Emiliana Vineyard & Valparaiso

Our last day in Santiago was actually spent on the road.  We booked a Wine and port city Valparaiso Tour.  It was advertised as an 8-hour tour that morphed into 13.  Not a hard complaint, just saying.

We were picked up at 8AM and after some bus shuffles due to administrative screw-ups we were off to the Casablanca Valley.  The valley is home to a large number of vineyards.  After visiting the winery we climbed the Coastal Mountains to the port city of Valparaiso.

The Emiliana Organic Vineyard is a mid-sized vineyard and our hostess was a true “Green”.  She was very excited about their method of growing grapes and overall sustainable farming.  The Emiliana is a leading Chilean wine company and one of the world's foremost producers of certified organic and biodynamic wines.  We spent an hour and a half touring the vines and tasting four different varieties.  The valley sits at 32 degrees south latitude and has mild winters.  It is perfecto for growing the varieties best suited to white wine but they do have a smaller section of much older (80-year-old) vines for producing reds.

Our Hostess Maria

Beautiful Setting - Corkscrew Weeping Willow

Guards of the Fowl

Companion Planting

Organic Vegetables For the Field Workers

#1 and 4 Were Great - Give the Chardonnay a Miss

Maria's Reserve Was the Best.

Chickens and guinea fowl run loose throughout the vineyard eating insects while alpacas are penned until they are needed to protect the fowl from wild dogs and pumas.

We loved two of the four wines.  The sauvignon blanc and the premium reserve red, Coyam were exceptional. 

On a side note, Deborah thought she recognized another couple on the tour.  Her memory proved exceptional as well when it turned out we had met them a few years ago at their winter home in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.  We attended a cocktail party hosted by Don & Judy through their relationship with sister Rita and Mike.  They are from Kenora, Ontario and have been traveling in Argentina since early October.  We will see them again in Mexico next spring.   Small world.

Don & Judy From Kenora

Valparaiso is located seaside about a 1.5 hours drive west of Santiago.  It was a major trading and provisioning port for shipping until 1914 and the opening of the Panama Canal.  Shipping disappeared after 1914 and the city has seen much change since its heyday, not all of it great.  Most residents have moved up the coast to Vina del Mar.  It is still a town worth seeing if only for its many painted murals that cover the walls of the old city.  It was also home to romance poet Pablo Neruda.  I confess to having never heard his name but clearly, I should have in light of his popularity with others.  We toured his home and visited his “office” where he gained inspiration from his views of the city and sea.

That's Pablo

View From Pablo's House

That's Pablo's Tile Floor

That's Pablo's Guest Bathroom Door - Yes Full Display

That's Pablo's Staircase Landing

If you want to see the murals, mansions, shanties and steep cobbled roads you better be prepared to hike.  Fortunately for us, the tour bus dropped us off at the top and we were able to work our way down the narrow streets and allies to the sea below.

There are many little restaurants tucked into the nooks and crannies of the old town.  We did enjoy lunch with a view of the harbour but as usual in Chile, it cost about $70 Canadian for the “okay” meal.  The $8 beer scale is something I am not getting used to.

Its Good but really ... $8.

Due to the tardiness of some self-absorbed individual in our group (not us), we ran late and were late getting back on the bus for Santiago.  We were then stopped in traffic due to an accident and arrived late.  After a quick change of clothes we set out in search of the perfect hotdog, a legitimate favourite dish here in Santiago.

A Great Dog at Hogs

After a very expensive transfer service ride to Cartagena, we have checked into the Patio Ferreira B&B and are ready for our cruise departure from nearby San Antonio.

I have no idea about the Internet strength on board a cruise ship so this blog may go dark for a while.  I trust we are going to have a great time but you may or may not read about it.