Wine all day

It pays to be in the right place at the right time and we were this morning. Up early for a walk, we headed for Cerro Santa Lucia, a hill in the middle of the city with great views. Looking for a gate in, we met a young woman who told us in excellent English that the park doesn't open until 9:00. She was a choreographer on her way to film a commercial and suggested we follow her in. We slipped through the gate with our native guide and left her with the film crew while we walked through the park and viewed the city from above.

Our first wine tour and tasting in the Maipo Valley was a homerun. Karla selected Almaviva, a joint project of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro, for its excellent Bordeaux style red wines.  Adelaide, our vivacious young tour guide, walked us through the winemaking process and led us through a tasting of Almaviva's 2008 vintage. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, and Cabernet Franc, the wine was full bodied, with great structure and a beautiful bouquet of red fruits, chocolate and vanilla.  Excelente!

 

The Maipo Valley is enormous-stretching 2700 square miles around Santiago. It wasn't going to be a short drive anyway, but the earthquake two years ago resulted in changes in roads that made it even longer. We were starving by the time we found a restaurant open and it had been completely rebuilt after being totally collapsed in the earthquake. Isla de Maipo is a lovely little town with trees meeting over the road and small houses snugged up to a winding road. On a corner of the square sits La Porta, a small restaurant serving delicious Chilean fare. We ate cazuela, a soup of chicken, beef, pork, or turkey with potatoes, pumpkin, corn, green beans, and onions-it was delicious. Our bread, called pane amasado, was made in a clay oven out back of the restaurant. We drank a Santa Ema wine that was made just across the road.

 

At our next stop, Vina DeMartino, we took a tour through the facilities with a young couple from Brazil who had driven down to Argentina and back up to Chile on their way home. Our guide, Maria Jesus, showed us the amphorae their winemaker is using to make their newest wine called Viejas Tinajas. We tasted four wines from the various lines DeMartino sells and bought a bottle of the Viejas Tinajas for later-it was unique and really good.

 

 

After a quick stop at the hotel we were on to Bar Liguria for dinner.  This lively night spot serves up Chilean style Italian dishes. On Thursdays a band comes to perform and the diners jump in to sing and dance. We loved watching the Cueca, a Chilean dance based on the actions of a rooster chasing a hot chicken in a sexy, humorous pursuit.