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Criss-crossing Chile's Central Valley... A sampling of Colchagua, Curico and Cachapoal wineries 
After several busy days in Santiago, and a more relaxing one in the San Antonio Valley, we headed south to visit wineries in Chile's central valleys.The area south of Santiago between the Andes and the Coastal Mountain Range is divided by a number of rivers that bring water from the Andes. In most cases this water is channeled to provide irrigation for surrounding vineyards, and the rocky riverbeds carry just a trickle of water to the Pacific. The name of the river valley is often present on a wine bottle label to identify the valley in which the grapes used to produce the wine were grown. Because we visited wineries while traveling on Chile's Ruta de la Fruia (route of the fruit) heading toward the Maule Valley further south and along the Pan American Highway (Route 5) as we headed back toward Santiago, I'll group the ones we visited by valley but first a little bit about the roads. Heading out of the San Antonio Valley on the Ruta de la Fruta we passed through one of Chile's most productive agricultural areas. Orchards, vineyards and fields line the road. This two lane highway is the main road between southern packing plants and the ports at San Antonio and Valparaiso, hence the name. Large producers share the land with small family plots and produce stands. Twice-weekly marketplaces in most communities bring fresh produce to the local people. The other main route through the Central Valley is the four lane Pan American Highway. This limited access highway connects industrial areas and the buildings lining it are mostly commercial, although it, too, slices through fields and orchards. Chile's roads are well maintained and even the most industrial areas are framed by a background of snow-capped Andes or the rolling Coastal Range. Our tour was arranged by Santiago Adventures, a ground operator based in Chile, but many wineries offer online reservations. It's very possible to book your wine tours, plot your route and travel independently by rental car. The Colchagua Valley
Because gravity is used to move the wine to the lower levels instead of pumps, special, slow-moving, vibration-free elevators are used to move barrels from floor to floor. The wine tasting is on a glass-top table in the center of the elliptical barrel room, roughly 50 feet underground. Partway through the tasting the table is illuminated revealing a stairway down to the two-floored private cellar of the owner.
The original adobe colonial buildings blend with modern new construction to form the winery which produces one Bordeaux-style icon wine, the award winning Espiritu de Apalta. They also bottle a limited number of other varietals and blends. The family has many business interests in Chile and they proudly proclaim the sole mission of this vineyard is to make the best wines possible.
A motorized vehicle - a modified four-wheel drive pick-up truck with benches in the truck bed, an awning and steps for easy boarding - takes guests through the vineyards and up to a lookout. The view down into the valley is spectacular and a tiled map points out to the visitor the company's holdings and vineyards. During harvest the grapes are brought to a receiving area on the main building's roof and gravity is used to settle hand picked grapes into the tanks below for fermenting. Inside the building windows look down on stainless steel tanks and, further down, in the barrel room Gregorian chants sooth the wine aging in the barrels. A glass enclosed tasting room shares this space. The winery's Cafe Alfredo offers a light lunch or snack and a glass or bottle of the fine Montes wine in a modern space overlooking the vineyard, or at umbrella shaded tables outside.
His winery passed through several generations and much land was divided among family members until 1977 when Mario Silva Cifuentes married Maria Theresa Silva (no relation) Bouchon and began rebuilding the Colchagua winery under the Silva name. Mario bought back sold-off land and restored the historic winery buildings while introducing new technology. In 1997 Mario's son Mario Pablo Silva proposed producing quality wines for export instead of the bulk wines the company was producing. Since then the family's award winning wines have gained an international reputation and the original winery location has grown to include a small guesthouse and even a polo facility. Curico Valley
As with many Chilean vintners the winemaking focus changed from quantity to quality and since 1996 Viña Echeverría has been growing high quality grapes from French pre-philloxera rootstocks and producing fine wines at their original location. Long ago the family made a commitment to ecologically responsible agriculture and Echeverria is a long-time organic wine producer. Our casual tasting at this winery took place at a table in the busy office - a refreshing change from elegant, wine-themed tasting rooms.
The tour starts with an eight-minute video in the visitor center which outlines the family's winemaking heritage from its beginning in Catalonia to its introducing of modern wine-making techniques to Chile. It also summarizes Torres properties in other valleys in Chile and the wines produced from grapes grown on them. The processing of grapes from all the estates takes place at the centrally located Curico Valley winery. The production area is typical of a large facility that produces many lines of wine. The barrel room is large and modern. The 6,000-bottle-per-hour-bottling facility is located on another area of the property. We enjoyed the wines included in our pre-arranged tasting and then were offered samples of wine from opened bottles left after a private tasting at a nearby table. We loved the spontaneous marketing techniques of the friendly staff who answered questions both general and technical. A very bright spot on our visit to Miguel Torres was lunch at the winery's world-class restaurant. The Miguel Torres restaurant, positioned a few hundred yards from the winery buildings, serves a wine-paired lunch of fresh local ingredients that showcase the range of Torre's fine wines. The brick and glass building is bright and airy. Artwork on display is from the Coanil Foundation's Flor de Art program. The foundation shelters and cares for mentally disabled children and adults in Chile, some of whom are taught to paint. Proceeds from the sale of the colorful artwork they produce helps fund the foundation.
Cachapoal
Ona is named for the first people of Tierra del Fuego who were brave and strong. The artwork on the label reflects the emblematic body paint they wore for important ceremonies. Their new Indo wine is a tribute to the people Christopher Columbus called Indos - First Americans who had lived here for thousands of years before he visited. The label art was inspired by the geometric pottery designs of the early people of Northern Chile. The tour at Vina Anakena starts with a walk through a demonstration vineyard past rows of well marked grape varietals to a viewing platform for a look at the expansive vineyard and the sprawling winery. The tour of the winery includes information about the steps this company takes to produce fine wines in an environmentally sensitive manner. An integrated system of agriculture, recycling resources, reprocessing wastewater for irrigation and the use of organic compost are some of the step being taken. Our tour of the production area was followed by a private tasting on the winery's front lawn overlooking the snow-capped Andes. We tasted their icon wines Ona and Indo and a single vineyard Carmenere. The tasting was followed by lunch served in a private dining room - excellent food and a chance to taste other varietals. Anakena offers several levels of wine tours including one on horseback, one with a picnic and more. Make reservations online at their website, www.anakenawines.cl.
The theme of energy and balance is carried through to the architecture of the modern buildings and the wine produced there. Wine-themed abstract art decorates the sleek interior. The tour starts in an outdoor pavilion complete with a parilla grill. The lower valley stretches out below. Above, the modern winery, with its clean lines and natural stone exterior, hugs the Andean foothills. The grapes used for Altair's icon wines, Altair and Sideral, are handpicked from old vines and pass through two stages of hand selection before being moved by gravity through the fermentation and aging process. The barrel room is naturally cooled by the winery's hillside location. The tasting of Altair and Sideral takes place in a glass-walled tasting room that offers breathtaking views of the valley. In keeping with is star-themed approach to winemaking, Vina Altair offers wine tasting under the stars. Reservations can be made on line at www.altairwines.com. Wineries dot the Central Valley and we managed to visit only a few. Many tour operators offer wine tours, both standard and custom, or you can plan your own trip by booking tours online in advance and renting a car in Santiago. There are many lodging options as well. In addition to visiting wineries while coming and going we spent two nights at the charming Hotel Vendemia in Santa Cruz. It is located on a side street off the main road and is only a few blocks away from the main square. Santa Cruz is located in the heart of the Central Valley and is becoming the hub of wine travel in the area. Its Saturday wine train is a destination for many and the area surrounding its central plaza is tourist oriented. Our itinerary booked us at high-end option lodging but we stopped at nearby Hostel Colchagua to have a look around. The owner has a background in the hotel business and bought first one house and then another behind it to create roomy and economical accommodations. It was clean and well appointed with TVs in each room and WiFi throughout plus a kitchen for guests to use. I do not hesitate to seek out options like this when traveling independently. It all depends on what you're looking for.
Summing it up, Chile's central valleys offer many unique options for wine loving travelers. - Jane Townsend If you would like information on future tours we are planning, send e-mail to jane@latintravel.com. | ||||||
Started in 1994 by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, of the Grand Marnier family, Clos Apalta winery's unique architecture uses gravity to move the wine through the fermentation process. Built vertically into a granite hillside, the six floor structure spirals down elliptically to the aging room.
Founded by the Rojas family in 2002, Neyan is a modern winery located on the site of a late 18th century vineyard. The original vineyard plots were broken apart as a result of land reform in Chile but have been reacquired to restore the vineyard' original boundaries.
This winery is housed in a modern building that embraces Feng Shui principals in the harmony of its design.
Casa Silva is the oldest celler in the Colchagua Valley dating from 1892 when Emile Bouchon arrived from Bordeaux and planted high quality vines on his estate.
The Echeverría family settled in the Chile in 1740. Later they established their vineyard and winery on the outskirts of the town of Molina, in the Curicó Valley.
The red brick buildings surrounded by landscaped gardens set among hectares of vines make you forget that Vina Miguel Torres is located just off the busy Pan American Highway.
The mission of the founders of this winery, Felipe Ibáñez and Jorge Gutiérrez, is to extract the best wine possible from grapes grown in the Andean soil. They place great emphasis on the culture of the ancient people of Chile and their icon wines carry names significant to pre-Columbian people.
Vina Altair takes its name from Altaïr, the brightest star in the Eagle constellation which forms a triangle of energy and balance in the skies together with stars from the Swan and Lira constellations.
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