Hay muchos vinos en Chile: in Chile, there is much wine to drink.

It was a beautiful day for winetasting, and I did exactly that. Uncorked Wine Tours picked me up for a semi-private wine tasting paired with a four-course gourmet tasting lunch in the Casablanca Valley, where we visited three wineries.

Casablanca Valley is a 45-60 minute drive from Santiago towards the coast, and its cool climates and temperatures make for ideal growing conditions for fruity Chards, Sauvignon Blancs, and Pinots.

Our first stop was perhaps one of the most interesting.  Bodegas RE, a small family vineyard founded by Pablo Morandé, is a concept of wines that seeks to RE create, RE invent and REveal ancestral wines produced in past centuries.  This vision is beautifully executed by the family by producing wines in clay tanks.

Our second stop was the Kingston Family Vineyards, a boutique winery on a ranch that handcrafts Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc in small lots using custom equipment and techniques brought from California.