Sip your way through the central wine regions of Chile
some of Chile’s best wine regions. Take at least three days to explore the
wineries and cities of Santiago and Valparaíso.
From a base in Santiago, visit San Esteban Vineyard, in the Andean foothills an hour north of the city. The Chilean classic produces Carmenère, Cabernet, and Syrah, as well as homegrown
olive and avocado oils. The 4,000-acre Undurraga winery in the Maipo Valley south of Santiago allows you to create your own bottled blend to take home. Stay at the sleek El Hotel Noi Vitacura boutique hotel just off Alonso del Córdova, Santiago’s most exclusive shopping and dining boulevard. Don’t miss the 360-degree views from the rooftop bar.
En route to Valparaíso in the Casablanca Valley is Indomita, producer of some of Chile’s best red and white varietals. Pause for lunch with wine pairing at the onsite restaurant. Nearby Emiliana has been producing organic and biodynamic varietals and blends since the early 1990s. The tasting room is in a modernized farmhouse with free-roaming fowl outside.
The coastal city of Valparaíso is worth at least a half-day for its history and colorful examples of government-supported street art. An overnight at the modern, 20-room Casa Higueras, in a restored 1920s mansion with sweeping views of the port (even from the pool), won’t disappoint. Its romantic, Mediterranean-fare Montealegre Restaurant is one of Chile’s best.
A 30-minute drive north of Valparaíso, the rustic Matetic vineyard has horseback rides through its 25,000-acre property. Get away from the city and stay in one of the seven luxurious rooms on the 19th-century farm estate.
