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.