Situated on the coastal plain between Santiago and Viña del Mar/Valparaiso is the beautiful Casablanca Valley, Chile’s fastest growing wine region. The Casablanca Valley is relatively new to the wine industry, with wine production starting in the mid-1980’s. It quickly gained recognition for its white wines Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Casablanca Valley is one of the cooler wine regions in Chile. It has a Mediterranean climate similar to California’s Los Carneros AVA, which includes parts of Sonoma and Napa Counties. Soil and climate favors the production of top quality Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Cool misty nights and hot days provides excellent growing conditions. While it is known for its white wines Casablanca Valley also produces great reds such as, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Carménere. Chilean wines use a Denomination of Origin (D.O.) appellation system based on geographic area. This has been recently updated to further define regional diversity in Chilean wines.
Wineries in the Casablanca area are open year round, with spring through fall (September through June) being the ideal time to visit. The Casablanca Valley is less than an hour's drive, 80 km west of Santiago via Ruta 68, which runs from Santiago to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, at the Pacific Coast. While one to two days is sufficient to tour Casablanca Valley wineries, you will also want to explore Santiago and the Viña del Mar (25 km) and Valparaiso (40 km). Given Chile's unique shape you are never far from the Pacific Ocean or the Andes Mountains.
Casablanca Valley Wineries
We visited the following Casablanca wineries:
1. Viña Casas del Bosque is a popular wine tasting stop with a great restaurant.
2. Viña Indómita is on a hill overlooking the beautiful Casablanca Valley. It is wonderful for lunch and it has great wine tasting.
3. Emiliana makes excellent organic wines. It is a must visit.
4. Viña Mar is a beautiful winery with easy access off Ruta 68.
5. Viña Veramonte is another beautiful winery for wine tasting.
6. Viña Morandé was the first Casablanca Valley winery. Their restaurant has a great lunch menu with wine pairings.
Other Casablanca wineries you might include are: Villard Estate, Catrala, William Cole, Kingston Family Vineyards, Loma Larga, Quintay, Sotmayor and Viña Casablanca. Do not forget that Casablanca Valley winery restaurants are great lunch options. The list includes Viña Indómita, Tanino Restaurant at Casa del Bosque, Equilibrio Restaurant at Matetic Vineyards and House of Morandé Restaurant. Other restaurant options are the Macerado and Estancia El Cuado.
Use Santiago or Viña del Mar/Valparaiso as a base to explore Casablanca Valley
There are few accommodations in the Casablanca Valley. My recommendation is to stay in Santiago or in Viña del Mar /Valparaiso area. Both of these areas have advantages. From Santiago you will be able to also visit the other wine valleys. In the case of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso you can spend time on the coast. These coastal cities are popular with tourists; in fact many tourist prefer to combine a seaside vacation with a visit to Casablanca wine country.
Las Condes is an area of Santiago that you might want to consider for accommodations. Las Condes area tends to have upscale restaurants, apartments and hotels. If you plan on staying for a week or more consider renting an apartment. Santiago apartments are available in all price ranges. Another popular neighborhood is Providencia. Santiago also has restaurants for every budget and taste, as does Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Needless to say, you will have no problem finding great wine in/near Casablanca Valley. Also, many Chilean wineries have their main office in Santiago where they offer wine tasting.
If you use Santiago as a base you can easily tour the other wine regions in the area and see some of the Valparaiso/Viña del Mar area as well. From Santiago there are a number of Chilean wine regions within easy reach. Casablanca Valley, Aconcagua Valley, Maipo Valley and San Antonio Valley wine regions are all good options for day trips from Santiago. San Antonio Valley, along Ruta 78 can be easily combined with a Casablanca Valley tour, especially if you take two days to explore these wine regions.
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© Sharon Parsons
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