A Winemaker´s Paradise!
Discover why winemakers salivate at the thought of working here in South America and why a Chile wine tour will delight your palate and your brain in equal measure. There are so many unusual, quirky, fun, and delicious experiences to enjoy.
Wild vines that are left to climb trees in Maule, ancient bush vines in Itata, original rootstocks, a return to traditional grapes, and wine often made with traditional, rustic methods but also with cutting edge technology in Casablanca. And what about a vineyard run by prisoners in Malleco?
We offer the chance of combining winery visits with cultural and outdoor activities. In some regions this combo is a thing of beauty, so feel free to whet your appetite by clicking below and keep reading:
- Visit the geysers, salt lakes, and canyons of San Pedro de Atacama
- Enjoy the beautiful Chilean Lake District and Pucon
- Add quirky Valparaiso to your Casablanca or San Antonio wine tours
- Go the whole hog and add Torres del Paine or Easter Island
- Enjoy skiing in the winter, or golf, trekking, and biking in the summer
We visit some very well-known wineries, some of which are mentioned below. But we specialize in visiting places you will not have heard of. You will love them, the people, their stories, and their wine as much as we do!
We look to contrast impressive, well-funded operations with boutique, family-run wineries to give you a full Chile cross-section. We visit places with unusual viticultural and winemaking practices, growing native grapes and where, in many instances, you will meet winemakers and owners.
Old, Weird and Wonderful
Ancient Bush Vines, Tree Climbers & Prison Vineyards!
Want to see wild vines that are left to climb trees (see the photo below), wander among 150-year-old bush vines, try almost forgotten grapes and wine often made with traditional, rustic methods? Plus the chance to meet the fantastic characters that are the owners and winemakers in this extremely interesting part of the wine world.
We offer a range of memorable wine experiences from the Maule, Itata, Bio-Bio, and Malleco valleys. The winery and vineyard visits, the scenery, the people and their wines will never be forgotten. A vineyard tended by prisoners is pretty memorable!
There are some very old vines in the valleys down here, many over 150 years old. Pais and Carignan are making a big comeback and bush vines in Maule and Itata are providing the grapes for some new wines.
Extreme South to Extreme North
Well south of the well-know central valleys we find the Chilean Lake District. This northern-Patagonia region is near the limit of viable grape production as we currently know it. The wineries of Coteaux de Trumao, Ribera Pellin, and Trapi del Bueno are a long way south, located near Osorno around the 40th parallel. This is well south of the “normal” winemaking belt and is not only producing great wine but is a spectacular part of the world in its own right. Even further south, past the 46th parallel there are experimental plots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay owned by well-known wineries, so who knows what will happen as global warming continues.
At the other extreme, the Vino del Desierto winery near the northern city of Iquique must have the driest vineyards in the world, after all, they are located in the driest desert on the planet, the Atacama. As we mentioned above while visiting the Atacama region on a Chile wine tour you should take advantage of adding some spectacular visits in San Pedro de Atacama. Please ask us for more details.
High Altitude vs. Cool Coastal
The high-altitude plots in Elqui and Aconcagua will leave you gasping, literally! Elqui and Limari, at a lower altitude than Elqui, are accessed via the port city of La Serena, a one-hour flight from Santiago. Outside of Argentina and Bolivia these are the highest vineyards in the world and Syrah, Chardonnay, and Carmenere do very well here plus Pisco is a real specialty of the region.
The oxygen-starved Viñedos de Alcohuaz has vineyards stretching up to 2206 meters above sea level. The fruits of these vines are nurtured by the very well respected winemaker Marcelo Retamal. Marcelo employs foot treading, minimal intervention, and the use of egg-shaped fermenters to get the best from his crop.
Viña Falernia is a great example of how some wineries use the transverse valley system in Chile, having several vineyards at different altitudes, to produce a blend of terroir. Falernia has vineyards from 350 to 2070 meters above sea level to choose from, and the winemaker can play with blends until they are perfect.
Day trips from Santiago
Using your hotel in Santiago as a base there are a number of day trips you can enjoy. We try not to drive people more than 3 hours in a day, so our clients can enjoy the wine experience and not be stuck in a vehicle all the time. So, for example, for anywhere from Colchagua south we would have you stay overnight. But the places below we can visit on day trips from Santiago:
- Evening introductory wine tasting in Santiago
- San Antonio wineries with Valparaiso combo
- Winery overload in the Casablanca Valley
- High altitude Aconcagua wine region
- Historic wineries within Greater Santiago
- Pirque, Isla de Maipo and Paine wineries
There are a large number of wineries in the areas shown above, many of these visits can be combined for you, depending on how much time you have of course. Your first night with us will include a guided wine tasting at a lovely Santiago wine bar to get you started with Chilean wine.
Enjoy a different vantage point on your Chile wine tour 
Chilean cooking lessons with a local chef
Casablanca and San Antonio valleys are close to the port city of Valparaiso it makes it an almost obligatory visit. Valparaiso is a very interesting city with its bohemian character and endless arty photo ops. Read our Blog on our conventional tourism site and maybe add it your time in this region.
Colchagua Heartland
The Colchagua Valley is an area where you will want to spend a couple of days if you have them. From Santiago, it is a 3-hour drive south so you need to stay over. A Chile wine tour would not be complete without visiting a couple of the big hitters such as Santa Cruz, Montes, Viu Manent, Lapostolle, and Casa Silva for example.
Then, in addition to the boutique wineries we have on offer, we suggest an activity such as blending at Mont Gras. There is the chance to tread grapes if we are in the right season, plus we can arrange hands-on work in the vineyard should you give us enough notice.
The VIK winery and hotel are not technically in Colchagua (it’s in Cachapoal) but they are en-route. The hotel is literally a work of art and a lovely venue for lunch pre or post-tour. To give you an idea take a look at our drone video below.
Multi-country, multi- region South America trips
A Chile wine tour with us will most likely be based out of Santiago. But with so many easy connections to other wine regions by air and land we can show you as many regions as you wish.
Chile is very easily combined with its equally famous wine neighbor to form a spectacular Argentina & Chile blend, an amazing combo tour on both sides of the Andes.
