I am writing this from the Vik Hotel in Millahue, Chile. Three years ago I visited this hotel, but just on a winery tour and lunch. I looked at the price to stay here and was persuaded then that it was like Unobtainium, a rare earth element that neither exists nor could it ever for someone without a stratospheric income. However, that visit changed my mind about the experience one would have staying at this hotel versus coming for lunch and a tour. And today, I am enjoying the fruits of that realization. This is an experience that anyone seeking inspiration must have. Not because everyone of the twenty-two (as of this writing) rooms are decorated totally differently by a renowned artist of differing media, but each is a work of art in and of itself. Every room inspires differently. I am in Abelli, who is an artist who works primarily in modern art. I did not chose this room, but am greatly enjoying the art that engulfs me and the view of the vine covered valley from my ceiling to floor windows beyond.
The experience includes three meals, two of which feature the Vik wines produced at the winery. We arrived at Noon, went through the orientation, took a short walk down the access road leading to the hotel and then were ready for our first feast of the day. Lunch consisted of a choice of six incredibly well prepared gourmet main courses accompanied by two family style sides. On this day we selected a local fish dish with oysters and peas in a green liquid broth. It was tender, flavorful and played with your tastes. My spouse selected the raviolis with mushrooms. Each ravioli was emblazoned with the Vik symbol and smothered in tasty mushroom sauce. The couple traveling with us selected a veal loin which was cooked to perfection in a juice that enabled the meat to almost melt in your mouth. It was accompanied by a quinoa salad and pureed carrots which were to die for. This was accompanied by a bottle of LaPiu Belle, the medium priced Vik wine which is delivered in a bottle which is also a work of art in and of itself. The wine was the perfect pairing for the variety of main courses we sampled.
In the afternoon we had a chocolate and wine tasting where we learned how four different kinds of chocolate could be identified by the elemental flavors each delivers and how those flavors change with the interaction with wine.
We each had a relaxation massage prior to dinner. The massage experts showed restraint in ensuring the massage was Swedish in the nature of their approach to relaxation.
The evening feast was literally that. We never saw the menu as Williamson, our waiter summarized the evening’s offerings, with the exception of dessert which he told us was a chef’s surprise. The first course consisted of an octopus fillet on a melted feta cheese sauce covered by a razor thin beet. We were served both Milla Calla, the entry level Vik wine which literally means golden house for the hotel which casts a golden vision sitting atop the hill overlooking the Millahue lake, and Vik, the icon wine from this estate. We were told Millahue means golden place in the indigenous language. The second course was sweetbreads, cooked to a tenderness that made the dish appealing and yet different from most sweetbread dishes. The main course was a pork tenderloin encrusted with pecorino cheese and cooked in its own juices. The result was a dish that was moist, tender and flavorful all at the same time. The dessert, which was a chef secret until served proved to be mascarpone cheese rolled in crushed pistachios in a honey sauce. The evening was highlighted by a visit by the owner, Alexander Vik and his winemaker, Christian. They were in for a review and planning discussion on the new additions which were seven two-bedroom bungalows. They were under construction during our stay with a December 2018 completion date. Alexander and his team were reviewing whether to add an additional eleven bungalows.
At dawn we went for a hike on a nearby hillside that took us to a view of a hillside and vines beyond our view from the hotel. The trail was clearly used by the horses that are available for rides during your stay as we had to be careful where we stepped during the climb. But it was worth it to see beyond our view from the hotel itself, looking back at various points to see the lake or hotel perched upon the top of the hill overlooking the lake. On the way back in we visited several of the bungalows under construction. They provide a very different experience to the main hotel, but have excellent views of the lake, winery, valley and the Vik artistic experience.
Breakfast was a buffet, with a wide choice of crepes, eggs, breakfast breads, along with meats and cheeses. At breakfast we had a short conversation with Carrie Vik, the co-owner of the estate with her husband and the driving force behind the artistic focus of the entire series of investments by her family, which includes two hotels in Uruguay, where Alexander’s mother is from.
After breakfast we visited the winery which is entirely underground with a stream of water flowing over the larger barrel room of the two at each end of the winery. As we descended to the lower level we could see the mosaic tiles that create an image of vines and their roots at the end with the fewer barrels (700 of 3,000)stored at this site. The tasting was different than so many. We were provided barrel samplings of the component wines in Vik, the icon wine from this estate.The samples included Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Syrah. Once we sampled the major components, tasting Vik stood out brought a harmony of taste that we had not perceived during our dinner of the night before.
Since our first visit to Vik, the owners have built a restaurant at the winery for those coming just for lunch and a tour. This is too bad as the reason we returned was our opportunity to have lunch with the Icon wine at lunch and chance to see several of the rooms at the hotel. However, as the hotel grows in both rooms and renown, I am sure this move will pay dividends in the future.
Vik is pure inspiration. It is a place where the confluence of art, wine, food, and environment leads to a perfect place to inspire your next great work. That has been the case for me.
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