After a sleepy 9 hour overnight flight from Dallas, Philip and I arrived to Santiago at 8 am on Friday, July 27. After paying the $100 Chilean entry free, we made our way to the train station and four hours later came to the Via Wines Winery in San Rafael, Chile just outside of Talca in the Maule Valley. We are staying here in central Chile for the next three days. This winery is a big-time operation (350+ employees). They export and sell wine all over the world - some of the more notable labels being La Oveja Negra and Las Chilcas.We arrived and were given a quick tour of the Bodega (production facilities) and the office. Unlike the small vineyards I visited in Italy earlier this summer, this place is completely modernized: equipped wih a lab full of scientists and test tubes, a fully automated bottling and boxing facility and a very large, modern office for handling international business.
We were then driven to the main house where we would be staying and were served a great Chilean lunch by Paulo - the chef and caretaker of the house (photo coming soon).As I said, we are staying in the main house on the winery - a large, vibrant blue home. The architecture is simple yet elegant - almost has a slight asian feel to it. There are six to eight bedrooms, a sunroom for breakfast, a main dining room, several large living spaces as well as a basement, billiards room, bar and full-service kitchen and utilites area. This blue house is comparable to a small mansion. The interior feels like a cozy lodge with plush couches surrounding a warm fireplace. More to come...
