Two cracking wineries were our destination for our first full day around Santiago.
We headed south towards the town of Paine in the Maipo Valley and the esteemed Viña Perez Cruz. It was great to be back after our first visit during our tour in 2015. Carolina hosted our visit and took us for a walk into the vineyards to give us a detailed insight into the terroir, philosophy and scale of the winery.
Making over a million litres of wine per year, they are more than boutique but certainly smaller than some of the wineries we have seen on our South America tour.
Carolina was very engaging and knowledgeable and we discussed the incredible architectural feat that is their winery. Built in the shape of a barrel with wood and concrete, it is seriously impressive.
We then headed into the winery itself for a tasting. The wines were superb – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Carmenere and two vintages of the Liguai blend completed a terrific array. We were also very fortunate to have German Lyon talk through the Liguai wines at the end. He has been winemaker for 21 years and has created a Perez Cruz aromatic style that is very distinctive.
A great start to the tour.
From Perez Cruz, it was a 45 minute drive north to the Maipo Alto and the impressive Haras de Pirque winery. An imposing building shaped like a horseshoe (the original owners ran a horse stud farm) looked out onto the valley. The estate is now owned by Antinori – the famous Tuscany estate that is developing interests in many different parts of the wine world. Antinori have kept a hands off approach and let the winemaking team continue their great work.
We were hosted by Cecilia who is head winemaker and in overall charge of the Haras de Pirque estate. Cecilia hosted a great visit – showing us the gravity designed horseshoe winery and then leading us into a superb tasting in the cavernous barrel cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and their Albis – a Cab Sauv/Carmenère blend rounded off a stellar tasting.
The day was not over though, lunch beckoned and we walked through into their magnificent dining room overlooking the valley for a wonderful three course lunch.
A truly fabulous first day.