While not Chile’s oldest wine region – as some authors have claimed – Maipo is certainly among the most traditional. French-inspired vineyards produce the valley’s famed Cabernet Sauvignon – still by far the region’s most prized grape – as well as home to some of the finest Carménère.
Corcoran Gallery Winery
Your guide will meet you at your Santiago hotel at 9:00am to begin your tour. You will drive south along the foothills of the Andes and stop by some of the hottest new wineries in the Maipo Valley. Chile’s most traditional wine valley is also one of the most internationally recognized as it is home to such famous wineries as Concha y Toro and Cousiño Macul. Maipo produces many of Chile’s finest red varieties. Maipo is also capturing attention for the exciting new boutique wineries emerging in the region known as the “Alto” Maipo for its vines grown at higher altitude.
Your first stop will be the intriguing small boutique winery, Aquitania. Located just outside Santiago, Aquitania was born from a formidable partnership among four well-respected French and French-Chilean agronomists and oenologists. The idea was to combine the best of French vinicultural practices with the agricultural paradise of Chile to create unique, sophisticated wines. Award-winning labels such as Aquitania, Lazuli, and Sol de Sol are proof of the project’s success.
Next, you will drive into the Maipo Canyon to visit the Corcoran Gallery Winery, one of Chile’s smallest wineries. Corcoran Gallery is a “garden” winery in the Alto Maipo Valley (DO San Juan de Pirque) which evolved from the owners’ passion to emulate a unique terroir in one’s daily living. Madeline Corcoran and partner/winemaker Javier Rodriquez, have one acre of 40 year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted at an elevation of 1,700ft. The vineyard is 100% organically managed, harvested by hand, and micro-vinified. Here you will spend the afternoon with owners Javier Rodriguez and Madeline Corcoran (her family founded the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC) enjoying a gourmet lunch – paired with an unforgettable premium wine – along the river. You will not want to leave!
Meal Included: Lunch
Recommended trip combinations:
- Discover two of Chile’s most important cities - Santiago and coastal Valparaiso
- Surround yourself with the best of Chile’s wine country by spending a night in a boutique wine lodge
- Trekking in El Morado National Park, including a visit to nearby hot springs
- Spend a day biking through wine country in the Casablanca Valley
This tour is available Monday thru Friday, all year round.
Price per Person (US$): $340.00
*based on a minimum of 4 travelers
Price Includes:
- Round trip transportation from your hotel in private, comfortable vehicle
- Professional, bilingual guide
- Two (2) winery tours & tastings
- Lunch
- Bottled mineral water