We are back with Maurice with a 9:00 am pickup. Why so early, I’m never sure. We have only 30 minutes to have breakfast and checkout. Our objective today is Casablanca wine region then returning to Santiago.
Up first is La Recova Winery, a very small winery exclusively planted with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Only 4 hectares big they produce a limited number of cases a year. We are met by Judith (a sommelier), who manages all aspects of the winery, her assistant and Grenache, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah (the three wine puppies). We are seated in a beautiful outdoor place and given a glass of their excellent Rose while we wait for some others to arrive.
Suddenly, we hear a very loud crash, and it appears that there has been an accident between a large truck and a pickup truck on the single-lane road below the vineyard. Luckily no one is seriously injured.
We are joined by a group of ten women from Calgary, Canada. They had spent a week doing a Habitat for Humanity project in one of the poor communities and were now hiking and cycling for a week before returning home. Good fun.
Our next stop is Kingston Family Winery. The property has been owned by the family since the early 1900’s and was used as a cattle ranch until the 1990’s. Then Caroline, 4th generation, decided to plant cool climate reds and some whites. Our tour guide is a lovely girl from eastern Pennsylvania who is here for a 9-month internship and is very enthusiastic. We take a tour of the facility and then have lunch with a wine pairing. While we are having lunch, Courtney and Michael Kingston (current owners) stop by our table to introduce themselves and chat. It is a rare opportunity as they reside in the U.S. and are only here intermittently. Very gracious people.
Of course, Maurice being Maurice, can’t resist the opportunity to squeeze in one more winery, so we stop at Vina Casa del Bosque. We grab a couple of bottles and go up to their new space and sit on the terrace and enjoy some wine.
Finally, we head back to Santiago and are dropped off at La Reve our home for the next two nights. There is still protests ongoing in the central downtown, we are in Providencia so safer, but we decide to stay close to the hotel regardless. The quiet street we are on has several small bars and restaurants, so we get a snack and head back in.
M
Today we headed back to Santiago in preparation for our return to the US and visited a few wineries along the route. Our original guide and driver (Maurice & Claudio) drove up from Santiago to pick us up at our Algarrobo B&B.
Our wineries today are in Casablanca Valley – world famous for Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir. Our morning stop is at the tiny ‘La Recova’ winery at the end of a dusty, single-lane road. Super remote. The owner and winemaker has become very famous in the industry for ‘breaking the rules’. It’s all good stuff and the tour ends with a tasting overlooking their vineyards.
Next up is the Kingston Family Winery, also in the Casablanca Valley. The family is half Chilean & half American. They also have a wine club that offers free shipping to the US (very rare for here). The facility is undergoing a very large expansion geared towards increasing tourism. The food & wines are very nice. It was a special treat to meet the owners who were in the country for a short visit.
Unscheduled, but very special, was a stop suggested by Maurice to the Vina Casa del Bosque. He knows everyone and guides us to a VIP tasting room at the top of the valley. Too cool.
Finally, we return to Santiago and the ‘Le Reve’ hotel in Providencia. When we left the city a week (+) ago the demonstrations had not gotten to this upscale part of the city. They are here now. Buildings are painted with slogans, bus kiosks and shop windows are boarded up. Very sad.
D.