December 12, 2017

    There was a light rain sometime during the night. The temperature was 14 C this morning and the wind was 10 km/hr. As we stepped out the door we felt a fine drizzle and made sure to have our rain gear.  We walked down to Plaza Sotomayor.  The stairway that we take has 193 raisers and half a dozen ramps. It was today that on a side street we saw La Matriz church, the old port’s first church. That what happens when you don’t finish writing on the same day and you mix up things that you see along the same route.  A very fine mist was falling as we continued to the plaza to meet the representative from “La Bicicleta Verde” for our Bike and Wine Tour in the Casablanca Valley. Today the guide to look for had on a green T-shirt to distinguish her from the “Tour 4 Tips” guides in the red and white striped T-shirts.  There were 12 cyclists and our guide as we walked to the “La Bicicleta Verde” and “Tour 4 Tips” office. There were cousins from USA; sisters from Montréal; three young men from Melbourne, Australia; a Norwegian young man; a young lady from Netherlands and one from Sweden – all were under 30 and us. Our guide was a petite woman in her late 50s.

   After settling the final payments, we were given a bottle and water and divided into three groups to take taxis out to the Kingston Family Vineyard near Casablanca, Chile, a town between Santiago and Valparaíso The Casablanca valley is known for its cool climate which is just right for growing the grapes for Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The San Antonio valley also has vineyards which we saw on our bus ride from San Antonio to Valparaíso a few days ago. The area’s vineyards have been compared to those in California's Sonoma region. Until the late 1990s, the area was mainly dairy farms. The sandy soil and climate produce grapes which are made into high quality wines using modern or “New World” techniques creating most of Chile's white wines with varieties for a few red wines, such as pinot noir. The first grapes in Casablanca area were planted in 1982. Some of the vineyards in the area are Viña William Cole Vineyards, Viña Indómita Wines, Viña Tarapacá, Viña Veramonte and Viña Estates. These wineries produce white wines such as Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc and the popular red wine, the Pinot Noir.

   After a 40-minute journey partly on country roads, we arrived at the Kingston Family Vineyard. Even though we were 30 km inland, it was still drizzly.  We selected our bikes and helmets and set off on a path for the bicycle ride.  We were in the aging room of the winery which had wooden barrels and stainless steel barrels containing wine. The rolling land was originally purchased by John Kingston in 1917 with the hope that he would find gold on the property.  He didn’t. He established a dairy farm and had businesses in California where, today, his descendants divide their time between there and Chile.  In 1990s, Courtney Kingston, who studied in Northern California, hired a consultant to advise if the soil at the family farm near Casablanca would be a place to grow Pinot Noir grapes. The conditions were right and the family decided to grow wine grapes and start a winery. The vineyard is small, just 350 acres. Kingston Family Vineyard sell 90% of their grapes to other vintners and keep the best 10% to make their own premium wines, which can only be purchased from the Kingston Family Vineyard.

   Even in the drizzle the group enjoyed the ride passing newly planted vines and older vines that were being trimmed.  Our guide, Carmen, would stop every 10 minutes with more information about wine growing or the history of the farm. At one point, she explained that the metal structures in the vineyards, protruding into the sky, were liquid gas-powered turbines to heat the air when the temperature got too cold, keeping the grapes from freezing.  The grape vines were Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc on the flat part and Syrah and Pinot Noir on the gently sloping hills. A drip system of irrigation is used and there is a pretty lagoon used as a water source. At the end of most of the rows of vines is a rose plant. It is an early warning system for detecting a powdery fungus that destroys the vines.  If a rose bush is dying then steps need to be taken to eliminate the fungus.  Kind of the canary in the coal mine warning system.  Carmen would ask several times if the group wanted to continue and the answer was always “yes, what as a little drizzle.”  At one of the pauses, we set down our bikes and entered a wooded glade where a table and benches awaited us for the first wine tasting.  Carmen produced wine glasses from a cooler between some trees and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, the label translated to White Cow Face.  The name was chosen as a tribute to the dairy farm history.  It was a nice wine which could be purchased at the winery for 12,000 pesos ($24 Canadian).  The rosés cost 15,000 pesos ($30 Canadian).  We finished the tasting and continued the ride back to the winery building where we toured the compact facility viewing the stainless steel vats and crushing machines then going to the aging room (where the bicycles also are stored).  There are oak barrels containing 225 liters and 250 liters of wine, as well as stainless steel barrels and larger concrete “eggs”, only for aging white wines, and larger “Fudre” oak barrel from Austria. Then we went outside to a lovely covered patio with a view of the valley.  We saw birds including a hawk gliding on the breeze.  Here we tasted three more Kingston Family Vineyard wines, this time reds. The first was Tobiano Pinot Noir 2010 which was our favourite. The other two were shiraz – Lucero 2011 and Lucero 2012. The wines were served with a little white cheese, mini toast and peanuts.   Then it was time to return to Valparaíso.  Carmen organized taxis to come and since no one was wanting to go to Casablanca for lunch, just three taxis were called. As we waited for taxis we watched the blue sky appear and the clouds start to disappear. Four people shared the 12,000 pesos fare, making the it 3,000 or $6 per person for the 40 minute ride back to Plaza Sotomayor. We shared with the sisters from Montréal.

  We returned to the “Empanada” hole-in-the-wall fast food place, again today for a quick lunch, each choosing a ham and cheese empanada, total cost under $5 Canadian. The empanadas were made as we waited and tasted just as good as yesterday.    Steps 8,176

    As we walked to the stairs to get up the hill to the Playa Ancha barrio where we are staying we noticed another grocery store, Santa Isabella on San Martin street.  It is the closest grocery store that is not just a tiny convenience store.

    Once refreshed, we gathered clothes to take to the Twin Magic Laundry. For up to five kilograms of clothing to be washing and folded it costs 10,000 pesos ($20 Canadian) The sunny 45 minute walk to near Plazuela San Luis was pleasant as we climbed and wound our up in the Alegre hill. Since we had already walked 8.5 miles today, we decided to take the 612 bus back to Playa Ancha - what a ride downhill! This was the route we took uphill on the morning walking tour yesterday.  However, he dropped us off at the end of his route in an area that was unfamiliar and it took about 10 minutes to wander to find a major street and signs to orient ourselves and then just 10 minutes to walk to the apartment.

  It was after 6 when we returned and prepared the same dinner as yesterday accompanied by the last of our bottle of Casa Rivas Sauvignon Blanc made by Viña San Pedro Tarapacá. It had lasted four days.

  Total daily steps 19,241