Backpacking South America

Packed with world-ranking wineries, the Colchagua Valley of Chile is its most famous wine region. On our recent stop in Santa Cruz, Chile, we spent a couple days enjoying Colchagua, including a day-long tour featuring three of its top wineries. Crisscrossing the valley, we were able to get a sampling of why the Colchagua Valley is so highly regarded internationally.

While not quite as extravagant as our day in Mendoza, we did take in our fair share of beautiful wineries, delicious wines and even made some new friends in the process. Working with the Ruta del Vino office on the main plaza in Santa Cruz (recommended), we were able to arrange three tours and a lunch.

In Chile, it seems that all wineries require a reservation at least 1, but sometimes 2 days in advance – which requires the foresight we often don’t have.  The morning after arranging our visits, our driver, Patricio, showed up at our hostal shortly after 10am and we were off to our first stop, Montgras.

Montgras

Now almost 20 years old, Montgras was the perfect start for our day.  We met our guide and first made our way into the vineyard to learn the differences between the leaves, grapes and bunch structure of the grape varieties.

Because it is still early in the growing season, all the grapes are the same color.  The red grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, etc.) won’t get their red color until next month.  The grapes in this region are typically harvested in March and April, with some whites being picked a bit earlier.

Finally, we got to the fun part – tasting the wines.  Unlike other tastings we’ve usually participated in, each wine was paired with a little bite of something.  The Chardonnay with cracker, brie and honey; the Merlot with fig wrapped in bacon; the Carmenere and icon Syrah with chorizo.

Viu Manent

Viu Manent is one of the older wineries in the valley.  We arrived slightly late but quickly hopped onto a tour that was just starting (this was the only tour that started on time).  The only highlight of the tour was the quick, three-minute horse carriage ride to the facility where the wine goes through the fermentation and cellaring process.

After a quick three-minute carriage ride back, we made our way to the bar, got a quick tasting of a Vognier, Carmenere and Malbec.  We were surprised to see a Malbec in the mix, as this is Argentina’s signature grape, and we were slightly surprised by its quality.

After the tasting, we walked to the restaurant, which was in the same open air area as the wine bar.  We found a seat and settled in for a simple, but delicious three course lunch.  Our starter was a fresh green salad with parmesan, oil and vinegar.

For the main course, Jared had the sea bass over roasted vegetables and Carra had the grilled lamb and potatoes.  Both were delicious.  Dessert was called tres leches (three milks).  It was sweet, but a good jumping off point for our next and final tour.

Montes

Our final stop of the day was Montes, a world-renowned winery whose very modern facility is located in the Colchagua Valley.

Nestled against the hills, Montes has a differential of terrain that we didn’t see at the other two wineries.  A number of their vines stretch across the valley floor, but they also have extensive property that extend high up the hills.

Upon arrival, we hopped into the bed of a large truck with bench seats and railings and we went on a driving tour of the property.  We made our way up into the hill for a lookout over the valley and onto the Montes facility.  It was a tremendous view of the valley.

Next we entered the facility and were allowed to wander through the cellar room, filled with oak barrels and the sound of Gregorian Monks chanting over the sound system.  The winemakers treat their wine like it’s their baby – by playing it music.  Their rationale:  the great wines of France were made in monastery’s where monk’s would be chanting.  So that vibration must be good for the wine.  Jury is still out…

The wine tasting was nice.  We have had a number of their wines back in the states and I am a big fan of their Leyda Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which is very dry and full of mineral notes.  The reds in the Montes Alpha line were good, perhaps they needed more time or perhaps our mouths were just tired from tasting so many wines.

After the tour, Carra and I were able to sneak a small taste of the Montes M – their iconic wine.  The wine was well-balanced and the taste just continued to linger in our mouths.  Surprisingly, it had much more fruit in the mouth.  I had anticipated tasting more flavors imparted by the oak and feeling more tannins in the mouth.  It was a very tasty wine, but priced in the shop at about $100 – I think you could do better with that high of a price tag.  Our quick trip to the Colchagua Valley was a great course in the variety and quality of wines being produced in Chile’s most famous wine region.

While the day didn’t quite compare with the wines we tasted in Cafayate (here and here) or Mendoza (here, here and here), it was no less enjoyable.