8 Days / 7 Nights
Chilean wines have won a fine international reputation in recent years. The distinguished wines of Concha y Toro, Undurraga, Viu Manet ,Casa Silva and many more are now available throughout the world. In Brussels, in April of this year , Chile presented 152 wines and captured 45% of the awards offered. Among the winning wineries were Bisquertt, Viu Manet with its 1998 Malbec Reserve, Chateau La Joya Carmenere with its 1998 Grand Reserve, Montgras with its 1998 Ninquen Chardonnay, the 1998 Miguel Torres Cordillera,and finally La Posada with its 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. What makes Chilean wines so outstanding? If you wish to find out, we invite you to accompany us as we visit one of the most renowned wine regions of Chile. After an introductory visit to Santiago, we will visit Chile´s Sixth and Seventh Regions. When one thinks of wine, both the cities of Santa Cruz in the Valley of Colchagua and San Javier in the Valley of Maule stand out . Wine lovers will recognize these places as the home of wineries like Miguel Torres, San Pedro, Bisquertt, Montgras, Viu Manet, Balduzzi, Domaine Oriental, Concha y Toro and many others. Visits to the wineries include tours of the grounds and cellars, delectable wine tastings, and the opportunity to purchase wine if you so desire. (The length of each tour depends on the size of the winery.) Lastly we will visit a winery with antique equipment, cellars and the air of a museum: The Vineyards of San Clemente. Mr.Clemente Urrutia produces wines of antique style without the use of stainless steel or modern automated systems. In his cellars you will find the treasure of aged wines, leaving you with a lovely feeling of an age now past. Aside from the visits to the wineries, the program also includes a tour of Santiago, and an excursion to Isla Negra, a national reserve, and the port city of Constitución and its beaches.
Arrival and transportation to the hotel. In the afternoon, a tour of the city of Santiago, its San Cristobal Hill,and a visit to an ENOTECA. (Wine Bar) Lodging and breakfast in the hotel of your choice.
In the morning we will visit the Cousiño Macul Winery. The prestigious cellars are located to the east of Santiago, and form part of a legendary park in the metropolitan region. In the afternoon we will head southward towards the vineyards of Concha y Toro. Tour of the winery and wine tasting. Return to Santiago. Lodging and breakfast.
The tour begins in Santa Cruz near San Fernando and takes us to two different wineries of the Colchagua region. After the tour and wine tastings, we will lunch. In the afternoon we will also pay a visit to the Colchagua Museum, founded by Carlos Cardoen with its unique paleontolgy, archaeology, and pre-colombian art collections. We will then continue on to Curico. Lodging and breakfast in the Hotel Turismo of Curico or other comparable hotel.
Today we will visit the Maule Valley Wineries including Balduzzi and San Clemente. A quiet day to visit the wineries, enjoy fine wine, and take in our surroundings. In the afternoon we will return to Curico. Lodging and breakfast.
Since the wineries close their doors on Sunday, we will take the opportunity to tour the Curico area and its coast. Constitución, a port city founded in 1794, is today an important industrial center and the home of a popular beach. Here we will have the opportunity to lunch with a view of the sea before us, and later explore the beaches to the south of Constitución. In the afternoon we shall return to Talca. Lodging and breakfast in Talca´s Hotel Terrabella or other comparable hotel.
Today with the wineries open once again, we will have the opportunity to visit the prestigious Miguel Torres Vineyards. After our wine tasting, we will travel towards the Siete Tazas National Reserve (5,100 hectares). The scientific and biological importance of this area is centered around its trees Nearly extinct varieties of trees such as mountain cypress, luma blanca, the maiten of Chubut and many others are are all found on its lands. Also part of the national reserve are waterfalls such as Brides Veil (50meters high)and the geological formation of the seven cups in the Rio Claro canyon, from which the reserve takes its name. In the afternoon we will return to Santiago. Lodging and breakfast.
After breakfast we will head for the Pacific. On the way we will take the opportunity to visit the well known Veramonte winery. After a tour and tasting we will continue on to Isla Negra. There we will visit the former home and current museum of the poet Pablo Neruda. Return to Santiago in the afternoon. Lodging and breakfast.
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