Chile's Wine Routes

Chile's two main wine routes are the Colchague Valley and Maule Valley.

The Colchagua Valley

One of the most characteristic wine-producing areas in Chile is the Colchagua Valley. Located some 100 miles (160 km) south of Santiago, it stretches from the Pan American Highway west towards the coast. Its perfect weather has, since the Colonial days, attracted wineries to the area. This entire valley used to be the property of a Spanish family who then bequeathed it to their children. Each offspring then built his or her own manor house, sometimes importing European architects.

A well-organized tour will not only offer you a chance to get acquainted with this valley and the winemaking process, but will also give you a glimpse into the traditions and way of life of the families running the wineries, and into the local history through a stop at a fine museum.

The tour lasts around 4 hours and usually starts with a welcome breakfast at one of the participating wineries. It then goes on to give you a taste -literally- of what winemaking is about.

The Viu Manent winery boasts a striking French-styled mansion with a leafy park in the rear that makes you think you might have landed in the Strassburg valley in France by mistake. The house used to belong to the daughter of one of the biggest landowners in the area. You will then move on to the processing facilities, where you will have a chance to see the various stages involved in converting grapes into wine. The visit ends with wine tasting in a cozily appointed wine-aging cellar.

Next is Viña Santa Laura, a boutique among the local wineries. It is oriented to low-volume, high-priced (and highly-prized) wines for the European and American markets. Visitors walk past its Chilean-styled manor house and continue alongside the vineyards -and a field where Arabian horses cavort- to the winery's brand-new cellars. True to its boutique status, labeling here is still done by hand. You will see the bottling process and might even get a couple of bottles labeled specially for you. Wine tasting is, of course, de rigueur.

A few miles down the road is Viña Bisquert. Its manor house also follows traditional Chilean architectural lines, and encloses a small, well tended garden. It also houses a collection of antique carriages and other relics. A huge dining room occupies most of one side, decorated with period furniture. Wine tasting is sometimes performed in this room.

Last is Viña Montgras, a modern outfit where the latest winemaking technology can be readily appreciated, from arrival of the grapes to packing of the filled bottles. The last wine tasting is performed here. That is, the last until lunchtime, which is carried out, weather permitting, on the slope of a hill overlooking the valley you have just traveled through.

You will then have the chance of visiting the Museo de Santa Cruz, which will give you an insight into not only the valley's history, but of this entire region as well.

The Maule Valley

Farther south, the wineries in the Maule Valley, centered on the city of Talca (250 km south of Santiago), have organized their own wine route. With one or two day tours to local wineries interspersed with fine regional cuisine, colonial villages and visits to museums.

The Maule Valley lies in the most southerly part of Chile's Central Valley and boasts the country's largest area of vineyards. With a long wine making tradition which dates back to the times of the Spanish colonization, today this region has over 20 thousand hectares of vine plantations. As wine exports increased in the mid-1980s, the activity of wine-growing enjoyed considerable expansion and the process of wine making underwent some changes. The growth in the industry made it possible to introduce new irrigation techniques, innovative technology and a wider range of grape varieties of European origin. Today, the following strains are grown in the Maule Valley:

White wines of Maule Valley:

Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillón
Gewurztraminer
Riesling
Torontel
Moscatel
Chenin Blanc

Red wines of Maule Valley:

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Carmenere
Carignan
Syrah
Pinot Noir
Malbec
Petit Verdot

The initiative

Inspired by the marvelous perspectives of this sector today, and the considerable public interest generated by wine-related activities, a group of 12 prominent figures from the Maule Valley wine industry joined forces with the Chilean Production Development Corporation (CORFO) and the Chilean Wine Corporation (CCV), to launch a project directed at promoting wine and tourism in the region.

Vineyards of the Maule Valley Wine Route:

Viña Balduzzi
Viña Cresmachi Furlotti
Viña Domaine Oriental
Viña El Aromo
Viña Hugo Casanova
Viña J. Bouchon
Viña Segú
Viña Tabontinaja
Vinos del Sur
Viñedos Terranoble
Viña Calina
Viña Carta Vieja

Thus the Maule Valley Wine Route was created as a way to promote the Maule Valley wines, whose quality and excellence have won them innumerable medals from the world's foremost wine events.

The Route

All along this route, the visitor not only has the opportunity to enjoy guided visits to the different vineyards, taste and acquire excellent export wines, but can also explore places of historic interest, museums (the museums of the region have been declared national heritage buildings), colonial towns (declared typical zones), haciendas and native forest reserves, all accompanied by the excellent regional cuisine and with the backdrop of the splendid Chilean countryside.

Anyone interested in exploring the Maule Valley has two alternatives. The tourist can visit the vineyards independently, since each of the properties has opening hours and staff trained to conduct guided visits and explain the winemaking process. Alternatively, weekend tours designed by the Wine Route team take place every Saturday and offer a range of options, tailored to the particular interests and budget of each group.

These weekend tours should be reserved a week in advance.

· Wine and Culture Circuit· Wine and Nature Circuit · Wine and Colonial Towns Circuit · Wine in a day · Wine in a day and a night

The Wine Route coordination and public relations office will be happy to provide directions on how to get there, features of the area, hotels, eating out, and points of interest for all visitors who prefer to discover the attractions of the region traveling independently. The Office will also provide information on the different vineyards, which make up the Route.

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