Day 5 -LFE, Montes, Casa Lapostolle

Memories of Day 5 in Chile....

Winery #1 - Luis Filip Edwards

• Arriving at a winery that has vineyards planted on very high mountains (I believe it is the only winery in Chile to plant vineyards on such a high elevation)
• taking a truck up the mountain to see the top of it and driving through vineyards all the way yup
• seeing a gorgeous great dane and a kumquat tree
  
• tasting the very first vintage of the "Hilltop" wines from LFE - amazing wines.
  

Winery #2 -Montes

• Pulling into a beautiful Feng Shui winery
• spending time in the Montes "Symphony" cellar while Gregorian monk chant type music played. The idea behind it is that the music will help to harmonize the wine
• tasting wines such as the Montes Purple Angel, Alpha, Folly & Alpha M
• if you find these wines - TRY THEM!! They are delicious!

Winery #3 - Casa Lapostolle

• seeing a beautiful winery built into a mountain
• receiving a tour of the building with great architcture
• entering into the "Star Trek" Cellar
• standing in the "beam me up Scott" part of the wine cellar
  
• being able to drool at Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle's homestead - holy fack what an amazing way to live
• tried some ok wines, they weren't amazing, but ok.
  
• the pictures are great make sure you see them!
  

For pictures click here>>

Day 4 - Valdivieso, Cono Sur & Casa Silva

The weather has perked up here in Chile and the sun is shining after a few cloudy days Being up at 7am everyday to leave the hotel for 8 and arrive at winery #1 has it advantages and disadvantages (the lack of sleep is really the only disadvantage). Some of you may think that this week away has been quite the "vacation" but low and behold it definitely is hard work - but fun work none the less.

The wineries in Chile aren't really close to eachother (as they are in Napa Valley or Niagara) and it typically has taken us 1-2 hours to get to each winery throughout the day depending on our itinerary. We have been spending hours of our day in a van, cracking jokes, sleeping with our poncho's and talking about the wine we've been tasting. The country side of Chile has been really quite beautiful with lots of palms, livestock, mountains, the Andes and small little towns all over the place. The people we have met have been friendly and helpful and everyone is always smiling and seem happy every single day. Chile feels like a great place to live and to be stress free. There doesn't seem to be much stress here, and in fact it feels like quite the opposite. It may be a a great place to park yourself if you're in need of some R&R, plus the dollar is VERY Canadian Friendly.

Day 4 started off at 9am - and here are some of the highlights:

Winery #1 - Valdivieso

• began the morning tasting 12 different barrel samples with Valdeivieso Winemaker
• enjoyed some great sparkling wine and found out that Valdivieso was the first sparkling wine house in Chile and SA
• drank through many other still wines and really enjoyed the Rose
• sampled a bottle of Semillion late harvest and got the winemaker (Brett Jackson) to sign a bottle to bring home
• For pics click here>>
  

Winery #2 - Cono Sur

• Arrived at the winery and jumped on board the official Cono Sur bikes (which I quickly fell off of while laughing hysterically) to begin our vineyard tour
• biked around the vineyard to see geese, vines and other sustainable practices and organic agriculture at the winery
• learned that Cono Sur makes a whole lot of pinot noir (and other varietals too-but this wine is what they are known for)
• met 2 of the winemakers from the team who were eager to show us their organic practices and some of the oldest pinot noir vines in Chile
• learned about the Pinot Noir Project
• tasted through the Cono Sur wine portfolio
  
• enjoyed an amazing lunch with home made guac, an awesome bottle of Riesling, an apple pie and much more.
  
• Cono Sur was a fun visit and I especially enjoyed the bike tour (thank god we didn't drink and bike!) and the Riesling at Lunch
• For pics click here>>
  

Winery #3 - Casa Silva

• arrived at Casa Silva Hotel (which is freaken gorgeous! I highly recommend staying there if you come to Chile) and checked in
• took a ride through the vineyards and saw a Chilean Rodeo
• drove back to the winery and went on a winery tour and then tasting Casa Silva Wines
• went to the Casa Silva club house and saw the Casa Silva polo field
• ate some dried horse jerky (it was better than I expected)
  
• enjoyed a Chilean BBQ with Chicken, Beef and Pork
• capped the evening with after dinner drinks at the Casa Silva Wine Bar

For pictures from this amazing day click here>>

We are mow heading back to Santiago so stay tuned for more!

Day 3 - VIA & J. Bouchon

So another day in Chile has gone by, and to be honest I have lost track of what day of the week it is. I pay attention now to how many days I have been here rather than what day of the week it is i.e. I flew in on Saturday and after the jetlag settled Sunday started as the official day 1 of my Chilean Wine Country Adventure.

On day 3 I had the honour to visit the below wineries and I've also noted some of my winery highlights (for pictures of my day click on the link below):

VIA Wines

• Met a fantastic female Winemaker
• Indulged in a great Chilean lunch
  
• Stood inside a fabulous and beautiful blossom blue coloured wine country style home with a roaring fire inside
• purchased some great olive oil made right here in Chile
  

J.Bouchon Wines

• Arrived at the family run country winery and took a mid afternoon horseback ride through the vineyards in my poncho (this was AWESOME btw)
  
• Tasted through the J. Bouchon wine lineup (they have a great Cab Sauv for under $10 - look for the J.Bouchon Blue Label at the LCBO)
  
• Ate a great dinner (which included hare and of course some great wines)
• Enjoyed an outdoor country fire
• spent time relaxing in a large barrel hot tub (this was cool!)
• Stayed the night at Bouchon
  

Click here to see some of my exciting pictures from the Day>>

Chile Day 2 - Santa Alicia, Concha y Toro & Emiliana

Chile has such a beautiful wine country. Even though we just got started on our journey the energy in Chile is magnificent. The people are hospitable and friendly and to boot the weather has been simply wonderful.

Today we visited:
Santa Alicia
Conch y Toro
Emiliana

My Favourite memories today were:

• getting a picture at Santa Alicia and then seeing that picture on a T-shirt
• meeting the winemaker at Santa Alicia and getting a signed bottle from him for my collection
• enjoying homemade epanada's at Santa Alicia
• eating a home BBQ'd lunch at Concha y Toro
• Learning about Organic and bio dynamic practices at Emiliana
• Feeding Horses and alpaca in the Emiliana Farm
• Seeing an insect collection at Emiliana
  
• Looking and feeling the biggest pile of farm waste (yes I mean poo) that is being organically composted for use in the vineyard
• tasting over 50 wines from chile over the course of the day
  
• staring at the Andes and enjoying the gorgeous sunshine throughout the day
• Seeing a beautiful Chilean Sunset
  
• having a great dinner at the Santa Cruz Winery with the team

To see all the pictures from the day CLICK HERE>>

I am off to get ready for day 2 - stay tuned!

Cheers,
Ange

Chile Day 1 - Santiago City Tour

No matter where you travel a great way to see the city sights is via a city tour. I woke up today without even the slightest feeling of jetlag (it must have been all the sparkling wine we drank last night that did it), and grabbed some breaky with the team and then set off to a day in Santiago.

Before jumping on the tour bus we were able to meet our west coast wine counter parts who have been in Chile and on their wine trip since last Wednesday (and we got some inside scoop on some great wines and cool adventures to come) and together the 10 of us were off to see the City. I could go on and on about the day - but the pictures speak for themselves. I have posted 3 below but to see the full pics from the day head to the iYellow Flickr Page>>

My Ontario wine patriots on the trip with me are: Graham Duncan from Now Magazine, Lindsay Groves Sommelier, Writer and Salute Wine Festival, Evan Saviolidis from Wine Savvy and David Rose.

Stay tuned for more on my Chilean Wine Adventure!

Bird cages at the local Santiago market

A Santiago Street Market

Santiago Fish Market

Santiago itinerary

Hey Guys,

Below is my Official Itinerary for my trip in Chile for the next week and a bit. I arrived into South America by mid afternoon yesterday [Saturday] and am up today to enjoy Santiago with a city tour - which should be great.

I have scanned in my itinerary so that you know which wineries I will be visiting over the next week because if you have any questions or comments for the wineries I would be happy to pass them along for you.

I am looking forward to today's adventure and will be posting pictures after my day for you to take a look at - besides the weather this week is supposed to be pretty amazin' - not to brag - but I hear that TO is getting some pretty great weather too! (I took this at 9am in the morning hence the 13 degrees on the side)

Buenos Dias Wine Clubbers!
Cheers,
Ange
(ps - click on the image below to get a larger view)

What I learned about South Africa

The real reason I was in London in the beginning of October was to learn about South Africa Wines - and I did. At the South African Mega Tasting not only did I taste a lot of South African Wine, but I also learned a lot about the poeple, the region and of course the wine, so I figured it would be a good idea to write an article about what I learned about South Africa and South African Wine so that you, my members, can learn what I have learned. And although I haven't had the chance to visit South Africa in the flesh, it is definitely on my list of wine places to visit.

At the SA wine seminar I attended Su Birch, the CEO of Wines of South Africa spoke to us about why South African wine is so unique and spirited. She also told us that this year is South Africa's 350th year of making wine and they are proud to celebrate such a significant moment in their winemaking history (more on iYellow's birthday celebrations below). She went on to tell everyone that human life began in South Africa, so in essense we are all part South African when it comes to our roots. I also learned this week at a Sicilian Wine tasting that South African soil is the oldest soil in the world. So overall SA has a lot of history and heritage to bring to the wine making table.

When it comes to being green South Africa is commited to doing their part. As a wine community they are dedicated to farming sustainably, producing their wine with integrity, and protecting the biodiversity of their unique winelands. Being green is part of who they are as a wine growing region. Together they are commitedd to safeguarding, showcasing and telling their rich heritage and historical stories to the world. From meeting with some of the owners, winemakers, producers and sales staff at the 2 day tasting, South Africa's wine world had some of the most friendly poeple I have ever encountered in my life, not to mention some really great wines!

Below is a quick bulleted list of some of the key things I learned about South African wines, landscapes and people.

• Chenin Blanc is one of SA's most versatile varietal it can be light and refreshing or mildly oaked and SA has the most chenin blanc vineyards than any other country in the world


• Pinotage is South Africa's own unique variety


• The South African wine industry is one of the most technically advanced in the world of wine


• South African Wines lead the world in environmental sustainability and production intrgrity


• South Africa has the oldest viticultural soils in the world - they date back over 500 Million years


• SA has a great diversity of wines which can suit any palate


• The South African Cape is surrounded by 2 mighty oceans


• Vin de Constance is a naturally sweet wine made in South Africa (it is really yummy and unfortunately only available in Quebec here in Canada!)


• South African Wines reflect the best of both the new and the old world


• Where SA wines grow there is more diverse life per square meter than anywhere else on the planet


• South African Wines are also great prices (you can pick up a KWV Chenin Blanc for under $8) and check out Winealign.com for other SA wines as well!
  

The next time you're looking for a great wine to try, pick up a bottle of South African Wine. Not only are they great on your wallet, but you'll get to try wine from a different region and explore some different varietals.

If you're interested in trying some really fabulous South African Wine (there will be 12 wine stations, cupcakes and food) be sure to join iYellow in Celebrating South Africa's 350th Birthday at Happy Birthday on Saturday December 5th at Reds Wine Bar only 125 tickts available for this event. RSVP today>>

My next wine contry trip is Chile, and I leave Nov. 20th, 2009 to explore the amazing, warm and beautiful Chilean wine world, so stay tuned for some great blog updates during that trip! The one thing that SA and Chile definitely have in common is the fact that they can offer you - the consumer - great value for your money!

So go try some South African Wine and tell me what you think and I look forward to celebrating South Africa's 350th Birthday with you on Saturday Dec. 5.

Cheers,
Ange