Day 16: Concho y Toro Winery

Our local guide was very knowledgeable about wine making, vine culture, and the general history of the area. We were impressed with the depth of her knowledge and how well she explained everything. The area south of Santiago is an excellent one for vineyards.

 As we travelled between one winery and the other, we saw some interesting sights. These two were riding along the narrow road beside the bus, and I was able to photograph them through the window.

We were encouraged to admire these old walls, some of the few traditional constructions of stone, plaster and tile that remain along the road.

The 'pan' sign means that fresh bread is for sale.

Our destination for this beautiful afternoon was a second winery, Concho y Toro, said to be one of the most important and productive in Chile. It was founded in 1883, and is located near Pirque. Here, we had a tour of the estate, the vineyard, and the winery before our tasting.



Concha y Toro



Enjoying the shade of the towering trees

One wing of the estate house, now used for business offices

There was a special area of the vineyard for guests,
with different varieties of grapes for tasting.
 They were sweet and flavorful, and quite different, one from another.

 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon

The cellars of El Diablo, celebrating the story of the
Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon

"King Jim" welcomed us to the tasting room.



His domain reaches all the way to Ohio.

We enjoyed the tour, but found their wines to be more robust than we care for.  

Driving home, we were able to see some more of the city of Santiago. The city has a population of almost 5 million people, and we saw large modern suburbian housing developments. 

Quite a change from the older, traditional homes,
or the ranch style of the older suburbs.

As we approached the city again, we saw many examples our what our guide referred to as 'mushroom houses' - tiny houses thrown together by the poor in any small space that became available.

The tunnels, one of which ran under the river, kept us out of the worst of the traffic approaching the heart of the city. The tunnels were from one to four miles long.

In the city itself, we saw beautiful old European-style homes and buildings, similar to those in the other cities we had visited.  All these shots were taken from the bus window.

This beautiful church had been built around an old church,
 and one ancient window was visible - 
the remnant of the oldest church in Santiago.

The cathedral square, late on Sunday afternoon.
I liked the speed bumps at the sides of the traffic lane
to protect people in the square.

Lots of people on one the streets adjacent to the cathedral.

Our last dinner together was a lovely one, at a restaurant opened just for us. Teresa gave out a few little awards, and our friend, Carole, from Oklahoma, had us all laughing again when she complained, "If I had known there were going to be prizes, I would have worked harder!" George and Carolyn celebrated their wedding anniversary and Karen, her birthday, so there were toasts all around for these occasions, and to the end of our tour.

Carole, Elaine, George, Fred

Chocolate sticky pudding, topped with chocolate
 and a caramel sauce for a decadent dessert!



We would spend our last day at the Estancia El Pregon and then head to the airport for evening departures.

Day 16: Santa Rita Winery

In the morning, we visited the Santa Rita Winery in the Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley. Santa Rita was founded in 1880, and was owned for many years by one of Chile’s most famous poets, Vicente Hidobro Fernandes. They pioneered the planting of Bordeaux varietals and are now considered one of the best wineries in Chile. We were familiar with their wines and were looking forward to the tour.

Roses are planted at the end of each row of vines
 to try to control aphids.

What a treat when we arrived at the winery to find the Museum of the Andes (Museo Andino).  The museum houses a stunning private collection of indigenous art and culture of Chile. It was collected by businessman, Ricardo Claro, over a period of 40 years. The collection was beautifully display and described, and we would have loved to have more time to learn about it. I took a few photos of the pre-Columbian collection before being asked by the security guard not to take photos.

Pre-Columbian pieces

In another area, there was an impressive collection of artefacts relating to the huasos, the Chilean horsemen. Lloyd was so impressed with it that we tried to buy a book about the collection; since none were available, they suggested we just take photos, so we did! I did not push my luck in taking photos of the room of Incan gold items, though.

The rural equestrian art of Chile has its origins in both Spanish and Malpuche Indian cultures. The dress of the huaso, the man of the countryside, reflects the blending of these two cultures.

The rowels on these spurs were 4-5 inches (12 cm) wide.
The rider would place them beside, rather than 'into' the side of the horse.

I liked the rawhide liners in these spurs.

Metal stirrups

 

A metal headstall;
reins would be attached to the dangling metal triangles.  

Wooden stirrups

The huasos we saw the next day were using stirrups of this shape.

Spanish silver was converted to beautiful Mapuche jewellery.



silver headdresses and collars
See more Mapuche silver at http://tribalartcollections.com/mapuche/index.html



A huaso belt, decorated with silver

The huaso wore a short poncho calleda 'chamanto' or 'manto'.
This piece was once a family treasure in Teresa's family.
Unfortunately, I missed much of the story, busy taking photos.
These photos do not do the chamanto justice because of the gallery lighting.

The chamanto is usually reversible
and may take up to six months to make.
When not worn for warmth, they are folded and worn over the shoulder.

Lunch was at La Casa de Dona Paula Restaurant, a National Monument, named after Ms. Paula Jaraquemada, the former manor owner of the Santa Rita estate over 200 years ago. The grounds were serene and lovely, with a cool porch for several wine tastings before lunch. Our tasting continued with two reds during lunch.

wine in the shade before lunch

One of the famous Santa Rita wines is the 120 brand, created in honor of 120 soldiers who served under General Bernardo O’Higgins. The patriots were hidden in the manor cellar after a fierce fight against Spanish Crown soldiers. We have enjoyed ‘several’ bottles of Santa Rita 120 since returning home – a lovely, light white wine that has become a favorite of mine. Lloyd’s favorite is the Santa Rita Santa Rita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. Also very nice.

After lunch we headed to the Concha y Toro winery, to be covered in the next post.

Day 15: Valparaiso and Santiago

We arrived in the port city of Valparaiso on a cool, foggy morning.

Our disembarkation from the Veendam was quick and painless, and we were soon on board another stylish bus. Valparaiso is an old city that seemed a little tired and faded in the grey light of the fog. A little ‘gentrification’ might be a good thing here. We were dismayed to see the amount of graffiti on the buildings and structures, even though some of it was quite artistic.

Like so many cities in South America,
there are many sculptures on the boulevards and parks.
This one is in the middle of the market.

Detail from a beautiful old building

some 'good' graffiti

We drove to the central square of the city, which was bustling with activity on a Saturday morning. People were lined up to renew car registrations, and students were gathering to work on removing some of the graffiti on the buildings around the square.

students registering for their graffiti removal

The architecture in the square was very interesting.

Tributes to the national heroes

   Valparaiso Seamen’s Institute

The cornerstone was laid by the Prince of Wales

in 1925

The new building has been constructed within the old one.

In every town and city we visited in Chile, we saw lots of dogs. Our guide explained that they are a holdover from the time that most people lived in the country, and that everyone looks after strays. They all looked well-fed, healthy, and accepted.

We stopped for coffee on the way our of the city, driving through a residential and resort area on the beach.

Our drive to Santiago took us up to the sunny plateau that reminded us of the area around Pheonix, Arizona.

Once we arrived in wine country, we saw the similarities to the Okanagan area of British Columbia.

The roads were excellent, built on contract by European firms, who then collect tariffs at the toll booths. No lineups heading inland as there is no toll, but lots of cars waiting to pay on their way to the coast.

We had a late lunch at the Restaurant Camino Real, on San Cristobal Hill, overlooking the city of Santiago. The food and service was excellent, and our tables provided a wonderful view of the city below. The brown "haze" in the background of the photos is actually the Andes Mountains, viewed through the heavy smog.

We had time for a swim in the pool on the top floor of our hotel, and felt quite refreshed. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant, quite good, but huge servings. The highlight was a beautiful plate of fruit that tasted like it had been picked within the hour.

Our hotel was lovely, and the room seemed very spacious after our stateroom on the Veendam. Everyone was ready for bed early that night.