Monday, September 17, 2012 – Matetic Vineyards, Casa Blanca
We left the hotel shortly after 9 – again a challenge for us, as we slept in once more – and drove out the now-familiar road to Casa Blanca. We stopped at a delightful roadside restaurant (for a pit-stop only) where we saw meat and corn pies being cooked in outdoor clay ovens. The servers wore local dress and we sampled a local wine. Sally-Jo and I managed to get close to some of the roadside poppies we’d been admiring for photos. At the Matetic Vineyards we had a fascinating tour of the wine-making process, with a description of the organic and biodynamic operation of the vineyards. We could see the vineyards stretching across the slopes of the valley, and the grazing animals who contribute their manure to the operation, as well as keeping down the weeds and pests in the vineyards. Our guide, Tabitha, was interesting, personable and very well-informed. We all thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the wine-tasting that followed. Lunch was a Chilean barbeque – absolutely delicious chicken, pork and beef accompanied by a wide choice of really tasty vegetables, then fruit, flan, and crème caramel for dessert, all accompanied by wine and coffee. Back at the hotel we were all ready for a rest before heading out for dinner at Como Aqua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) restaurant. Dinner was great fun, but the food was nothing special. Of course we’d all enjoyed a wonderful midday meal, so were not terribly hungry, but still…I don’t think any of us would have given it the 7 forks it displays out front. The server was pleasant and tried hard, and probably our expectations are off-course for a Chilean restaurant. There was some confusion and misunderstanding (the blaring music right overhead added to this) but eventually we all were fed and as I said, we had a great time. Got back to the hotel around 11 ready for bed.
