“Wine is the only artwork you can drink.”
Luis Fernando Olaverri
With limited internet access, I find myself a bit behind on my posts, but I told myself I would not let blogging consume my trip, and I’ll catch up once I get the chance. Now is that time.
On Tuesday, I decided this girl needed to skip morning yoga. My entire body was sore, walking down the stairs of my cabin was a challenge. I know yoga with stretching would have probably made it better, but I didn’t care, there would be another session in the evening before dinner.
Today we took a drive, 1.5 hours south. We were all excited, as it would be our first vineyard visit. We drove the same road we did our first day to get to Vilches, but everything seemed different. I guess that is what happens when you are not sleep deprived, you can take in more of the sights and sounds. The countryside here is beautiful, and it reminded me of the drives I’ve taken in Tuscany. Rolling hills, green everywhere, grapevines, and farms. Although the van did not have air conditioning, it wasn’t hot since the air was cool in the mountains, and as we got closer to the city, the heat wasn’t yet at its peak.
We arrived at Miguel Torres in Valle de Curico. After giving our name at the security gate we drove down a short road to a quaint white building with beautiful flowers. This one stood out since the rest of the structures were more modern, with clean lines. Roosters and chickens run around the property freely. We were hoping to see a llama, since that is their logo, and there was an animal enclosure with a sign about Ruffina, but whoever Ruffina is, she never showed.
After we visited the winery shop, we went over to the restaurant. We would be having a gourmet four course meal paired with their various wines. The food was superb, and the wines were very good. The only thing I found disappointing was they did not explain why they chose each wine for each course. I always like to learn more about wine, and especially wine/food pairings.
The first course was Pescado curado en sal y azucar, servido con taboule de quinoa y emulsion de palta, paired with Pais, Estelado Rose. The rose was sparkling, and we were all surprised at how good it was. None of us thought Chile would have a good rose.
The second course was Ensalada de pollo en salsa teriyaki, servido con variedad de hojas mezclum en aderezo jengibre limon de Pica, palmitos, tomates cherry y chocla baby. This was paired with a Cabernet Rose, Santa Digna. A type of wine we’ve never seen before, and the color made us a bit skeptical, but once again, it didn’t disappoint.
The third course was Rissotto de moluscos y crustaceos, servido con salmon confitado en oliva y salsa bisque atomatada. This was paired with a crisp Moscatel, La Causa. I’m not a fan of this type of wine, but I was pleasantly surprised. The risotto was delicious.
Finally it was time for dessert. It was to die for! Semifrio de chocolate amargo, acompanado de berries macerados en almibar y sorbette de arandanos. This was paired with a Riesling, Nectaria. I knew once they told us it had nectar in it that it would be too sweet, thick. This was the only wine none of liked. This group never leaves wine on the table, none of us finished the glass they poured us.
Overall it was a wonderful day, with new friends. Great food, great wines, great friends — a trifecta for this 413 Girl!
Ciao!
413 Girl Travels the World 
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