Well we are finally at the most interesting trip of the week. Today we are going to Casa Silva for a tour of the winery and then lunch in the restaurant. This has been anticipated for a while since we never did get to go to the winery that we thought we were going to on Monday. We decided on Casa Silva because of how good the wines that we have tasted from there have been. I had my first glass the day we arrived and loved it right away, so that sold e on this trip. Besides we had nothing planned for the day and a trip out into the vineyards on a bright sunny day is always a great idea.
The van came and picked us up for what was basically a two hour drive. Once you get past the edges of Santiago you run right into the fields that grow things like corn, grapes and apples. It is a pretty scenic ride and one the winds through the hills that surround the city. At one toll plaza we saw these people selling the bags of what we thought was beef jerky or something similar. Turns out after asking our driver that it was actually dried horse meat. Obviously we passed on that one.
We arrived at the winery at about 11am and went straight to the tour office. That also doubled as the wine shop so we knew that we would be making another visit to that place before our trip back. They told us that we would be able to catch the 11:30 tour and to just feel free to walk around until then. The views were beautiful and the gardens that surrounded us were in full bloom. Our guide showed up and we were off on the tour. It turns out the winery was founded by some French settlers way back when. They started growing grapes back around the turn of the century. The first grapes that they brought to Chile were the Cabernet Gris. A white varietal that was expected to hold up well in this area. As of today they are one of two wineries that produce the wine in Chile. They have stuck to the traditional ways of making wine and it has paid off for them.
We got to see the production site where all of the grapes get sorted and crushed. Right now they
are about a month or so away from harvesting and pressing grapes so it all looked pretty empty. Right out side of that was a small collection of classic cars that the owner dabbles in. I can’t really tell you what each one was but they were pretty cool and all operational. We even saw a couple of them driving around. Next we walked over to the large fermentation vats that have been around since the 1930’s. We even got to see the original plaques that were on them. These were huge and made of ceramic; they also had the newer stainless steal ones that you see at most vineyards.
Then we were led into the barrel rooms and they were beautiful. 
Clean and so organized, it looked like we were standing in the storage level of an old wooden ship or something. It was really cool. There were stairs that led down and took us to other rooms some with barrels and finally one that held the top wine of the vineyard. This was called Altura, the best wine available from Casa Silva. This wine has such high standard that if they are not met in a certain year, then production of that wine is simply not done. Even in the 
good years only around 6,000 bottles are produced. Once the wine is bottled it is kept in the cellars fro 4 additional years before being released. The bottles are stored with no lead or foil tops, then when the wine is ready for sale the 
bottles are hand dipped in was to cover the cork and hand numbered before they go out the door. Very few of these bottles make their way to the states and they sell for quite a bit if they do. I have not tasted it but you know that I bought a couple of those for later!!
The van came and picked us up for what was basically a two hour drive. Once you get past the edges of Santiago you run right into the fields that grow things like corn, grapes and apples. It is a pretty scenic ride and one the winds through the hills that surround the city. At one toll plaza we saw these people selling the bags of what we thought was beef jerky or something similar. Turns out after asking our driver that it was actually dried horse meat. Obviously we passed on that one.
We arrived at the winery at about 11am and went straight to the tour office. That also doubled as the wine shop so we knew that we would be making another visit to that place before our trip back. They told us that we would be able to catch the 11:30 tour and to just feel free to walk around until then. The views were beautiful and the gardens that surrounded us were in full bloom. Our guide showed up and we were off on the tour. It turns out the winery was founded by some French settlers way back when. They started growing grapes back around the turn of the century. The first grapes that they brought to Chile were the Cabernet Gris. A white varietal that was expected to hold up well in this area. As of today they are one of two wineries that produce the wine in Chile. They have stuck to the traditional ways of making wine and it has paid off for them.
We got to see the production site where all of the grapes get sorted and crushed. Right now they
are about a month or so away from harvesting and pressing grapes so it all looked pretty empty. Right out side of that was a small collection of classic cars that the owner dabbles in. I can’t really tell you what each one was but they were pretty cool and all operational. We even saw a couple of them driving around. Next we walked over to the large fermentation vats that have been around since the 1930’s. We even got to see the original plaques that were on them. These were huge and made of ceramic; they also had the newer stainless steal ones that you see at most vineyards.
Then we were led into the barrel rooms and they were beautiful. 
Clean and so organized, it looked like we were standing in the storage level of an old wooden ship or something. It was really cool. There were stairs that led down and took us to other rooms some with barrels and finally one that held the top wine of the vineyard. This was called Altura, the best wine available from Casa Silva. This wine has such high standard that if they are not met in a certain year, then production of that wine is simply not done. Even in the 
good years only around 6,000 bottles are produced. Once the wine is bottled it is kept in the cellars fro 4 additional years before being released. The bottles are stored with no lead or foil tops, then when the wine is ready for sale the 
bottles are hand dipped in was to cover the cork and hand numbered before they go out the door. Very few of these bottles make their way to the states and they sell for quite a bit if they do. I have not tasted it but you know that I bought a couple of those for later!!They have this Great Hall type room that usually houses the car collection but also doubles as a
banquet facility. In fact that evening they were getting ready for a wedding that was to be held on site. They said that the room could seat 350 for a served dinner and they have used the grounds for a reception for over 700 people. We all agreed that it would be a perfect venue for a party and all wanted a chance to do an event at a site like this.
banquet facility. In fact that evening they were getting ready for a wedding that was to be held on site. They said that the room could seat 350 for a served dinner and they have used the grounds for a reception for over 700 people. We all agreed that it would be a perfect venue for a party and all wanted a chance to do an event at a site like this.
After that we got a tour of the hotel that is on site here at the winery. It only has 7 rooms but it is very beautiful. The lobby is so simple and elegant; there is a small pool in the back next to a very nice garden. The restaurant has a great patio for dining al fresco and if you sit inside you have a view into the cask room of Altura. Very cool! We opted for the outdoor seating as it was nice a breezy outside. The menu was very nice and we all found something that we wanted to try.
We started out with some appetizers for the table, some Asian beef, fried calamari and an assorted cheese platter. They were both well displayed and tasted great. For lunch I opted for the Lomo of Beef which comes out to be a ribeye steak. It was served with a Potato Pave, a Poached Egg and a Demi Glace. To go along with lunch we
has a bottle of the sauvignon blanc for the white drinkers and the red drinkers opted for the Microterroir, 100% Carmenere and one of the best wines of the week. This one received a 93 from wine spectator and was amazing. Casa Silva is in the Colchagua Valley which is the premier region in Chile for Carmenere. The wine is a limited edition production and all of the grapes come from a small parcel of land in the Los Lingues Estate.
After lunch it was a quick trip to the wine shop. They did not ship wine for you so what you bought you had to carry home with you. Keeping that in mind I tried to pick the best bottles that I could. That meant a couple bottles of the Altura, a coup of the Microterroir and two other grand reserves from the winery, a Shiraz and a petite verdot. After boxing that up and handing over a couple hundred bucks we were on our way back to the hotel for a little down time. It was a great trip to the winery and we enjoyed the views, the food and for sure the wine.
That evening we were all a bit tired out but a few of us decided to head on out for a little dinner around 9:30. We went to this little Spanish place in downtown. Very small and quaint. I think we were all tired because we ordered a Pisco sour and some appetizers and were pretty full. We did manage to order one entrée to split, a Pequillo pepper stuffed with Ox Tail and a local carmenere to go with it. A nice coffee ended the night for me. We have a full day left before our 10:30 pm flight tomorrow but I think that will be saved for a bit of packing and pool time. We will see how that goes.
Ciao
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