Timing is everything
I knew I wanted to visit a vineyard or a winery in the Santiago-area. Chile is famous as a wine region, and it seemed like a nice way to pass the day. But little did I know that timing was on my side, since Efrain and Alma had the inside scoop on a wine festival taking place about a two-hour drive south of Santiago in a town called San Fernando. This festival only takes place once a year, for two days, and brings together all the different wineries in the region. It sounded like a great plan, so we all decided to go.
Road trip
Unfortunately, all six of us couldn’t fit in Efrain’s car, so we stopped off at the rental shop. We ended up deciding to rent a Pathfinder that could fit all six of us, so we could drive together. It had the tiniest back bench ever, so we had to squash a little, but we loaded up the car and hit the highway.
On the way, some of the group was hungry, so we stopped off at a McDonald’s drive-through. Now, I have a very simple rule about McDonald’s, which can be summed up in one word: Don’t. The others ordered food, though. Alma mostly wanted the Star Wars toy with her happy meal. (Hey, there’s no age limit for a reason!) She also found a french fry in the shape of a cross, which led to some examining of the burgers for impressions of the Virgin Mary. We figured we’d make the local papers if nothing else. Alas, no such luck, and the french fry got eaten along with the rest of the food.
The festival
The festival itself was really incredible. There were thousands and thousands of people – virtually no tourists, mostly locals and people from Santiago and the region. Lots of families with kids. The town square was packed. The way it worked was, for about the equivalent of $6 or so, you got a tasting glass and four coupons for tastings, which were generous pours equivalent to most of a glass of wine. Then, you could go around choosing wines to taste, and if you ran out of tickets, you could buy more. We started by tasting some local red wines that Chile is known for, including the carmanere variety, which is unique to the region and was mistakenly thought to be extinct for a long time. It was far too hot, though, so we soon switched to chilled white wine. I’m no expert, but everything I tasted was delicious.
There were also handicraft stalls, shops, and lots and lots of food stalls selling all kinds of local specialties. I had some churros filled with a caramel-like sweet filling. Empanadas, grilled meats, even chocolates. You name it, you could find it. There was music and a performance of dancing from various countries in South America, and it was just a really great atmosphere. We spent all afternoon and evening at the festival before heading back to Santiago.
No longer travelling light
Upon returning to the hostel in Santiago, the most exciting thing was finding that my backpack had arrived. No longer travelling super-light. My friends were great about letting me borrow stuff, but it was nice to have my own stuff back.
All in all, it was a great day. Conclusion about Chilean wine: Yep, it really is that good.