Chilean Wine and Culinary Wonderland

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Welcome to Beautiful Santiago! After your arrival this morning you will enjoy a brief city tour before checking into your hotel.

Santiago is a modern metropolis mingled with the breath of the past, a city with distinctive personality, great sites, colorful markets, lively street life and awesome museums. The towering Andes provide an awesome backdrop for the sprawling Chilean metropolis of Santiago. BLD

Suggested Hotel: NOI Vitacura (1 nights)

This morning after breakfast your guide will take you to Casas del Bosque. Here you will participate in the harvest, learning how to pick the grapes off the vines and how to separate them afterwards. You will be able to keep your apron as a memento of your experience. Later take a tour of the winery where you will learn about the Casablanca Valley and their different winemaking techniques for the creation of cool climate wines. You will visit the crush pad, fermentation cellar and barrel room ending with lunch, pairing their iconic Gran Reserva Pinot Noir and Syrah as well as Reserva Sauvignon Blanc.

Fully satisfied you will carry on to the port town of Valparaiso. The city is widely known for its bohemian culture, brightly colored houses, and beautiful seaside views. After touring the banking district full of picture perfect architecture you can spend a little time in their craft market. Going to Valparaiso and not going on the ascensores (inclines) is like going to Venice and not taking a ride on a Gondola so you will now “ascend” to your hotel Casa Higueras where you can enjoy the beautiful infinity pool or book a spa service before dinner on the Terrace. BLD

Suggested Hotel: Casa Higueras (1 night)

This morning after a wonderful breakfast on the terrace, overlooking the bay of Valparaiso your guide will take you to Vina Matetic. The new Matetic winery is a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, constructed so as to complement its glorious setting. In other words, harmony has been reached between the winery’s organic agricultural practices and the natural landscape of the valley. This winery, which has a 300 thousand-liter capacity, relies on a gravitational-flow design that optimizes management of the grapes brought in from the nearby vineyards.

During a tour, visitors can learn about the different phases of wine production while appreciating stunning views of the vineyards and the beautiful Rosario Valley. After your tour and tasting you will take a leisurely bike ride through the vineyards. Half way you will stop for a traditional, country BBQ lunch. Continuing on while learning about the local flora and fauna you will end at your guesthouse, a century-old estancia set among wild gardens and furnished with regal four-poster beds and wingback chairs. Take a dip in the pool and relax or freshen up and soak up the ambiance in the Library before dinner tonight, in the Equilibrio Restaurant. Renown for his culinary arts, the Chef Matías Bustos knows how to conciliate tradition and innovation, adapting his dishes to be prepared with local ingredients. BLD

Suggested Hotel: Hotel La Casona (1 night)

After breakfast and a restful morning we will continue on to Casa Silva.

Here you will enjoy a tour and wine tasting. The Casa Silva family estate is located in the Colchagua Valley, near the town of San Fernando, at the foot of the Andes. It is a magical place that is steeped in history and Chilean tradition. Accommodation is located in an authentic Colchaguan house on the estate, which has been converted into a boutique hotel and is where you will be staying tonight. After your tasting, experience a Chilean Rodeo demonstration at the arena. Chilean rodeo, distinct from its North American cousin, is an integral part of the country's rural culture and a spectacle well worth watching. This evening you will have dinner at Casa Silva’s restaurant situated in front of the Polo Field. Perhaps someone will be practicing tonight? BD

Suggested Hotel: Casa Silva Guesthouse (1 nights)

After breakfast you will travel to your next big experience at Vina MontGras. The beautifully tidy vineyards of MontGras, in the locality of Palmilla, Colchagua, represent the concrete testimony of the development and the desire to do things right. After visiting the vineyards you will use all your senses and become a winemaker, creating your own unique wine, blending up to 3 red grape varieties. You will be able to take your custom bottle of wine and your apron home as a keep sake. You will then take a 4x4 ride up the hills for an exceptional photo opportunity of the Andes and the breathtaking valley below. You will enjoy a BBQ lunch before returning down to earth.

This afternoon we will travel to Santa Cruz. You can either, relax by the pool, explore the small town or visit the amazing Colchagua Museum. This evening after dinner you will be transported to the Cerro Chamán Observatory, located at Viña Santa Cruz, at 256 meters above sea level; the site is endowed with excellent atmospheric conditions, low humidity and the absence of artificial light, which offers visitors the opportunity to see objects with incredible precision and clarity through the high powered telescope as well as exploring their private meteorite display. To get to the observatory, you will ride a cable car that will take you to the top of the mountain. Once up there, you can also visit an “indigenous village” with replicas of homes of the main original cultures of Chile. BL

Suggested Hotel: Santa Cruz Plaza Hotel (1 nights)

This morning after breakfast is a major highlight of the trip, working with famous Chilean chef, Pilar Rodriguez, at her Food & Wine Studio. Learn how to make several traditional courses and how best to pair them with local wine. Afterwards you will travel back towards Santiago where you will stay overnight at Vina Tarapaca, the Tuscan-style manor house built in 1927 surrounded by a 10-hectare park with a 4-hole golf course, 2 tennis courts, sauna, and swimming pool. BLD

Suggested Hotel: Tarapaca (1 night)

Viña Tarapacá was founded in 1874, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, making wines that are a reflection of it’s over one-hundred-year-old tradition and contemporary elegance.

Their vineyards are located in Maipo Valley, the most traditional valley in Chile which also has the best qualities for the production of premium wines. A unique ecosystem for the development of wines of excellence, where a careful selection of the grapes from the right terroir for each variety, favors obtaining high quality, complex and balanced wines. After a wine appreciation course you will ride peaceful Chilean ponies through the vineyards before a light lunch and your trip back to Santiago.

After checking into your hotel you will have some time to freshen up and explore your surroundings before your farewell dinner at Como Agua Para Chocolate. This interesting eatery is based on the concept behind the popular Latin novel "Like Water for Chocolate." The festive dining room includes some very interesting ways to enjoy the sensuality of foods. Try provocatively named seafood, steak and vegetable entrees prepared in a traditional style with a dash of international flavor that sets them apart from other restaurants. Order a mixed cocktail and watch the crowds swell as the night wears on. BLD

Suggested Hotel: Radisson Plaza Santiago

You have a free morning today. Early this afternoon you will visit Los Dominicos Handicraft Village located uptown by the Church of Los Dominicos. It resembles a typical village of the central valley and artisans and craftsmen from all over the country work and sell their handicrafts here. You'll find works in materials such as clay, wicker, stone, wool and leather, jewelry with the gemstone lapis lazuli and other native stones, as well as Chile's traditional copper art objects.

Afterwards you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. B