|
VALLE DE COLCHAGUA
WINE ROUTE
Our destination is found a few hours south of
Santiago towards the coast. In a fertile valley irrigated by the Tinguiririca
river. It is a agricultural territory inhabited by people of diverse origins
country folk, businessmen/women, rich entrepreneurs and traditional families
of noble ancestry. People that co inhabit and intermix in the actuality of
animated activity through progress and good living.
Its crux is in the city of Santa
Cruz, that has
converted in the center of a traditional activity in the central zone and has
made our country famous in the entire world of wine production.
In the three days of residence in the valley we
felt the warmth of hospitality in a five star hotel, the pleasures of good
cuisine in their restaurant, the astonishing treasures enclosed in a incredible
museum, the surprising process and technology of the wine production; the spirit
and the flavor of their wines in the company of its warm and inviting atmosphere
of its people. We were transported to the past feeling what it was like to live
and work in an estate pertaining to the employers. To finish things off we lived
a taste of the country life with our outings on horseback, barbecues amongst
chickens, dogs, ducks and animated by the wine and the attention of the typical
Chilean huasos (cowboys).
Santa Cruz Plaza Hotel
Arriving at the Santa Cruz plaza and verging
slightly to the right you will find yourself in front of this proud hotel
with a well granted five stars. Its orange color brings out its warmth, its
wooden windows, its balconies of forged iron, and all its own materials made
from the land that we visited.
What does this forth floor wonder doing in this
straightforward and typical Chilean country town that is richly adorned with an
abundance of the zones materials, mixed with valuable works of art and an
elevator of the latest technology?
The people that work in this hotel can not be
passed unnoticed; they irradiate the pride and the tranquility of knowing they
are a part of something that is complete. Not only in the best way
possible but with all heart. Upon being received you feel the sensation of
warmth, and the invitingness and happiness of attending their visitors.
Its not very probable that you won't be found in
the corridors, gardens, or sitting in a table at the restaurant. Its
administrator that works more than reasonable hours in the hotel can not help it
because she feels that this hotel is truly like her own child.
Every one is carried away by this touristic
project that has impulsed a passion, spirit of perfection, the warmth of a
prominent Chilean entrepreneur. He is a personage that if you do not know
him you will be surprise in finding out that this person; on more than one occasion
when we approached him, accepted us cordially and straightforwardly to orientate
us or to explain things that we observed with curiosity in the hotel or in the
adjoining museum. It was nothing less that this notable and restless manager did
to make us feel at home.
The stay in this prominent hotel and the cuisine
of its restaurant made our stay in it perfect and unbeatable.
We observed here and there true works of art like
a fresco in the dining area, a stained glass window in the resting room of the
stairway and a painting on the ceiling of the reception area.
Also an outstanding modern glass elevator of
latest technology and all this intermixed with an abundance of materials of the
zone. Down to the wicker from Chimbarongo.
Museum of Colchagua
The museum is another story in itself. Just the
view of the museum justifies the trip of an hour and a half from Santiago.
It gives you pleasure to see something so well
done, its construction of classic Chilean format. Its abundance of objects of
distinct naturalness, from prehistoric pieces of insects conserved in
amber, remains of large animals, utensils from primitive towns that
inhabited this town and other regions of Latin America, a montage of sceneries traveling
to the past colonial times, prehispanic and prehistoric to imagine our past in
various sceneries of life, branches of distinct epochs, cloths, carriages, old
farming machinery and including a steam engine train with a locomotive and passenger
cars. One of the first that arrived in Chile.
In my case I could not avoid going two times to
re-pass the sectors that connected me better with the past its land and
inhabitants. This museum like others did not hide works of explicit sexuality we
don't know if they were used in rituals or adornments of our ancestors.
It appeared to me that the thing that best
represented the spirit of the museum was a plaque with the following text just
as you are finishing the journey of the museum: “Dear guest: If throughout what we have presented to you, you sensed the immensity
of the creation, the richness of our history and above all the immense pride of
being born in this country; then we have achieved our objective“.
Wine route
The establishments of the Colchagua Valley have organized
themselves to implement what they call the Wine Route that its associates
implicated a commitment and tasks destined to receive and to present to tourist
their equipment for processing and products in the best way possible.
The wine route consist of a circuit of visits to
the vineyards in where you can observe the process of the product and the
distinct types and varieties of wines, its technology, its rural and industrial
ambiance intermixed and in some cases you will see the history and tradition of
aristocratic families that have established themselves in this fertile valley in
the colonial epoch.
Therefore the invitation is to let yourself be
submerged in this atmosphere that has a basic element of settlement in a straightforward
and traditional Chilean country life. Inhabited by its people that unites
various origins that in many ways live together harmoniously, deploying there
characteristics of simplicity, warmth, invitingness, and there proud ways of
hard work.
We surrendered to the gentle courtesy of our
hosts. In comfortable vehicles for transportation they took us through the
routes of the valley. Through out the trajectory, our beautiful guide
delightfully narrated the process of production: the characteristics of the
grapevine. The plant's rue and it capability to resist the most difficult
climatic conditions. Generating at the end of the process exquisite and
inspiring wines of the most varied flavors and aromas. A way of living that with
some concern in excess, it can make you have an unforgettable, didactic and
happy ride.
Santa Laura Vineyard
We visited the modern vineyard boutique of Santa Laura,
also called Viña Laura Harling, that its bottles presents a beautiful figure
of a woman. The rows of stainless steal tanks called our attention, its
beautiful wine cellar where- to ones view you could see large rows of oak
barrels where the wine matured in darkness and in silence- we sampled the first
and exquisite must.
Bisquertt Vineyard
This vineyard is much older. Its equipment
is antique, a robust construction and enjoyable gardens presents a sample of
distinct technology utilized in the industrial process of wine making throughout
the years. This vineyard surprised us with its magnitude. We saw barrels made of
raulí (evergreen beech), stainless steal tanks, including some that were made
of cement.
A grand preoccupation for cleanliness and the
quality of the final product. I thought that opening their doors to unknown
visitors that rummage throughout their vicinities and ask about their process
not only shows a grand tranquility and confidence in what they do but also much
generosity.
Well, finally the never-failing sampling of wines
impacted us with an exquisite and generosity of red wines that we honored more
expressively. Throughout all of this we enjoyed the viewing an important
collection of carriages. Of course we bought some bottles of these delights to
share with our friends in Santiago.
El Huique Museum
If you go to the wine route of Colchagua, Santa
Cruz Hotel and its adjacent museum. You can't pass up visiting the El
Huique museum that is only 20 minutes away by vehicle.
The museum is about an important house that
pertains to employers. It was the property of a traditional Chilean family
of Basque origin. Within the members of the family was the republics president Federico Errázuriz Echaurren (1896 – 1901).
These houses include a significant church that
was donated to the armed forces by the family with the objective that the
churches´ care would perdure in time. In actuality it is a museum open to the
public.
Entering El Huique guided by an enthusiastic and
proud guide who was the great granddaughter of the butler of the house; Matías
Contreras. Entering was like a sensation of the type of life they lived in these
estates. Noble families of tradition and aristocratic Chilean history.
The experience of being transported to the past,
being flabbergasted by the precariousness of equipment that was used and
is held presently conserved. The difficulties they went through in the
preparation of foods. The conservation of that epoch reminds us of the malls
today and how accessible and easy it is to consume in large variety and to
choose from an extensive amount of foods.
Again we value the importance of history in order
for us to observe the world that we live in today and through all this we can
experience an exquisite era at hand.
El Arrayan Agro tourism
Perhaps with my origin so bound by the country, arriving to this place where
the development of this tourism project produced a pleasant sensations.
Our host, leads all the activities dressed in traditional garments of the
Chilean huaso (cowboy) full of happiness and cordiality.
Good Chilean horses are available for programmed horseback riding.
You can also go hunting for rabbits and foxes with a band of hunting dogs that
will accompany you with well prepared guides.
The installations produce a perfect ambience of typical
country life, stables for horses, trees with an abundance of leaves. Where
they provided tables, chairs, ovens made of clay, hearth well made for fire
barbecues and a country house completely furnished like a typical Chilean huasos
house. Installed with a kitchen, living quarters and bedroom where you can
nap after a barbecue.
We had a short stay but our hopes were strongly
built up by our brief one day stay. We were immersed in the activities that were
offered to us thinking about doing the same thing with a large group, it being a
large family or company.
In synthesis, we were astonished by the richness
of sensations and emotions that this three day and two night trip had offered. I
felt proud to be Chilean in the warmth and sincere ness of the territory.
The importance and presence that this tour offered our people in a valley like
Colchagua. They are offering a generousness and vigor of enterprising spirit
they impulse. I truly recommend this offer.
Pictures Gallery
Go Up
Collaboration of Gabriel Bunter B. |
Español
