Our first Chile tour has started and we kicked off with a superb dinner at Ambrosia bistro.
Our second Chile tour commenced in the Solace hotel in the Providencia barrio of Santiago. We headed out to the marvellous Ambrosia restaurant, just a short walk from the hotel, where we were looked after extremely well. After feasting on ceviche, fish taquitos, confit mushrooms with ricotta and a local clam grilled with parmesan, we moved on to beef, fish or pasta and then a great selection of desserts. We then discovered that the owners are planning to set up a similar restaurant in Fitzrovia in London so we were all keen to know more details so we can refresh our memory of the fabulous cuisine without flying to Santiago every time.
Sunday 17th March
Our first full day took us out towards the Pacific and the renowned Casablanca Valley. This is deemed a cool climate zone given its proximity to the coast and the drop in temperature was noticeable. There was a pleasant breeze and some cloud cover – the first we had seen in Chile! Kingston vineyards is Chilean/American family-owned estate that has a history over 100 years old when the first immigrants set up a cattle farm. Seeing the potential for top class wine in the 1980’s, Kingston have cleverly manoeuvred their way into the premium market by bottling a small quantity under their own label and then selling the majority of their grapes to other producers.
We were hosted by fifth generation Hannah Kingston who took us through the fascinating history of cattle being the historic family business and then venturing into vineyards in the 1980’s when they could see the potential looming. They have developed a clever business whereby they sell a lot production to other wineries but keep the best plots for their own label. The winery is beautifully designed with some gorgeous wood design and it fits well into the contours of the land. The tasting was excellent.
From Kingston it was a 30 minute drive to Matetic vineyards. We had lunch first before embarking on their Biodynamic Walk. This was an epic three hour journey that took us into the vineyards, delivered a deep insight into the various biodynamic practices, the biological preparations, the cow horn they bury in the vineyard and the livestock that provides biodiversity and of course manure. It was a fascinating trip followed by a very interesting tasting.
Monday 18th March
The Maipo Valley was our destination for day two of our Chile tour and first stop was Viña Perez Cruz. I first came across this estate via Steve Daniel – former chief buyer at Oddbins – who began importing their wines some twenty years ago and we visited back in 2015. Family owned, the farm was set up in the 60’s and slowly developed vineyards and now have hundreds of hectares. They are renowned for top class Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and their icon Liguai – a blend of five different grapes. Carolina was our host and she was very engaging as we walked round the vines, saw big tractors machine picking and got an understanding of the scale they are working to. From the vineyard we headed into the cellar and before we started tasting received a fascinating insight into the chalk markings on the barrels. A discreet system that allows anyone to quickly see which barrels are which grape and which year. Very simple and effective and a contrast to the otherwise modern sizeable winery that Perez Cruz is. We tasted a top class selection of reds including two excellent vintages of the flagship LIguai.
From Perez Cruz, it was a forty minute drive to the very impressive Haras de Pirque winery. Now owned by Antinori of Tuscany fame, the winery and outbuildings are built into the hillside in the shape of a horseshoe – a testament to the original owners love of horses and equestrianism. A glass of Leyda Valley Sauvignon Blanc greeted us, before heading in for a quick tour of the winery. We joined in the amazing cellar by head winemaker and Chief Operating Officer Cecilia who hosted a fabulous tasting of their reds.
Lunch now beckoned and we settled into their delightful dining room with panoramic views of the valley and their vineyards for a gorgeously relaxed gastronomic feast.
Tuesday 19th March
From Santiago, it was a two hour drive to Santa Cruz for the next leg of our tour. The Colchagua and Apalta Valleys have a superb reputation, particularly for reds, and our first stop was at one of the pioneers and a famous Chilean producer – Viña Montes. They are a leading exporter of Chilean wines and their estate is a joy to behold. We took a fabulous tour that saw the winery in full harvest swing followed by a sensational tasting of their wines including most of their icons. It was hugely professional and highly entertaining – a true highlight being their cathedral like cellar where classical music is played 24/7 to the barrels.
It was now time for lunch and their restaurant merges subtly into the surrounding vines so that you would barely know it was there. Stunning steak was served – possibly the best of the tour – washed down with a number of their delicious wines.
As if that wasn’t enough – from Montes we had another visit to do en route to our hotel in Santa Cruz. Laura Hartwig is a family estate – somewhat smaller than Montes but oozing charm. There was a lot going on in the winery and we spent some great time chatting to the winemaker who showed us various winery activities before the wonderfully charismatic Nelson took over. Nelson was very entertaining as he took us round the vineyards, talked through the history and then led a very enjoyable tasting of their top class wines. A big day.
Wednesday 20th March
Our final day in Santa Cruz was devoted to one winery – Vina Encierra. Owner Maria Ignacia Eyzaguirre hosted our day alongside tourism manager Ines Patron. It was a very different type of day and hugely enjoyable! With welcome cups of coffee to hand, Maria talked us through the family history and enlightened us about their connection with the Lafite-Rothschilds in pioneering wine from the Colchagua Valley under the Los Vascos label – one of the first to get a significant presence in the UK. Ines then armed us with aprons, caps, secateurs, a plastic box and led us into the vineyard to do some grape picking. The task was to fill a container, destem the grapes manually and watch them being pressed and drink the juice. We discovered Syrah grapes are incredibly tasty and this was a great laugh. From the winery, we headed up to wonderful secluded area where a fabulous BBQ was alight and we settled into a very relaxed tasting and hugely enjoyable buffet.
The day wasn’t over though. There was time to relax at the hotel before dinner, and despite the huge quantities eaten lunchtime, there was still room for a three course dinner with steak. A lovely end to the tour.