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Chile
has a worldwide reputation for its excellent wines, the quality of
Chilean wines owes much to the efforts of our winegrowers, who took
great pains is caring for those French vines that made of our soils
their natural environment.
Chilean vineyards were first established in the mid-sixteenth century
by Spanish missionaries. These viticulture pioneers planted the grape
known as Pais, which is similar to the "Mission" grape widely
grown in California and the Criolla variety grown in Argentina. For
the next 300 years the Pais was Chile's primary grape and still comprises
about half the total vineyard land. In 1851, a Spaniard Silvestre
Ochagavía, brought in French wine experts, followed by cuttings
of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir,
Sauvignon Blanc, and Sémillon. Other varieties were subsequently
planted, including Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. The
next four decades saw the establishment of numerous wineries that
are still prominent estates today including: Cousiño Macul
(1861), San Pedro (1865), Errazuriz (1870), Santa Rita (1880), Concha
y Toro (1883), and Viña Undurraga (1885). These six wine estates
plus those of Caliterra, Los Vascos, Santa Carolina, Saint Morillon,
and Walnut Crest account for almost 90 percent of the Chilean wines
exported to the United States. Chile seems to have an ideal environment
for growing grapes. |
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Pick
up from your hotel to start with Concha y Toro Vineyard, then
visit to Santa Rita Vineyard.
Our tour starts with a visit to one of the most renowned vineyards,
located in Pirque founded by a miner from the North, Francisco Subercaseux
and industrialized in 1883 by his son-in-low Mr. Melchor Concha y
Toro, nowadays it is a largest vineyard and winery company in Chile,
holding an extensive patrimony of vineyards in the areas of Maipo,
Casablanca, Rancagua, San Fernando, Curicó and San Javier.
We will start our tour by enjoying a video of the company. Then, we
will walk around the park of the Landlord Villa and we will show you
the wine vaults and aging cellars, including the one called Casillero
del Diablo.
The visit begins at the Portal entrance, where you will be greeted
by a bilingual guide who will invite you to stroll through the ancient
park and views the Pirque Casona, residence of the Concha y Toro family.
This is the place where Chile's largest winery was founded over one
hundred years ago.
At the Pirque vineyards you will be able to appreciate the wine grapes
growing and listen to a brief overview of the viticultural and technological
aspects of vineyard management that are responsible for creating first
quality wines. At the terrace, you will taste the first wine of the
tour: a Casillero del Diablo Carmenere. This variety, which arrived
in the country at the end of the 19th century, is only grown commercially
in Chile. For over a century Carmenere was mistaken for Merlot, until
it was rediscovered in the 1990s. After extensively studying its management
and the best zones for growing Carmenere, today it is delivering extraordinary
wines and has become Chile's emblematic grape variety.
The tour goes on to one of the Winery's main attractions. In the ancient
cellars where founder Don Melchor Concha y Toro kept his best wines,
you will hear the "Casillero del Diablo Legend", a story
that has made Chilean wine famous worldwide. Your visit continues
at the Wine Bar, where you enjoy a final glass of Don Melchor, an
exceptional and complex Cabernet Sauvignon, which represents the icon
wine from de Company.
Finally you will be able to select a rich variety of wines and souvenirs
in the new Wine Shop.
SANTA RITA VINEYARD
The old master house owned by Domingo Fernández Concha, who
founded Viña Santa Rita, has a 40-hectare park created in 1882
by Guillermo Renner, a French landscape designer. Hundred year-old
trees of the most diverse varieties - like chestnut, cedar, olive,
almond, orange and lemon trees - in addition to the largest bougainvillea
of America - dress and perfume this peerless park. Innumerable statues,
some of them of a mythological origin and others representing the
four seasons, accompany the visitor, showing the beauty of each corner
offered by this huge and pretty garden. The park is permanently being
maintained and cared for by 15 gardeners. Santa Rita's fertile lands
rightly rank among the company's most valuable assets. Carefully selected,
Santa Rita's vineyards are located in the best Chilean wine growing
lands with the aim to achieve the best quality wine that Chile can
produce.
Doña Paula Restaurant: currently a national monument
was named after Paula Jaraquemada, owner of hacienda Santa Rita's
manor house over 200 years ago. At that time, a number of historical
events related to the independence of Chile took place here. Bernardo
O'Higgins, the general who achieved independence for Chile, and 120
soldiers took shelter here after fighting the Spanish crown forces.
Santa Rita's most famous range of products is called "120"
in homage to these patriots. |
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Min. 2 people
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US$ 190
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3 people
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US$ 155
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4 people
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US$ 140
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INCLUDED :
- Private transportation (Van from 2 to 8 people and Maxi Van
from 9 to 14 people)
- Bilingual driver/guide from 2 to 6 people and driver and bilingual
guide from 7 to 14 people.
- Visit to 2 wineries guided by expert .
- Lunch in Doña Paula Restaurant.
- Entrances fees and tasting.
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Min. 2 people
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US$ 160
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3 people
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US$ 115
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4 people
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US$ 90
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INCLUDED :
- Private transportation (Van from 2 to 8 people and Maxi Van
from 9 to 14 people)
- Bilingual driver/guide from 2 to 6 people and driver and bilingual
guide from 7 to 14 people.
- Visit to 2 wineries guided by expert .
- Lunch in Doña Paula Restaurant.
- Entrances fees and tasting.
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Note: only available from Monday to Friday.
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