From I Love Santiago by Wendy2007

Summer has arrived in the Chilean wine regions and the grape vines are heavy with fruit, waiting to be harvested and transformed into some of the world’s most delicious wine. What better time to enjoy a tour of Chile’s best vineyards and wineries? Between the arid desert heat of the north and the crisp, icy cold of the south lie warm, verdant valleys perfect for growing grapes, and it is here, in the Central Valley, where travelers will find the majority of Chile’s wine vineyards, and extraordinary examples of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and other sweet and savory wines.

Wine Regions of the Central Valley:

One of Chile’s best-known regions, lying just south of bustling Santiago, is Maipo Valley. Here, visitors will find large, traditional wineries like Concha y Toro and and Santa Rita, as well as smaller, more intimate boutique wineries like Viña Aquitania. The valley is nestled between the majestic Andes and the Coastal Mountains, and warm sunshine clings and drips from the rolling hills and lovely mountainsides, offering the perfect weather for a wine tour. Two excellent wineries in this region are Cousiño-Macul and Concha y Toro. Touring these wineries is especially convenient if you are staying in Santiago, as they are close enough to provide enjoyable day-trips.

RealTraveler Wendy2007, who recently toured Central and South America, enjoyed a group tour to both of these wineries. She shares her experience in her travel blog, I Love Santiago:

“Yesterday about 10 of us went on a wine tour to some of Chile´s most well-known vineyards. What a fantastic day (yet again)!! We visited 2 of the main ones and had lunch between at a Parillia (meat barbeque place in a garden). It was all so beautiful! The wine tour was very well run, very informative and geared to the tourists.

The first visited was Concha y Toro which is about a 30 minute drive from Santiago and set amongst the most beautiful gardens and park… The second was a smaller, family-run and owned winery called Viña Cousiño Macul. Here we also went down cellars, saw “wine libraries” containing many thousands of bottles dating back to the early 1920´s. It was very interesting and informative, and the guides very enthusiastically explained the wine-making processes for the wines we were sampling. A few of us ended up buying wines, I bought a bottle of gris (very light red) for about $3 which we consumed last night. It was another truly wonderful day!” (more…)

If you’d like to visit Concha y Toro or Cousiño-Macul, you must make a reservation before hand, or sign up with a touring company who will take care of those considerations for you. Bi-lingual guides run the tours, and visitors enjoy learning about the history of the winery, seeing ancient wine cellars, wandering through the vineyards, and, of course, tasting the wine.

The Central Valley includes three other excellent subregions: the Rapel Valley, Curicó Valley and the Maule Valley, each populated with its own collection of wineries. In the Rapel Valley, for example, you will find Chateau Los Boldos, a grand estate where first-rate Chilean wine is made using traditional French techniques.

Getting there:

There are several ways to enjoy the wineries of Maipo Valley — it all depends on how you like to travel. You could sign up for a guided tour, which may include stops to multiple wineries. Some tour companies offer cultural tours along with the traditional wine tour, allowing travelers to learn about historical and cultural traditions along the way. Guided tours can be excellent if you find the right company, and if you like to leave the details up to someone else.

Then, there are self-driven tours. Books including detailed maps of wine routes and regions are available, and can guide you on your way as you cruise along side the Andes at your own pace, stopping in at wineries along the way. Remember, though, to call beforehand, as most wineries do not accomodate drop-in visitors.

A different and exciting way to tour Maipo is by bicycle. It is not too difficult to find tour companies that organize group bike tours, allowing riders to cruise at a leisurely pace along country back roads, villages, and the gorgeous rolling hills that so compliment one’s experience of this area.

Popular Wineries in Maipo Valley:
Cousiño-Macul
Concha Y Toro
Santa Rita

If you’re basing your trip in Santiago:
Santiago Travel Guide
Santiago Travel Blogs
Santiago Hotel Reviews