tl;dr Bodega Re Winery, Villard Fine Wines, Boragó Tasting Menu and Wine Pairing, drinks at Krossbar, drinks at Liga Urbana, and a great club with a great name (Club Chocolate) – 5 activities; 6,291 steps
I reserved a wine tour through Airbnb experiences, which ended up being a private tour. I was picked up at 9am after having a small breakfast at my hotel (eggs, toast, and an espresso). The tour was set up to explore the Casablanca wine region – a relatively young wine region.
The ride to the first winery took about an hour (thanks to some standard morning commute traffic). My guide has been living in Chile for several years, but originally hails from the UK. He was friendly and chatty and shared his knowledge on the wine industry in Chile. Some fun facts:
- Pre-pandemic, 95% of wine tourism was from foreigners, now it’s about 50/50 (not sure of the accuracy and if the hard numbers changed much though)
- Something around 80% of Chilean wine is exported (I did not fact check this)
- The Casablanca wine region is running into drought issues and many vineyards have had to close because the cost of water is too great. The first Winery, Bodega Re, used to own their own vines, but had to sell the property and purchase grapes from another region of Chile that has greater access to water
Activity 1 – Bodega Re Winery
The first stop on the tour was Bodega Re. A small winery that exported to the US during pre-pandemic times and is looking at restarting exports in the near future. The tour was with a few other groups. The winery showcased some of the vines that they use in their wines. This winery specializes in a specific type of wine – Carignan.
The tour’s first stop was a room where the winery was crafting several different liquors that were using all kinds of fruits and herbs.
The second stop on the tour was a room in which they were experimenting with making balsamic. Smelled great in there!
The third and final stop was the barrel room. This was also the room where we got to taste 4 wines and eat some snacks. The winery uses some of the oldest wine making techniques – like using clay pots. The wine was interesting; I enjoyed drinking them, but I am not sure I would purchase a bottle of any of them – they were all just a little too different and would really need to fit the occasion. We tasted:
- Chardonnoir (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir)
- Enredo (orange wine – the funk hits a little after the sip, but not exciting enough)
- Carignan (100% Carignan and it was not overly acidic at all)
- Cabergnan (90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Carignan)
Activity 2 – Villard Fine Wines
The second and final stop on the tour was another small batch producer. This vineyard was a little bigger than Bodega Re and had a beautiful property. Upon arriving, I was greeted with a private tour and learned about their wine making process and their emphasis on conserving and reusing water.
After the tour, it was time for the wine tasting! We sat down outside to take in the scenery. The tour guide brought out three bottles for the tasting and was happy to pour a few extra tastings for me:
- Sauvignon Blanc from 2002
- Le’ Assemblage from 2020 (45% Syrah, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Syrah, and 1% Petit Verdot)
- Le Pinot Noir from 2020
They were all very very good – I definitely would have bought some bottles if there were any easy way to get them home. I had heard that the Chardonnay was the best of their wines, but unfortunately they were completely sold out and wouldn’t have any for a few more months.
I was getting decently hungry by now, so I ordered some salmon tartare to go along with a glass of Syrah. Since it would take some time for the food to be prepared, I took the opportunity to walk through the vines with my glass of wine and enjoy the surroundings.
The salmon tartare was delicious and paired well with the Syrah. Unfortunately, it was time to head back to the city since I had an early dinner reservation.
Activity 3 – Dinner at BORAGÓ
Some context here – BORAGÓ is ranked as a top 50 restaurant in the world. It had been recommended to me by several people, but I had also been warned that the food would not be the ‘yummiest’, but that the food would be super interesting and creative.
The only option is the tasting menu and the restaurant reaches out beforehand to understand if you have any restrictions. The restaurant has a super modern feel and was very comfortably spaced out between tables. My table had a small view of a clay tennis court outside (gave me the urge to play some tennis).
I was greeted with a glass of wine to start the evening and offered a wine paring to go along with meal – after much consideration, I decided to do the wine pairing.
The wine pairing was really good – some amazing wines!
The food was…super interesting, but not the yummiest. See pictures below for the creativity of the dishes. The meal was very good and I think the experience was worth it, but the food itself was nowhere near the best food I’ve had. The last dish was amazing. I don’t want to spoil the surprise in case anyone goes to theirs restaurant, but the last dish was super tasty and super COOL.
By the time dinner ended, it was only 9pm (my reservation was for 5:30).
Activity 4 – Krossbar
Krossbar had been recommended to me as a cool bar with great beers in the bellavista area. To be honest, it was a standard bar with a great beer selection. I also heard that the food was really good, but I definitely didn’t need anymore food.
Activity 5 – Liga Urbana
This bar is on the ‘main strip’ of bars in Bellavista. There were like 10 bars on this one block and many more in the surrounding streets. Admittedly, This bar is a big open air spot with two sections – a front bar area for hanging out and a back bar area for dancing (with two different DJs).
It was a fun spot with people dancing and having a good time. While I saw people of all ages, I think this bar would have been more exciting for me 5-10 years ago. It was cool and unpretentious, but lacked any refinement. Still was a good time though.
Activity 6 – Club Chocolate
I love this place! It was so much fun – great vibes, solid music, and the perfect amount of crowdedness. You know those scenes in movies where you see the characters dancing in a club and everyone has space and yet it is still full – that was this!!! This club also had steps leading up to a second level, but in between the steps there were large levels for people to dance on and overlook the main dance floor. It was a really cool setup.
One point to note, to get a drink, you first have to order and pay for it with one person, you then get a receipt and hand that to a bartender who will then make/get you your drink. Interesting system (I see pros and cons, but that’s for another discussion).
Super fun, but after a long night of dancing, it was time to all it a night and head back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.
Andrew's Activities 