Guide to wine tours in Chile

by Alan Lyall on 17th July, 2018

How would you like to go to Chile, visit a winery and taste the wines produced in situ?

Chilean wines have placed Chile firmly on the world map and a great addition to a holiday to Chile is to include some wine tours to your itinerary.

In and around Santiago

The Chilean capital Santiago is in the heart of the country’s wine country.

There are several wineries that can be included in a half day tour in Santiago.

Concha y Toro: One of Chile’s best know wineries and whose “Casillero del Diablo (Devil’s Locker)” can be found on many a supermarket shelf. Taste the wines, visit the main house and also the “Devil’s Cellar”.

Santa Rita: One of the country’s most traditional wineries. The tour includes a walk through the vineyards, plus the winery and the bottling plant. A wine tasting will finish the day off nicely.

Vines

Casablanca Valley

The Casablanca Valley lies half way between Santiago and the city of Valparaiso on the Pacific coast.

It is a young valley of premium wines but has gained recognition for the high quality of its white wines, notably Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blancs.

Casas Del Bosque: Great winery to get introduced to the valley’s white wines.

Loma Larga: Boutique winery where the grapes are still harvested manually at night or at dawn.

Matetic: Modern organic winery with colonial guest house for overnight stays.

Casas del Bosque

Colchagua Valley

The town of Santa Cruz lies in the heart of the Colchagua Valley a 3 hour drive south from Santiago.

This is a great destination to visit for wine tours.

Some of the wineries to included in a visit are:

Santa Cruz Winery: This is a small new winery owned by a local business man. Tours the winery followed by a tasting and at the end take the cable car to the top of a hill next to the main house for spectacular views of the area. This is a great introduction to Colchagua.

Mont Gras: On visits to the Mont Gras winery you can also have the option to blend your own wine as well as bike, hike or horse ride in the surrounding countryside.

Viu Manent: In addtion to the wine tour there is a great restaurant and also the chance for a horse drawn carriage ride through the vineyard.

L’Apostolle: This is high end wine and also the chance to stay in one of their villas and pamper yourself.

Colchagua Valley map

Santa Cruz

For the Colchagua Valley plan your itinerary over several days and stay in a comfortable hotel in the town or nearby.

The town reflects the area’s rural heritage and you will more than likely come across residents in typical dress and riding on horseback through the town. There are several good restaurants to eat and a charming square to sit in and watch the world go by.

One place you must visit when in Santa Cruz is the Colchagua Museum, arguably one of the best in the country. Get a feel for the history of the country from pre Columbian times to the present day and visit the exhibit celebrating the rescue of the “33”, the story of the miners who had been trapped underground.