Let the winery visiting commence!

(Now back to our regularly scheduled blog...)
We left the quaint town of Algarrobo and made our way back towards Casablanca to visit our first winery. It was a pleasure to start with one of my favorite wineries: Casas del Bosque.

Wine tourism like it should be
Upon entering Casablanca, we noticed there was a sign directing us to the winery. And another, and yes, another! With zero confusion we found the winery, and a guard to welcome us. This time the guard was friendly, only asking us the purpose of our visit and place of origin for write in their records. The grounds were beautiful and since we were early we spent some time walking around.

We sat down for lunch, where they even had a menu of options for eating. I, of course, had their tasting platter - four wines and four small dishes. I was in heaven.

It started with some Sauv Blanc, which was crisp and clean. I also verified I don't like shrimp. The Chardonnay was next, which was simple and light...until you paired it with the tuna tartar and salad. Intensifying the wine, it was incredibly delish.

Next was my first Pinot Noir love, but a much younger vintage. It was as I remembered it, but needs some time in the bottle. Wonderful red forest fruits, balanced with tannins. Lunch ended with what is now my favorite wine - the Syrah. It was well-rounded red fruit goodness, and paired so nicely with the roasted-pepper melted cheese toasts. Definitely one to look for back home, as I wonder if the stupid LC also discontinued this one (as they did my Pinot).

Mike the Muslim
The second winery of the day was Matetic. It was a bit of a drive from the main road, so the winery was literally in the middle of nowhere. The terrain was scrub brush, some eucalyptus and quite arrid. Then out-of-the-blue: vines. In the middle of it all was the winery, who practices biodynamic philosophy.

I was able to escape the tour for the most part, but the guide couldn't understand how Mike didn't drink wine. I said he was the driver, which is usually a good defense. He replied, "But wine makes you drive better!" (I'd like him to convince the cops of that.) He then asked whether this was for religious reasons. We both had a good laugh. So he joked that Mike MUST be muslim, as that would be the only reasonable explanation for why he didn't drink wine.

I went for the grand tasting, and it was worth every penny. The Sauv Blanc was refreshing but not overly minerally (which I don't care for). The Chardonnay was outstanding, and was like eating butter-covered popcorn. Probably the best Chard I've ever had. Their Gewurtz was surprisingly dry, and tasted more like a Riesling.

The best for me was their Winemakers blend: mostly Merlot, with Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Malbec thrown in. It was big jammy fruit, but incredibly well-balanced. The last was their showcase wine - the Syrah. It is compared to those from its origins in Hermitage, France. Smooth and elegant, it had great body and complexity. I'm hoping that I can some pick up somewhere in Canada...

Checkpoint Charlie
On our drive down we came across numerous police check-points, and as luck would have it we got stopped at one. I remember reading reports from Argentina how the corrupt cops would randomly pull people over and only let them go if they paid a fee, since they felt the driver didn't have proper papers. (Even our car agency gave us a phone number to call in case this situation arose, as it was very much not the case.)

Thankfully the cop was really nice and even spoke a bit of English. He took a look at our driver's licence, our car papers, asked us how long we were going to be in Chile for, where we were going, and to enjoy our stay. Phew!

Up and down and all around
Chile has been quite hilly, making roads winding with many inclines and declines. This also means we aren't as able to go as fast as expected. The cars coming from Pichilemu was insane, and I hope when we leave tomorrow we aren't caught in the speed of 10 kms/hr.

Arriving in town it was a lot bigger than expected, and quite the tourist trap. Luckily our hostal was beyond the main part of town, so a much slower pace. To boot, like any good tourist trap (surfer in this case), there are plenty of anglophones around to chat with.

Can't forget about the beer
After settling in our room and getting some food, we sat in the lounge and grabbed some beers. This time for me was the Kunstmann Honey. Since it is served in a bottle I couldn't tell you what colour it is, although the label tells me it is an ale. It is quite nice, and very much like sucking a honey-pop. Would pair nicely with some squash.

We also tried some Pichuante, La Rucia, which is from this area. It was quite effervescent, but had good body. Big citrus and a touch of honey, it reminds me of a good white beer, but sweeter. Bonus points for coming in a stubby.