Casablanca Valley: 4 Vineyard Wine Tour & Tanino Lunch

4.92

(133 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

It started with our driver, Rodrigo, waving us over as we hesitated by the van outside our hotel in Santiago. “Don’t worry,” he grinned, “we’ll be in wine country before you know it.” He was right — as we left the city behind and rolled through Curacaví Valley, I caught whiffs of eucalyptus and something earthy from the fields. Rodrigo pointed out a group of farmers selling fruit by the roadside; he said their peaches are famous but I was too slow to grab one. Next time, maybe.

Our first stop was Emiliana Organic Winery. The guide there — Marta — had this way of making biodynamic farming sound both mystical and totally logical. She handed me a glass of their Coyam blend and told me to close my eyes before tasting. I’m not sure if it was suggestion or just good wine, but I swear I smelled wildflowers and wet stone. The chickens wandering between the vines made me laugh; apparently they help with pests (and attitude). The main keyword here is “organic wine tour Casablanca” — but honestly, what stuck with me was Marta’s story about her grandfather planting vines by hand.

Viñamar came next: all bright whites and sparkling wines with a view that kind of sneaks up on you when you step out onto their terrace. Our group got quiet for a second — even Rodrigo stopped talking — just looking out at those rows disappearing into the haze. Bodegas RE after that felt more experimental; the winemaker there let us try something aged in clay jars, which tasted… well, different. Not bad at all, just unexpected.

I’d been looking forward to lunch at Tanino inside Casas del Bosque vineyard mostly because someone online raved about their ceviche (it lived up to the hype). Sitting under the trees with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, listening to distant laughter from another table — I don’t know, it felt easy. We talked about whether we could ever really taste “minerality” or if that’s just something people say. The whole day trip Casablanca Valley wine tour thing is supposed to be about learning but honestly? It was more about slowing down.