I really feel like I learned a lot. I definitely will have more confidence the next time I go to a restaurant and take a look at an extensive wine menu.

The 1st Vineyard - Kingston

            My favorite vineyard that we went to was the first one – Kingston Winery. The location felt so secluded and was absolutely picturesque. The photos I took really don’t give it justice and the terrace that we sat on while the representative from the winery told us about their process was idyllic. The second winery, Bodega RE, seemed more tourist-y with a full-blown (overpriced) gift shop taking over the first floor of the winery. The third winery, House, was great because it had the vineyards as well as a gourmet restaurant but it felt much larger than the others. The vineyards and surrounding area reminded me of a southern plantation, with lots of dirt roads and tall leafy trees overhead. 

The 3rd Vineyard - House

In the future, I would definitely be interested in taking another wine tour in another country – maybe Napa Valley in the U.S., to be able to compare experiences.