One of the valleys with the most international prestige in the country. Located in the heart of the central zone, it is the icon of wine production in Chile. Several vineyards adorn this valley and offer tours with remarkable tastings.
Emblematic of this area is the Viña Santa Cruz. A cable car climbs to the top of Cerro Chamán, from where you can observe the constellations in the observatory that bears the same name.
You can also visit the museum of ancient cars and learn about different periods of Chilean history by visiting the thematic museum. If you like good food, good wine and culture, Colchagua is the ideal destination.
The Colchagua Valley is one of the first class tourist destinations in the world. Known for its beautiful hills planted with vineyards, centuries-old vines, charming haciendas, modern and technological wineries that embellish the landscape.
This Valley has always had a purely agricultural activity. The wonderful climate that counts, the use of cutting-edge technology, and the untiring creativity of man, have allowed the wine industry an impressive development, with a production of wines that has reached the best world standards.
The sum of geographical characteristics generate unique and ideal microclimates for the production of different varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, Malbec, Syrah are just some, which today is reflected in the high quality of their wines, awarded through of important international awards and recognized in prestigious magazines and publications specialized in the wine industry.
I like wine, because wine is good and if it’s Chilean, it’s better. ” Check out this famous saying by visiting the wide range of wine valleys and be surprised by their applauded tannins. Come to Chile and live an intense experience in flavors!
Start by tasting the white wines of fresh climates from coastal sectors of the country. Be dazzled by the beauty of Casablanca’s vineyards and the rainbow of colors that give the tonalities of its different vines.
Discover the secrets of the many vineyards of the central valleys, taste the fermentation of their wines directly from the barrels and rediscover the Carménère coloring that was believed to be extinct on the planet. Learn the history of each preparation from the mouths of its own winemakers.
The incredible reds of the robust Cabernet Sauvignon of the Colchagua Valley and its surroundings. Fruitful valleys in good wine, the most demanding palates are seduced in their tourist circuits. And it ends up offering in the boutique vineyards of the south of Chile with an innovative assembly that will open your mouth to new experiences.
Discover in our following blogs each of the valleys with the best wines of Chile.
Far from the cosmopolitan and vibrant city of Santiago, a very special grape grows. Almost killed by insects, and then forgotten, the Carménère was reborn more than 10.000 km away from its homeland and today is Chile’s most renowned wine around the world… But how did that happen?
In the 19th century, the phylloxera epidemic almost wiped all of France’s raisin plants, forcing French winemakers to start over with their plantations of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Carménère. Their efforts worked and almost all of the strains were brought back to life, but the Carménère couldn’t adapt to the cold spring and early autumn rains of Bordeaux and got extinct.
More than a hundred years passed and the Carménère was reborn in central Chile. How? A decade before the plague that affected France started, a few strains of Carménère joined the European winemakers that migrate to Chile around 1850. However, this survivor wine strain was sown next to Merlot and Cabernet plants and for years Carménère was marketed as these two varieties.
It was not until 1991, that the French ampelograph Claude Vallat pointed that some kind of Merlot produced in Chile wasn’t Merlot at all, but he couldn’t identify what type of strain it was. Two years later, Jean Michel Boursiquot, disciple of Vallat, finally concluded that the random plant in question was Carménère, a strain that for a century was supposed to be extinct!
Everything after that is history. Chileans winemakers started to produced it and Carménère became a world known wine, winning prizes in Asia, Australia and the United States. If you want to try this fighter wine strain, you should definitely visit the the wine tours of the central valleys of Chile, an experience you won’t forget!
Visit two of the 18 wineries in Colchagua Valley for a complete tour and tasting of several excellent wines. These two wineries are among the most renowned wine makers in the world. This tour can be taken from Santiago.
