17^th – 18^th November – La Casona

We managed to make breakfast in time, which was wonderful. Our guide turned up just before midday and loaded our bags into the waiting minibus. Getting out of Valparaiso was reasonably straightforward give or take a few parked cars and traffic.

The rooms at Matetic

The drive to Matetic Winery took about 60 minutes. The initial impression was that it was very similar to some of the Napa wineries in California. We had to wait for our rooms to be ready so spent some time wandering around the gardens. All our thoughts were that they were nice, but looked a bit weedy in places. There are some interesting walk ways and pergolas and Tamsin took some photos as ideas for home. We elected to go for our wine tasting that afternoon at 04:30 pm. In between time we were shown to our rooms – which are rather splendid. There are gardens at the back with individual sitting areas.

At 04:15 pm we met at the reception area to be taken to the winery which is a further 10km up the valley. The presentation that accompanied the tasting took us around the various parts of the winery. Much was made of the “eco” credentials with the weeds around the vine being eaten by chickens, alpacas and sheep. Hmm, more on that later.

The impressive wine storage area

The storage area where the wines are kept in the barrels is below the winery and impressive. It’s reminiscent of a cave. It was designed by a Norwegian architect and obviously cost a lot to build. The wines themselves that we tasted were from the EQ range, which is the better one. These can be bought in USA, Brazil and Canada only. It was quite obvious that the winery was a hobby for the very wealthy Matetic family that originally came from Yugoslavia (no idea which bit).

Dinner that night was served by James, James Bond., Well, that’s what he told us. We never learnt his real name, but he was a pleasant chap and food served was excellent and the wines with it superb (the cheaper range).

This reminded us of California

Next day we had planned to relax around the pool but unfortunately the weather was misty with a light drizzle. So, we read, played cards and pool in the lovely lounge area. As the weather had improved Gill and I decided to go for a walk. According to the lodge we were supposed to hire a guide, but we ignored that and strolled up the valley on the well marked path (why you need a guide we had no clue). As we strolled along we heard a helicopter and looked up as a crop duster flew over. Hmm, so much for the eco credentials.

Dinner was another superb affair and we went to bed happy.