✈️ Flashback to Day Zero in Chile 🇨🇱: A First Taste of the Best Wineries in the Colchagua Valley 🍷

So, let’s rewind back to the day of our arrival in Chile! If you’re planning your own Colchagua Valley wine tour, this will recap some of our logistics like travel, where we stayed, and where we ate. If you’re just enjoying the ride from your beach chair, then this will round out the last two wineries we visited in Colchagua! ¡Vámonos!

What we expected to be a slow arrival day in Chile quickly turned into our first deep dive into Colchagua Valley wine country—complete with two winery visits, premium tastings, and a crash course in navigating one of South America’s most celebrated wine regions.

If you’re planning a Chile wine tour or researching the best wineries in the Colchagua Valley (or just sitting on the beach in Venice dreaming of wine adventures 🏝️), here’s how we hit the ground running — from Santiago arrival logistics to tasting at Viña Montes and discovering Neyen in Apalta.

(And if you’re just finding us, check out our escapades from the first day and the second day of our trip.)

Getting from Santiago to Colchagua Valley

To maximize our time in Chilean wine country, we chose a direct overnight flight from Miami to Santiago. We left Venice around 2pm and our flight departed MIA at 9:45 p.m. So we kicked off our Chilean leg of our wine adventure around 8:00 a.m.—just two hours ahead of our Venice, Florida clocks, making the transition surprisingly smooth.

After clearing customs and refreshing ourselves a bit, we met our private guide and driver, Mauricio from I Will Take You, and began the approximately 2.5-hour drive from Santiago to Colchagua Valley, one of Chile’s most prestigious wine regions known for Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

If you’re planning this route, hiring a local wine driver is invaluable—especially if you want flexibility with last-minute schedule changes (which, as we learned, can happen…or we can cause!).

An Unexpected Visit to Neyen de Apalta

I had made a couple of scheduling snafus in my planning for our arrival, and as a result, we were unable to check in at our hotel, or even drop our bags when we arrived in the Colchagua Valley. So we didn’t have anything planned until the afternoon (we had originally planned to drop bags at the inn, then grab lunch, and prepare for our first scheduled visit). But Mauricio came to our rescue and quickly contacted a winery that he worked with regularly to arrange for an impromptu tasting!

Although active winemaking no longer occurs onsite (they transport the grapes to another facility on another vineyard they own), the vineyard and tasting room are stunning and intimate. What began as a quick glass turned into a full tasting thanks to our engaging host and the exceptional wines.

We tasted:

• 2023 Neyen Primus Carménère
• 2021 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Limited Edition Malbec
• 2020 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta (Bordeaux-style blend)

For a first introduction to Chilean Carménère and Apalta blends, and the Colchagua Valley, this lineup was remarkable—structured, expressive, and beautifully balanced. We left with a bottle of each, officially hooked on Neyen and their Colchagua reds.

Viña Montes Winery: A Flagship Colchagua Experience

No first day in Colchagua Valley would be complete without visiting one of its most iconic producers: Viña Montes.

Located in Apalta, Viña Montes is known globally for premium Chilean wines, particularly Purple Angel, one of the country’s benchmark Carménère blends, and one we had enjoyed a couple of years ago at Fine Wine & Tastings on Main in Lakewood Ranch.

Winery Design & Winemaking Approach

The drive winds through vineyards before revealing the dramatic winery and courtyard, centered around an enormous Chilean flag.

Inside, the production facility uses gravity flow techniques—crushing grapes at a higher elevation and allowing wine to move naturally through the process, minimizing mechanical pumping.

The most unforgettable space, though? The barrel room. Hands down. More than 800 barrels of Viña Montes wines aging to the sound of Gregorian chants in a theater-like cellar designed for acoustics and ambiance. After 24+ hours of travel, standing there felt almost meditative.

Viña Montes Tasting Experience

Our tasting took place in the intimate cellar beneath the restaurant and featured five premium wines:

• Montes Wings
• Montes M
• Folly
• Purple Angel
• Muse

Purple Angel was particularly exciting for us since we had tried it previously and even purchased a bottle when we were at Fine Wine & Tastings on Main (and which we still have it resting in our cellar). Tasting a new vintage while sitting next to the vineyard where it grows, was pretty amazing.

From this tasting, though, Muse stood out for me – elegant yet bold. My partner in wine favored Folly – both bold and expressive.

Across the board, the wines we tasted demonstrated why Montes remains a cornerstone of premium Chilean wine, and it was the perfect way to wrap up the day of our arrival!

And Now the Logistics for Visiting the Best Wineries in the Colchagua Valley ✈️

So if you are interested in the details – either because you’re thinking of your own trip, or you just love details, here they are!

Where to Stay in Santa Cruz, Chile: Hotel Quinta Maria

Hotel Quinta Maria was exactly what you want after an overnight international flight—quiet, charming, and tucked away from the street behind lush gardens.

Spacious rooms, a relaxed atmosphere, and resident dogs roaming the property made it feel less like a hotel and more like a personal, familiar retreat. For travelers researching where to stay in ColchaguaValley, this boutique hotel offers both location and personality.

We loved sitting by the pool after a day amongst the vines and relaxing. We also loved the morning breakfast, served on a table for two right outside our room. It was a delightful start to our days…enjoying the gardens while sipping fresh coffee, fresh juice, and nibbling on a delicious spread to prepare us for the day’s adventures! And we were lucky enough to even have brief visits from Lupe, the four legged hostess-with-the-mostess!

Where to Eat in Santa Cruz, Chile

We had three great meals while in Colchagua Valley, starting with lunch on our day of arrival at the Club Union Social right on the plaza in Santa Cruz. It had the perfect little courtyard where we enjoyed una copa (of Viu Manent, by the way!), some delicious empanadas, and a tortilla (of the Spanish variety! Filled with fresh vegetables). Relaxing under the trees, watching Santa Cruz move about the plaza, and soaking in the Colchagua Valley was perfection!

The next restaurant we loved was the Casita de Barreales. Mauricio, our guide and driver, had recommended it, and it was an easy walk from Hotel Quinta Maria. We again enjoyed sitting outside, partaking in a bit more vino, and sampling some amazing Peruvian influenced dishes. My partner in wine also enjoyed a large piece of tres leches to round out the evening!

And finally, we also sampled delectable Chilean cuisine at Casa Colchagua. We enjoyed an evening here with Mauricio, and I am a bit smitten with Chilean dishes! The weather was perfection, the company divine, and the food and wine delicioso! Another must-visit if you are in the Colchagua Valley!

So you’re now all caught up on our Colchagua Valley adventure! Next up, we’ll cross the border into 🇦🇷Argentina and enjoy the unforgettable vinos of Mendoza (subscribe to get notified when we arrive in Argentina!)! ¡Dale!

Inspired to explore the Colchagua Valley wine country – or curious about the wines we’re discovering along the way (whether you want to experience them in person, or from your beach chair – or ANY chair – at home)? Check out our first two full days here: the first day and the second day . And then subscribe to follow the rest of our trip and for oongoing travel insights, winery recommendations, and stories about what we’re drinking and where we’re going in and around Venice, Florida, or drop a comment!