What follows in the coming reports and pictures is exactly what is includes in my previous blog http://wineworld.spaces.live.com/
The idea of bringing the reports to new space is mainly to keep the information in only one place.
I have not done any changes to the original posts, because I believe that every experience has its particular moment.
Perhaps, today I would have other opinion on some issues, but what I reproduce here belongs to that time.
In this Part 6, I report my experience in Colchagua and Central Valley – Chile, on March 2007.
After my visit to Mendoza, I came back to Chile with the enthusiasm to find many wineries that I could visit during my very last days in Latin America. However, when I arrived it in the city of Curicó, I discovered that most of them do not accept visits without at least one day notice for booking, and I just had one possibility available: Miguel Torres, which has visits opened every hour, every day.
I accepted my lack of luck combined with a very little planning and, decided to stay in the city in that day, in order to visit the only one and then, to try some luck somewhere else in the following day. Well I gave a hand to my luck and made arrangements to book previously then.
MIGUEL TORRES
Arrive to the Winery is fairly easy, you just have to take a local bus in the center of Curicó, in Central Valley, and in about 10 minutes you are there.
They have an excellent guided visit that starts with a video of the company business.
The Torres family has wine making tradition of centuries and brought it from Spain to Chile in 1979.
The region investment is high and the owner Dom Miguel Carbo Torres, proprietor and founder, makes sure to participate of important moments of the activities. It includes also his participation in the Wine Festival (Fiesta de la Vindima) that takes place in the city every year.
The production very is varied and for such, it receives grapes come from many different regions of the country, where the company has properties.
It includes an organic wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, called Tormenta, that supply to North American and European markets.
The visit is very informative and the great differential to the other places is the “Garden of Varieties” that can be visited and tasted, in a good way to try the grapes used for them (Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonay, Gewrztraminer, Riesling, Merlot, Shiraz, Carmenere, Pinot Noir) .
I bought a very appropriate half-bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and headed back to my hostel in Curicó.
A new day, a new adventure in the wine world: at this time in the Valley of the Colchagua.
VIU MANENT
When arriving from Curicó, I left my luggage in the center of tourist information of Santa Cruz and left to explore the Vale of Colchagua and also, to buy my ticket in return Santiago.
I caught a local bus and after a 15 minutes journey, I arrived the neighborhoods of the winery.
In a boiling weather, at noon, in the very country site of the Valley of the Colchagua, Chile, I walked more per 15 minutes to arrive in the place.
Viu Manent has a pretty and attractive property to the visitors and offers one old fashioned coach for locomotion - very welcome in that sunny day.
One runs close to the vineyards and it first stops in the winery, in building far from the main tourist structure.
After the winery visit, well organized and commented, we go up in coach for a small trip to the tasting room.
From the samples we tasted, the most interesting one was a Sauvignon Blanc, called Secreto, that has Sauvignon Blanc as main variety (85%) and the rest is secret... The wine had characteristic very similar the ones from Marlborough, New Zealand. What is not a surprise, because the responsible for its concept is a Kiwi professional who works there.
It was an excellent way to get started for my next journey: New Zealand.
Next stopped: in the opposite site of the world!
Farewell Latin America!
Marcia Amaral
The idea of bringing the reports to new space is mainly to keep the information in only one place.
I have not done any changes to the original posts, because I believe that every experience has its particular moment.
Perhaps, today I would have other opinion on some issues, but what I reproduce here belongs to that time.
In this Part 6, I report my experience in Colchagua and Central Valley – Chile, on March 2007.
After my visit to Mendoza, I came back to Chile with the enthusiasm to find many wineries that I could visit during my very last days in Latin America. However, when I arrived it in the city of Curicó, I discovered that most of them do not accept visits without at least one day notice for booking, and I just had one possibility available: Miguel Torres, which has visits opened every hour, every day.
I accepted my lack of luck combined with a very little planning and, decided to stay in the city in that day, in order to visit the only one and then, to try some luck somewhere else in the following day. Well I gave a hand to my luck and made arrangements to book previously then.
MIGUEL TORRES
Arrive to the Winery is fairly easy, you just have to take a local bus in the center of Curicó, in Central Valley, and in about 10 minutes you are there.
They have an excellent guided visit that starts with a video of the company business.
The Torres family has wine making tradition of centuries and brought it from Spain to Chile in 1979.
The region investment is high and the owner Dom Miguel Carbo Torres, proprietor and founder, makes sure to participate of important moments of the activities. It includes also his participation in the Wine Festival (Fiesta de la Vindima) that takes place in the city every year.
The production very is varied and for such, it receives grapes come from many different regions of the country, where the company has properties.
It includes an organic wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, called Tormenta, that supply to North American and European markets.
The visit is very informative and the great differential to the other places is the “Garden of Varieties” that can be visited and tasted, in a good way to try the grapes used for them (Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonay, Gewrztraminer, Riesling, Merlot, Shiraz, Carmenere, Pinot Noir) .
I bought a very appropriate half-bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and headed back to my hostel in Curicó.
A new day, a new adventure in the wine world: at this time in the Valley of the Colchagua.
VIU MANENT
When arriving from Curicó, I left my luggage in the center of tourist information of Santa Cruz and left to explore the Vale of Colchagua and also, to buy my ticket in return Santiago.
I caught a local bus and after a 15 minutes journey, I arrived the neighborhoods of the winery.
In a boiling weather, at noon, in the very country site of the Valley of the Colchagua, Chile, I walked more per 15 minutes to arrive in the place.
Viu Manent has a pretty and attractive property to the visitors and offers one old fashioned coach for locomotion - very welcome in that sunny day.
One runs close to the vineyards and it first stops in the winery, in building far from the main tourist structure.
After the winery visit, well organized and commented, we go up in coach for a small trip to the tasting room.
From the samples we tasted, the most interesting one was a Sauvignon Blanc, called Secreto, that has Sauvignon Blanc as main variety (85%) and the rest is secret... The wine had characteristic very similar the ones from Marlborough, New Zealand. What is not a surprise, because the responsible for its concept is a Kiwi professional who works there.
It was an excellent way to get started for my next journey: New Zealand.
Next stopped: in the opposite site of the world!
Farewell Latin America!
Marcia Amaral