Out to a fish restaurant.
Not much to show but recommended
This is called perbre a Chilean dip
Hake and chilean salad
The wine came in those earthenware beakers, it was cool fresh and perfect in the circumstances.
Just catching up with the thread Paul. What a nice retirement gift to each other.
Is it all planned in advance, or are you moving around as you see fit in each location?
All planned Chris over 6 months or so. Even so there are things that we wanted to do but can’t, for instance the India Pacific train from Sydney to Perth that was already booked up from pent up Covid demand.
We have an itinerary we can share with friends, so if you are interested I can try to send it to your email address.
Paul.
Today we arrived in Santa Cruz, Colchagua Valley. With a fairly beef heavy dinner we had
Rather enjoyed it, a herby eucalyptus note was present, well balanced with enough acidity and tannin to stand up to the beef,but not over extracted or over ripe.
Nothing grand, but a wine in the right place at the right time. It could keep 3 years or so and at £20 ish was good value in a restaurant.
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Our UK friends are sending us pictures of snow. It was over 30°c here in the vineyards. In the distance if you zoom in you can see the glaciers of the high Andes mountains, around 60 miles away.
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TripIt by chance?
Trailfinders, a UK company, but I am sure others will be comparable.
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A day of wine tasting at 3 sites in the valley.
First was Laura Hartwig, 4 estate wines tasted. Laluca malbec was light and simple. Carmenere a little more aromatic and with fuller fruit. Cabernet franc had more about it but tannins were firm and it needed aging a couple of years or eating with steak. Last one was a repeat of yesterday’s. It was our favourite, so that all worked out well.
Then to RC Vinos, a father and son Rene team. Long aging in 2nd use barrels was a pattern here. Nuke semillon 2021 was broad and sumptuous, but needed to be cooler, 13 months in oak. Baren carmenere 2021 deep, rich, well rounded 32 months in oak. Best carmenere had in Chile, can be kept a while. Pequin 2019 red blend 70% CS, 30% cot, ripe and fruity but a little low in acidity for me. 32 months isn oak. Final wine was condor CS,30 months in oak. Structured, serious. Rene thought it could handle a decade in bottle.
Final site was Maquis vineyards, a larger operation. The house style is gentle extraction so colours are light. 2022 rose is acidic, refreshing, but needed food with it. 2019 cabernet franc was soft and elegant, slightly bordelaise. 2018 Lien CF49% Carmenere 40% CS 11% had perfume and structure, my favourite. Calcu Fotem 2018 mostly CS was slightly darker and quite serious, Ruth’s favourite.
All in all a good day.
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Our time in Chile and South America is drawing to a close. We fly in about 24 hours time to Auckland.
This is a shot of Jorje our driver and Arturo our guide on the way up the Pan-American highway towards Santiago.
This is our hotel La Reve.
We had lunch in the Mercado Central which was okay, but not like Buenos Aires.
Overall Chile has the most European culture we have encountered over the last few weeks. It is more sedate and organised than other places we have visited.
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Nice planning, I hope the itinerary is meeting expectations, looks so exciting. Safe travels to NZ. Post as much as you wish, drinking it up in US Midwest. Cheers!
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This is very cool, thanks for sharing.
Killing time before the flight, we wandered through the city centre, pleasant and safe, but nothing wonderful.
A nice park
Now seeking refreshment in the heat.
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Thanks for sharing looks like a fabulous trip! The Sacred Valley looks amazing. I was in Colchuaga Valley back in 2016 and also visited Laura Hartwig - I thought the wines were decent. Best wishes for the next part of your adventure in Auckland.
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We have arrived in Auckland, New Zealand. A 12 hour overnight flight with little sleep, so taking it easy today. We have an apartment and are catching up with things like clothes washing.
Auckland is a fairly modern city with a scattering of older buildings. It seems wealthy, but could be almost anywhere.
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What do you do on a wet day in Auckland?
Take the ferry to Waiheke Island of course.
Its a millionaire’s playground with vineyards and restaurants.
Plenty of unusual birds,
Variable Oystercatcher
Red breasted dotterel
Sacred kingfisher
White faced heron
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A change of accommodation today, we have just picked up our home for the next 3 weeks.
It’s going to be snug, especially for the middle block when our daughter joins us for Christmas.
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