vino y el valle de maipo (domingo, 1 agosto)

Instead I decided to go on a tour of a vineyard about an hour and a half from Santiago in the Maipo Valley. I took the Metro to the last stop and then looked for the bus to take me to La Viñeda Concha y Toro. The bus wasn´t where the girl at the hostel had said it would be, so I asked some of the carabineros who were able to explain where the bus stop was. I got on the old, sputtering, exhaust-smelling local bus and was on my way to the vineyard.

Once there I bought my ticket and decided to take the tour in Spanish. Even if I didn´t understand anything, I´m not going to learn any more by hearing people speak English all the time. There were only two other people who went on the tour with me. Both were from Sao Paolo, Brazil and could speak Spanish. The tour itself was very interesting and informative. The tour guide spoke clearly and was mostly understandable. I learned a lot about the wine making process and Chilean wine. We got to try a glass of cabernet blanc and another of cabernet sauvignon. They gave us each a complimentary wine glass with their logo on it. The tour guide showed us the vineyards, the founders´house, and the cellars full of aging wine in barrels. On average there are four categories of wine, based on the quality and type of grapes. This region of Chile is very conducive to growing premium quality grapes because of the climate. The wine has to stay in the barrel between 9 and 14 months, usually 14, and each type has to stay at a specific temperature. The tour guide explained how the type of wood of the barrels affects the taste and aroma of the wine. Before drinking the glasses of wine he explained how to pour the wine, how to let it sit for about half an hour to let the flavors settle, and how to properly hold a wine glass so the heat of your hand won´t change the temperature of the wine. And then you should swirl the wine and smell it. Now I can feel more classy when drinking wine! He also explained which types of food go best with each type of wine. The red wine was really good but I am still more of a white wine person (even though you´re supposed to drink white wine with seafood and I´m vegan...)

After the tour was over, Amanda and Rodrigo and I took a taxi back to the Metro station. We started talking about all sorts of things. They were very cheerful and interesting people to talk to, and I felt it was easier to understand them than most of the Chileans I´d met so far. They were planning on going to Mercado Central for lunch and invited me with. I had bread, salsa, and a great salad, and we ordered a bottle of Casilla del Diablo, which is a white wine that Concha y Toro produces.

After lunch it was pouring rain and I walked back to the hostel where I changed into dry clothes, read, and caught up on some emails. Then I stuffed all of my things back into my suitcase, hung out with some other volunteers for a while, and went running. I´m really going to miss all these awesome long runs through this city at night.

I´m going to miss all the towering buildings, sprawling parks, olive-clad carabineros on almost every street, and being encircled by snow-capped mountains. I´m going to miss the friendly people and the crisp, dry air. I´m going to miss the psychedelic fountain whose mist would cool me off halfway through running, and being in a city where you can actually look up at night and see the stars. But the amazing thing is, at some point I will come back here.

written by  Sara Florecita on August 1, 2010 from Pirque, Chile
from the travel blog: año de dos inviernos (Chile 2010)
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