The Wine Valleys Trips & Tours

Stretching across ‘Middle Chile,’ the Chilean wine region is a string of cultivated valleys garlanded with vines and watched over by the ever-present Andes. Mountain breezes, bright sunshine and elevated slopes guarantee exquisite chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, with grapes first appearing in the region thanks to the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Spurred on by the arrival of French immigrants in the 20th, the region is now one of the largest and most important in the world. Just outside Santiago, visit Casablanca for a crisp chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, before getting into the big name reds – with even bigger flavours - in Colchagua. Centred around the city of Santa Cruz, these wineries are the stars of the Chilean wine show, with floating, glass-walled tasting rooms and plenty of fine-dining spots to soak up the wares on offer. Then, head to the Maipo Valley: home of the famous carmenere, it’s the second-oldest region in the country and probably the most famous, especially if merlot and cabernet sauvignon are your calling. And then there’s the Maule Valley, Rapel, Curicó, Aconcagua… Truly a varietal and a valley for all palettes.