Today I finally get to go on my wine tour! We received directions from the hosts at the hostel and will try the public transportation again. We are starting to learn Santiago and it is quite easy to get around in this city of 6 million people.
While scouting out our path on the subway (metro) map, we were approached by a local that wanted to practice his English (not the first time this has happened). He told us the best way to get to the winery by train; in fact, he wanted to make sure we got on the correct connecting train so he escorted us all the ways to our next train. At first, this seemed odd to us; however, later in the day we were talking with others at the hostel and this seems to be a normal gesture in Chile. Marcelo, a financial advisor and our newest friend, wished us well on our travels and we departed to explore on our own.
After the subway, we had to take a bus or taxi to the winery. We chose the taxi since we were unsure of the exact location. The host at the hostel said that it should cost no more than 3000 pesos to get to the winery. We approach a cab and ask in our broken Spanish, how much to go to Concha y Toro ('Cuanto uh Concha uh y uh Toro??')? 'Cinco mil pesos (5000)'. Too much, we walk away when he doesn't bring the price down. A block later, he drives by us and says, 'Cuatro mil pesos (4000)'. Of course, we never actually understand what anyone says, but their 4 fingers holding up proves to us that he means four. 'No, tres mil.'
Lucky, the next taxi driver was reasonable and we didn't have to walk all the ways to Concha y Toro; it would have made for a long day. As we drive towards the winery, we pass big mansions and gated houses. This area of Santiago is beautiful with vineyards and mountains in the backdrop.
At Concha y Toro, we had the option of two tours. We chose a tour with an extra wine and cheese tasting at the end. We start the tour with our guide (Belene), a couple from Michigan, some from Hungary, a couple from Australia and a girl from Korea. We view the 4000 square meter home of the founder and his 23 hectare backyard. Belene described some of the trees in the estates, many were imported including a palm-like tree from Brazil called Monkey Puzzle.
Belene continued the tour and described the vineyard. There are 26 different types of grapes which include merlot, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and carmenere. The carmenere is very special because it was rediscovered in Chile only in the 1990s. It was perceived that this grape was extinct for about 100 years. In France, an insect infestation killed all plants by eating the roots. Years ago, the vine was brought to Chile under the impression that it was a merlot; the vine is identical in appearance. The difference is that the carmenere leaves fall earlier in the fall. A DNA analysis proved this suspicion and this answered questions about Chilean merlots tasting very distinct.
Belene explained that Chilean wine from this micro climate area is some of the best in the world because there is little precipitation and rocky soil. Due to the vine not receiving very much water, it focuses its energy on creating the fruit and not on growing. So, the grape is very concentrated. The vineyard scientists have the plants on a very strict diet and feed the plant only the amount of water that it loses due to evaporation during the day.
It is now time for our first wine tasting. Much to our surprise, we see that we are sampling a wine that we drink at home 'Casillero del Diablo'. Belene describes how to taste test wine by using sight, smell and taste.
Next, we tour the cellars where the wine is stored in French or American oak. The French oak is much more expensive because the tree grows for 120 years; the American oak grows for 60 years. There must be thousands of barrels of wine in here which each make approximately 100 bottles of wine each. Down in the next cellar, in a dark basement, the special wine is kept. The cellar is underground 4 m and is above natural streams; this is how it is kept cool. The walls and ceiling was made of a brick-like structure which was a combination of limestone, sand and egg whites. There is a myth behind this cellar; as Belene leaves the cellar a mysterious voice surrounds the dark, cold cellar. Years ago, when the founder first started making wine, barrels started to go missing. He knew his neighbors and friends were good people, so instead of blaming them for the missing barrels he started a myth that there were ghosts in the cellar. Miraculously the barrels stopped going missing and a legend was created.
Time for our next wine tasting upstairs in a warm room. The use our three senses and sip on the red wine.
This portion of the tour is complete and we were the only ones that bought the second part, the wine and cheese tasting. In this room with a table meant for 30 people, Darren and I sat alone with a new guide and a wooden plate with different cheeses and four glasses of wine. Each glass had a distinct color, smell and taste. The cheese complimented the wine. Our guide dips outside to pick some fresh basil and we make a sandwich of bread, basil and cheese and ingest it while sipping on our wine.
After the 'private' tour we stay at the wine bar to enjoy some empanadas. We ate these the other day, but didn't know what they were called. These empanadas were a small perogy-like snack with either cheese, beef and onion or something else that was delicious inside them. We drank yet another glass of wine.
At the gift store we tried buying wine to ship home, but it was way too expensive. Sorry everyone.
After the winery, we decided to take the bus back to the metro. We waited at the bus stop briefly and flagged down our bus. The bus did a rolling stop as we jumped onto the music filled environment. The buses here don't wait behind traffic like they do back home, the bus cuts around other vehicles as if it was going to be late for a hot date. As we arrive at the metro we stand up and the bus slows down enough for us to get off. Darren and I smile at each other for yet another successful public transit experience.
The most fashionable accessory done here seems to be the fanny pack. So, Darren and I counted the number of fanny packs today. Our total was (wait for it) 45!!!!
At the hostel we decide to socialize with everyone outside. We met people from New York, Australia, Chile, Holland and Germany. It seems that not many Canadians do this trip; however, there is one Canadian that works at the hostel who is from Niagara Falls.
After sharing two bottles of wine with everyone, it is time for bed.