Recently I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit in South America.  I’m determined to start checking some major sites off my bucket list. This time–Checking out Vina Del Mar and Casablanca Wine Region in Chile.

We flew into Santiago and made the one hour trek to Vina Del Mar. a cute seaside town that reminded me a bit of Sydney but with a mix of modern and traditional architecture. We stayed at the Sheraton, which was right on the water and offered the most incredible views!

It was nice and sunny and hot when we arrived so we headed straight down to the pool. The pool was perched right over the ocean and as we swam, it felt like we were floating over the Pacific. 

The rooms at the Sheraton had amazing balconies overlooking the water and you could hear the waves as you slept at night. 

We enjoyed the local seafood fair consisting of ceviche, fresh fish and pastas. The sunset over the Pacific while we were eating dinner was truly amazing!

About 30 minutes from Vina Del Mar is the Chilean wine region of Casablanca. Although it is not the most well-known wine region, it certainly has backbone with 18 wineries and a gorgeous setup.

Our first stop was at Loma Larga, a charming vineyard with a wide range of varietals.  We tasted four wines and favored the Cabernet Franc and the Pinot Noir.  Our sommelier was incredibly friendly and spoke perfect English.  Definitely a good stop!

We then headed to lunch at Casas Del Bosque, which was seriously gorgeous and the sun appeared just in time for our lunch! 

We dined overlooking the vineyards enjoying a glass of their Pinot Noir and munching on empanadas, shrimp and Mahi Mahi.

I wanted to lay on the chaise lounges in the sun after lunch but my two year old had different plans.  Plus we had to get to the last winery of the day!

We ended our day at Bodegas RE.  We were a little late. It warmly welcomed to join the tour that took us to their vineyards and then to their cellars.  Bodega makes their own olive oil and balsamics.  They are in the process of making a balsamic in the Italian style that takes 20 years!!  They are trying a method that will cut that time in half.  We were able to smell the barrels and they smell so sweet and good!

We also got to see how they make their own liquor using various fruits.  So cool!

Bodega makes some of its wines in these huge clay pots.  I’ve never seen anything like it before and it is so cool!  It is only available for their reds though.

After the tour we sat down for our tasting and thoroughly enjoyed the delicious range of wines they have. Bodega actually uses a grape called Carinena, a grape that was widely thought to not be that great but their style of using this grape is actually quite delicious and it is becoming very trendy!

After a successful tasting, it was time to head to the airport for part 2 of our Chilean adventure. Check back next time!

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