The Essential Wine Valleys
Experience the Wine culture of Chile
4 Days / 3 Nights
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Mountain peaks reaching for the clear blue skies, fertile valleys with rivers winding through spacious terrain and between green rolling hills, heading towards the ocean. A local Chilean cowboy, a "huaso" with his characteristic hat and colourful poncho, on horseback riding alongside the vast vineyards greeting you cordially. This is the perfect setting to let you sample and taste superb wine; enjoy marvellous food and stay overnight at a boutique vineyard hotel. Whether you're a wine aficionado, or just curios, experiencing the wine scene in Chile may just convert you. We will be happy to put together a perfect wine journey just for you, tailored to fit your needs and group size.
Day 1 Santiago – Santa Cruz/Colchagua Valley
Upon arrival to Santiago, Chile’s capital, you will start your journey through one of the most important wine valleys of Chile. Located just a 185 Km. / 115 mi. south of Santiago one can enter the unique valley of Colchagua. As you approach the district’s capital Santa Cruz, you will be able to see how the thriving wine industry has taken over and turned what used to be nothing but open fields into what is now considered the Napa Valley of South America. Home land of the Huaso (the Chilean Cowboy), this valley is also respected for being one of the best ones in keeping the old traditions that were established here by the Spaniards and locals during colonial times, which one can appreciate by observing the architecture of the area. Long corridor houses decorated with colourful flowers and people enjoying the peaceful evenings are a typical sight of this fantastic valley.
Overnight in or near Santa Cruz at your choice; either at a winery or a hotel. (Lunch/Dinner)
Day 2 Ruta del Vino de Colchagua – Museum
This day you will get the chance to explore in depth the true wine culture that has made this valley so famous. By taking the Ruta del Vino “the Wine Route” you will be able to see first hand the grape vines that produce such exquisite reds as the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chile’s unique Carmenère. After visiting 2 vineyards, sampling award winning wines and having a great lunch you will head to the Museo de Colchagua. The incredible private collection of artefacts that one can find in this great museum has made it earn the reputation of being one of the best in South America, having pre-Columbian objects from all over the continent and focusing on the major civilizations such as the Inca and Maya. Then one can move on to Chile’s history in particular, allowing you to see the evolution that our country has gone through since pre-colonial times until the present date. Overnight in Colchagua (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
Day 3 Santa Cruz – Maipo Valley
Today we will be leaving the Colchagua Valley and start heading back towards Santiago, not without visiting first one of the most traditional wine valleys of this region: The Maipo. Situated on the foothills of the Andes and fairly close to the big city, this valley is surrounded by impressive mountains and it is home of one of the most privileged climates in the central part of Chile. Here we will be staying at an impressive manor: Casa Real of the prestigious Santa Rita Estates, which served as background for important events and lodged many refined visitors during the times when the wine industry was just incipient in the 1880’s when the house was built. The large house is kept in Pompeian style, combining old and modern features. Tear lamps, heaters, pictures, tapestry and armoires are combined in a contemporary decoration, yet the classic style is not abandoned. The trip made by one of the Sistine Chapel restorers from the Vatican was not in vain. Here you will be able to feel part of a centenary tradition. As if this wasn’t enough we will be having a superb wine tasting and an exquisite dinner (Breakfast/Dinner)
Day 4 Santa Rita – Santiago
Time allowing, depending on you onward travel connections, enjoy the morning at Casa Real and Santa Rita’s vineyard. Transfer to Santiago in due time. End of a spectacular wine adventure in Chile. (Breakfast)
NOTE: If your trip starts on a Saturday you may enter the valley the old fashioned way, by riding the “Tren del Vino” or wine train; which with its steam engine will bring you back in time to the beginning of the 20th century.
| Season (mm/dd/yyyy) | Categories | Class |
Double | Sgl Traveller | Sgl Supl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/01/2009 - 12/31/2009 | USD 1069 | USD 199 | ||||
| 01/01/2010 - 04/30/2010 | USD 1119 | USD 219 | ||||
| 05/01/2009 - 12/31/2010 | USD 1322 | USD159 |
Program includes:
- 3 overnights with breakfast
- meals according program
- transfers and excursions with driver and English / German / Italian speaking guide (during some parts of the itinerary clients share the service with other travellers).
- like visit to winery, entrance fees, wine tasting in visited vineyards.
