Maule

First, it isn't pronounced "mall", but m-ow-lay.
I've read this is one of the bigger wine regions in Chile, so I had hopes for tastings. But on the drive down there was only one sign, so expectations were reduced.

Back into Talca
Since we're within walking distance of the centre of town we decided to venture to the central market. Walking through town, it was alive with people walking and driving its streets. The market was small, but still filled with people. There were the regular spread of fruits and veggies, food stands, and a few craft stands.

Destroyed or dilapidated
We also passed by buildings that were obviously destroyed from last years earthquake. But with some buildings we wondered whether they were just dilapidated. When you see some marked as unsafe and scheduled for demolition, it makes you wonder how bad the damage was.

Winery first attempt - fail
We drove around one loop east of Talca to find a couple of wineries, but no sign to indicate wine tastings or even a shop. On the map it showed about two handfuls of wineries, so where the other wineries went is a mystery.

Second attempt - success!
We went back south past the town of Maule to the winery with the sign on the road. Balduzzi had three types of tastings: the cheapest toured the basic wines, the next tasted the reserves, while the final added the grand reserve. Of course I went for the top tasting, knowing that I'm a sucker for blends.

The wines were decent for their price, but nothing outstanding. Something I might buy at home if available, but nothing I would go out of my way for. Still, the tasting itself was very pleasant and recommended.

Third attempt - semi-success
There was a restaurant on the side of the road that was attached to a winery. Hungry, we stopped in to this massive parrilla. They had an extensive wine list, but when I asked for a recommendation between two (one was theirs), the server strongly recommended the other. So I didn't try the winery that translated as "livestock"....which may have been a good thing.

I did try a syrah from Casa Donoso. While I couldn't find the winery, it was probably a good thing, since the wine was just average.

Fourth attempts - fail
Upon the recommendation from our host at Balduzzi, we went to Vina Calina. We had passed by earlier, but gave it a shot. It was quite large, so seemed promising. But upon entering we found out that they didn't do tastings.

So we drove to the second recommendation: Corral Victoria. Since they had a restaurant we had hope, but upon arriving it was closed. Looking at the time it was nearing 4pm, so we knew our wine-touring day was over.

Feelin' hot hot hot
By about 4pm the days have been roasting. Since our room doesn't have air conditioning, or good airflow, we quickly found ourselves in the pool. As much as cold temperatures can be unpleasant, I'd rather handle it than 31 C without air conditioning! Let's hope that it isn't as scorching at our next destination.

Maule valley
All in all, the winery visits were more frustrating than Mendoza. Perhaps the region is too far from Santiago to turn into something touristic. At the same time this region was hit hard by the earthquake, so perhaps that is also a considerable factor. There is a lot of potential, so hopefully Maule takes advantage of it.

Total KMs traveled to date: Over 2,200 km