Chile | A Winemaker’s Paradise
Chile Wine Tours | Explore A Winemaker´s Paradise!
Discover why winemakers salivate at the thought of working in Chile and why a wine tour here will delight your palate and your brain in equal measure. Wild vines are left to climb trees in Maule, ancient bush vines in Itata. Learn about old-school, traditional methods of production, and the use of concrete lagares and clay amphorae. Contrast this with high-investment, cutting-edge technology crafting some of the best wines in the world in Colchagua and Maipo.
Day Trips from Santiago.
Casablanca | The most popular wine region to visit, which is so close to Santiago. This day trip is around a 50-minute drive from the capital. You can enjoy some great winery visits such as those at Bodegas RE, Villard, Emiliana, Casas del Bosque and Kingston. In reality, there is enough to keep you entertained for 3 days of visits, and you could stay over in the area if you wanted (some clients do stay the night), but there are always more wine regions to see in Chile as you will read below.
Maipo | Some of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère creations from this region are world-class. You may have heard of Alma Viva and Don Melchor; these wines consistently earn 100-point critic scores, and wineries like Concha y Toro are pilgrimages for many wine lovers. Maipo is also the closest wine region to Santiago, so logistically it is very easy to explore.
Aconcagua | The Aconcagua valley is a little longer as a day trip, but still very manageable from Santiago. Many of the wines from this higher-altitude region are very high quality. Errazuriz is a world-famous winery from this region, and we highly recommend including a tour and tasting at this lovely winery. There are several rustic, smaller-scale places along this route, adding value to a wonderful day trip.
After the day trips above, the next most popular wine tour is a multi-day trip to Colchagua. Two nights is the minimum stay we recommend away from Santiago:
Colchagua | The Heart of Chilean Wine Country.
From Santiago, it is a 3-hour drive south, so you need to stay over; otherwise, you will be spending all day in the vehicle and not enjoying the wineries. One night in the Santa Cruz area is possible, but a little rushed. We suggest two nights away from Santiago for optimum enjoyment. A Chile wine tour would not be complete without visiting a couple of the big hitters such as Santa Cruz, Clos Apalta, VIK, Montes, Viu Manent, Lapostolle, and Casa Silva, for example.
The VIK winery mentioned before is not technically in Colchagua (it’s actually in Cachapoal), but can easily be added to the route. The hotel is literally a work of art and a lovely venue for lunch pre- or post-tour. The hotel is for those who have a superior budget, as it is not cheap. The place is spectacular, however. Montes and Clos Apalta are two wineries in Colchagua which are often requested by clients, and with good reason. If you would like to visit them, just let us know.
There are some great eating options that we add into our Colchagua wine tours. From the simple cafe at the Estampa winery, through the very well-regarded Rayuela restaurant at the Viu Manent winery, to the famous Fuegos de Apalta at Montes. There are other options too, across the price range.
Old, Weird and Wonderful | Maule & Itata
Wild vines that are left to climb trees (see the photo at the top of the page), wander among 150-year-old bush vines, try almost forgotten grapes and wine often made with traditional, rustic methods? We offer a range of memorable wine experiences from the Maule and Itata valleys. A visit to Maule and Itata requires a little more time than Colchagua, but you could combine all three regions if you have 4 days open to you.
Itata is a superb visit for wine geeks; you really feel that you have stepped back in time. There are some very old vines in the valleys down here, many over 150 years old. Pais and Carignan are making a big comeback, and the old bush vines in Maule and Itata are providing the grapes for some new creations. Three nights away from Santiago will give you enough time to experience this unusual wine region.
Combine winery visits with other cultural and outdoor activities around Chile?
- Visit the geysers, salt lakes, and canyons of San Pedro de Atacama.
- Enjoy the beautiful Chilean Lake District and Pucón.
- Add quirky Valparaiso to your Casablanca or San Antonio wine tours.
- Go the whole hog and add Torres del Paine or Easter Island.
- Enjoy skiing in the winter, or golf, trekking, and biking in the summer.
Multi-country, multi- region South America trips
While in Chile, you are essentially based out of Santiago, with other regional trips made by flying via the capital. With so many easy connections to other parts of the country it would be a shame to not visit the Lake District (note the volcano above!) and Chiloe Island, Patagonia proper, such as Torres de Paine and the Southern Highway, Easter Island, the Atacama desert….there are so many options to add to your wine adventures to make the most of your time down here. We can organize everything for you.
Obviously Chile is very easily combined with its equally famous wine neighbour to form a spectacular Argentina and Chile, an amazing combo tour on both sides of the Andes. Brazil and Bolivia also offer excellent wine adventures.