Still with Francisco today, we will be exploring the San Antonio region. We are finally in white wine territory.
Our first stop is Casa Marin, I have been waiting for this one. Sauvignon Blanc heaven. Casa Marin is an interesting story, María Luz is the first female winemaker and winery owner in Chile. 20 years ago, she decided to establish a vineyard in the Lo Abarca, a small town in the San Antonio Valley. They call her the crazy lady, because no one thought you could grow grapes here. Boy did she prove them wrong. Located just 2.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the temperatures in this area are a good 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than vineyards in the east. They also suffer from the winds that rage off the coast. Here she decided to plant Sauvignon Blanc, in just 41 hectares that only yield 4 kg per hectare, an extremely low yield that results in grapes with great complexity, producing about 240,000 bottles per year. The wine is excellent. In my opinion, the best Sauvignon Blanc outside of New Zealand I have ever had.
Next, we venture to Matetic, about as different from Casa Marin as you can be. 800,000 bottles per year in a very modern facility. The winery is designed to use gravitational flow to process the grapes. We also have the opportunity to have a lovely lunch overlooking the grounds.
Afterwards, we transit to Algarrobo, where we are staying at a unique B&B with the best view over the Pacific Ocean.
M
After bidding Carla & company farewell, we left Santa Cruz for the coast today, stopping at a few wineries in the San Antonio region along the way. The San Antonio wine region consists of two valleys, Leyda and Lo Abarca, and is considered one of the finest regions in the world for Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir. Mary is quite excited.
Our first stop is at the small, family-run winery, Casa Marin, in Lo Abarca. Lo Abarca is a small village just a few miles from the coast. It’s hard living for grapes here with losses up to 40% due to climate, critters, etc. What survives is fantastic. The Sav Blanc and Pinots are some of the best in Chile. They use a variety of French & American oak for their aging – we saw a barrel from ‘Keystone Cooperage’, a small concern in Jefferson, PA, near Waynesburg.
The sister of winery owner Maria Luz is an artist who specialized in mosaics. Much of her work decorates the winery. She formed a cooperative with women of the village and trained them in tile work. Many of the buildings in the village are decorated with beautiful mosaics.
The large Matetic Winery is next. It’s a large volume, modern facility seemingly designed for wine tourism. Their restaurant, Equilibrio, is very famous and our lunch there is great. Oddly, it is some 3-4 miles from the winery itself.
We were very apprehensive about staying in the UNESCO city of Valparaiso (well-founded as it turns out) so we elected to spend a few days just south of Valpo in the small town of Algarrobo on the coast. Our B&B is pretty cool with great views of the Pacific and an interesting French/Nautical décor (somewhat strange, eh?). Our hosts speak no English so Google Translate saves the day again! Very nice people.
D.
