viña concha y toro

Yesterday, here in Santiago, we were experiencing ideal conditions for a little vino so... why not make the most of it?! It was so simple, after calling to make tour reservations all we had to do take the metro to the southernmost stop and pick up a bus that whisked us away to vineyard paradise. The entire commute took 30 minutes, gosh, I'm so lucky ;). We went to the birthplace of Concha y Toro, their vineyard at Puento Alto in Maipo valley. It was absolutely, postively, gorgeous!

After a walk through the grounds,we first tasted a Carménère reserve from their Casillero del Diablo line. The Carménère grape is originally from the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France that produces a deep red wine. It is virtually extinct in Europe, as a result of the Phylloxera outbreak, but has been preserved in South America since 1850s and still thriving in Chile due to the geographic isolation and ideal weather conditions. Interestingly enough, many of the vineyards misidentified it as Merlot for more than a century until 1994 when Jean Michel Bourisiquot discovered the truth. There are only 3 places in the entire world where it is cultivated today. With such fascinating information it's a shame I don't enjoy it more! It's just too rough for me.

Next we explored a couple wine cellars and then tasted a Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon. It was heavy, and deep, and in an attempt to sound like a connoisseur, I appreciated the hearty, structured bodyof currants, dark berries, and violets. Definitely would be a delicious pairing with red meat. Haha, I'm such a poser :P. After drinking on a basically empty stomach, it had been about 7 hours since my oatmeal breakfast, we decided to sit down and get a bite to eat. The two of us wanted to split a cheese plater and since that, of course, called for another glass... we both caved into the pressure ;) oh well...

I had a Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Rosé, a nice medium-dry, fruit and spicy pink. Not sure if it was my tipsyness recollection but I'm pretty sure I deemed it as a versatile choice, lol. Genevieve had a white from their Trio line, 70% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Grigio, 15% Riesling. This one was probably my favorite it was very fresh and balanced, and I may have had more than one taste :). White wine is just delectable.

Overall it was a wonderful afternoon and resulted in a winey post instead of the usual foodie one. By the time I got home I just had "breakfast for dinner," took a quick shower, and was off again for more wine. I promise that wasn't my only intention ;). I went to a friend's apartment for a birthday celebration. The majority of people were either Chilean or French but there were also three Italians, a Swiss, plus Gen, myself, and our friend, Ben, from the U.S. Embracing diversity at it's best! Not sure what's up for Sunday but I'm looking forward to relaxing and drinking copious amounts of water! Be back tonight with lunch & dinner eats. Hope you're enjoying the end of your weekend!