Do The World

Chile - Day 4

Today we work our way back to Santiago. We travel to the Maipo Valley for a premium tasting and lunch.

The Andes are always in view.

This is a smaller mountain nearer to us. The Andes can be seen to the right and left and are farther away. Even this nearer mountain has snow on its peaks.

We are travelling on a motorway. Along the side are fruit stands, coffee stations, and small food trucks servicing travellers.

We are visiting Vina Santa Rita. According to the Forbes Guide, it is the best wine in the world. It appears Forbes knows little about wine. The wines may be good but they are far from the best in the world. They are not even the best we've tasted in the last three days!

Maurico orders a cart. We expect a golf cart. A horse drawn carriage delivers us to the winery.

Many of the vineyards we have visited are located at the base of small mountains. In this case, some of the vines are planted up the slope of the mountain.

We sit on the veranda of a manicured courtyard for the wine tasting.

We relax overlooking a sunken courtyard.

Mauricio has arranged for us to taste the top three wines of the vineyard.

Lunch is a three-course meal in a room with antique religious paintings. We both select tuna tartare for the entree.

This side dish is called Chilean Charquican Stew. Our mains are brisket and hake.

Chocolate mousse and flan are the deserts.

The ever-present Andes continue to grace our scenery on the final ride into Santiago.

Our airport Courtyard Marriott room overlooks downtown Santiago in the distance with the Andes farther off.

In this panorama view, the Andes fill the entire field of view from our hotel room.

Apalta Vista

Apalta Vista is Mauricio's new project. It is a replacement for the hotel we visited in 2019 which burnt down from an electrical problem. It is built on the same hillside property and has stunning views across the Apalta wine valley. In the distance there are three volcanos and farther away the snowcapped Andes Mountains. The view is magnificent.

It is a cute little "cabin". The plan is for four cabins. There are currently two. Pictured is the cabin above ours.

This is the foundation of the third cabin which will be below ours.

Inside it has a king bed, small table, bathroom with shower and soaking tub, and a small kitchen. Outside there is a dining table and jacuzzi tub. A deck runs the length of the cabin and there are two lounge chairs.

We enjoy a good sunrise every morning.

When we visited the original hotel in 2019, Mauricio had just planted hundreds of trees. They were seedlings. Pictured are some of them now.

Chile - Day 3

Mauricio and Pilar have prepared another healthy breakfast.

There is not a cloud in the sky. The view of the Andes from our cabin is gorgeous.

Today we explore the wines of our Apalta Valley beginning at Neyen. The tasting is held in an ancient cellar. Mauricio assisted in the restoration of this place following severe earthquake damage.

The murals are painted over adobe.

The interior of the tasting room provides the feel of a building over a hundred years old.

Our hostess, Carolina, walks us through three wines, all excellent.

We have demonstrated appreciation so she brings out a special fourth wine. It is a Malbec.

The surprise of our tasting is the incredible Malbec. We are not supposed to like Malbec. This one is superb! We shall purchase two bottles. Are we really going to carry them around Antarctica?

There are huge trees on the grounds.

We have had lunch at Viu Manet on a previous visit to Chile. With a panoramic view of the vineyards, the equestrian club, and the hills of Apalta, Rayuela Wine & Grill is the restaurant of Viu Manent Winery in Colchaqua. Mauricio manages to secure us a table (supposedly reserved for someone else) outdoors and in the front row adjacent to the equestrian field.