Wine world (TerraVina) may seem like another television series about sentient robots, but it is actually about a hotel at the center of the Chilean red wine universe – better known as the Colchagua Valley. I’ll be the first to admit that for me the bold reds of Chile are its real strength.And Colchagua is the source of those bold reds. Near perfect soils protected by mountain ranges on two sides that…
We spent the last night of our visit to Chile in Valparaiso. We spent the night at hotel Acontraluz, San Enrique 473 – Cerro Alegre, Valparaíso, Región de Valparaíso, Chile Phone:+56 32 211 1320. This boutique hotel seems non-descript from the exterior on this street that looks very much like all the others in this area. However, when one enters into the sheet metal structure, major renovations have taken place. The interior was…
Portillo is a state of mind. Over 12,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains it’s about as close to heaven as you can get without oxygen.Well above the tree line so the mountains you traverse are naked and rocky, the trip leads you to wonder if the promise of Portillo can possibly be all it is thought to be. The twenty-nine switchback turns without guard rails, permit you to look down into…
Our guide in Chile, Mauricio Masserano of Chilean Wine Lovers Tours (Hernando de Aguirre No 128, Providencia – Santiago – Chile – +1714-845-7150 maurice@cwl.cl– www.chileanwinelovers.com), suggested we stay in a boutique hotel just off Providencia Avenue, the main street in Santiago. This hotel, Le Reve is located at Orrego Luco, 023. It is a half block off the main street, and yet far enough to lose the street noises. (www.lereve.cl and tel: …
Matuana Winery has a slight edge on Alchemy in my mind, only because the winemaker has more depth of experience to call on in his formulation for success. Both of these wineries are making world class wines. While Matuana may have more finesse and a more complex formula for success, both are changing perceptions of what a fine Chilean wine can and should be. Let’s start with Matuana. The icon wine is…