We awoke on our second full day still shaking our heads in disbelief—we were really in Chile, already immersed in the kind of trip you wish you could bottle and savor later. Somehow, despite the long journey and a busy first day, we woke up relaxed, rested, and ready to continue our exploration of the Colchagua Valley (maybe it was all the fresh air…or all the amazing wine 🍷?).

This would be our last night in the Colchagua Valley, so we packed our bags and Mauricio picked us up right on time. With a little breathing room before our first tasting, we squeezed in a short visit to the Museo Colchagua in the heart of Santa Cruz.

If you have the chance to visit Colchagua, I highly encourage a stop at the Museo Colchagua. With exhibits spanning prehistoric times through the present day, it’s truly a marvel. The museum is enormous, and we had to move through it faster than we would have liked in order to stay on schedule. I was especially mesmerized by the Great Rescue Pavilion, which tells the story of the 33 miners trapped in the San José mine in 2010. It gave me chills.

The museum also has a wonderful gift shop if you’re looking for artisanal, locally made souvenirs. But the vines were calling, so we jumped back into the car and sped off to our first tasting of the day. ¿Están listos?

Viu Manent

We began our day with a visit to Viu Manent, where we once again joined a small group for our tour and tasting. From a tourism perspective, Viu Manent is definitely a larger-scale operation, complete with a spacious restaurant and a variety of activities for visitors. When we arrived, there was even a polo match in progress 🏇!

My partner in wine and I climbed into a horse-drawn carriage with our new wine-loving friends, Bryan and Randy, and headed off toward the winery. Viu Manent’s production facilities were impressively large, and our guide, Bastien, walked us through the winery’s history and winemaking process. They produce approximately 2,780,000 bottles of wine per year, and their barrel room houses a staggering 1,500 barrels—by far one of the largest operations we visited.

After the tour, we returned to the tasting room to sample five wines, beginning with the 2023 Loma Blanca Single Vineyard Carménère. We continued with the 2022 San Carlos Malbec, the 2022 El Olivar Syrah, the 2021 Viu Infinito, and finished with the 2022 El Incidente.

If you’re not familiar with Carménère, it’s a grape that was once thought to be extinct. In 1994, it was “rediscovered” in Chile, where it had long been mistaken for Merlot. This happy “incident” is the inspiration behind El Incidente—Viu Manent’s celebration of Carménère’s rediscovery.

The Viu Infinito was my favorite of the tasting with a beautiful full bodied blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Cab Franc. The name was given because the vines will always give you fruit, and this wine contains juice from vines that are over 150 years old! Can you imagine?

The tour and tasting were quite enjoyable, and it was a fun way to start the day in the company of fellow wine lovers. But with more tastings ahead, we said adiós and headed off to our next stop.

Clos Apalta

We arrived at Clos Apalta a bit early—this wine lover had made a few minor planning miscalculations—and we were hoping to begin our visit ahead of schedule since we would be returning to Santiago afterward.

Thankfully, Erica, our host at Clos Apalta, could not have been more accommodating. We were greeted with a delicious glass of rosé and invited to relax in the tasting room, which felt more like a cozy home nestled among the vines. We soaked in the sunshine and admired the views as we enjoyed our wine.

Every winery we visited was surrounded by breathtaking scenery: mountains rising in the distance and vibrant green vines nearly ready for harvest. Clos Apalta, however, took things to another level.

Once we finished our rosé, Erica whisked us away in her golf cart to tour the winery, which is built into the hillside near the estate’s hotel. The hotel consists of ten private rooms—bungalows might be a better word—scattered across the hillside. It would be an absolute dream stay for anyone seeking luxury, privacy, and total immersion in the vines.

The winery itself is stunning. Designed by renowned Chilean architect Roberto Benavente Riquelme, the structure is said to resemble either a bird’s nest or a wine barrel, depending on who you ask. It is also the only winery we visited that uses a gravity-flow system, allowing the wine to move through the production process naturally from top to bottom—an especially gentle method. (Palmaz Vineyards in Napa Valley operates in a similar way.)

Clos Apalta’s winery is built directly into the rock of the hillside, which helps naturally regulate the interior temperature. The rock that was removed during construction was repurposed throughout the building, including in the floors and other architectural features. At the center of it all is a dramatic spiral staircase that felt like a work of art.

The final highlight of the tour was the owner’s private wine cellar. Hidden in the center of the barrel room, the entrance is revealed when a glass ceiling lifts to expose a staircase leading down. Inside are 6,000 bottles representing every vintage ever produced—truly awe-inspiring. #Cellar goals for these wine lovers.

After the tour, we returned to the tasting room to sample the 2023 Prelude, the 2022 Le Petit Clos, the 2022 Clos Apalta, and a special taste of the 2012 Clos Apalta. While it was difficult to select a top pick, I really loved the 2022 Clos Apalta – a smooth, bold, slightly peppery glass of heaven.

As much as we would have loved to linger over these exceptional wines, the vineyards of Mendoza were calling. We headed back to Santiago to prepare for our journey across the Andes the following morning.

Next up, I’ll circle back to the first two wineries we visited immediately upon arriving in Chile—because they absolutely cannot be forgotten. I’ll also share more details about logistics in case you’re planning your own Chilean wine adventure. ✈️

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