FESTIVAL OF WINE – Argentina & Chile
15 Day Tour – from $8999AUD (includes airfares from Sydney)
Monday 1st March: Buenos Aires
Fly Qantas Sydney to Buenos Aires. Meet & Greet at Buenos Aires Airport and transfer to Esplendor Boutique Hotel.
Tuesday 2nd March: Buenos Aires
After breakfast we have a Buenos Aires City Tour. You then have the afternoon free to explore Buenos Aires.
Wednesday 3rd March: Buenos Aires
A free day to explore Buenos Aires and then at night we have a Tango Show & Dinner at La Ventana.
Thursday 4th March: Mendoza Wine Festival
After breakfast a transfer to Santiago Airport for your flight to Mendoza. A Meet & Greet at the airport, then a transfer to Executive Park Suites.
Friday 5th March: Wine Tour – Lújan de Cuyo & La Vía Blanca
Your host picks you up from you hotel at 830am for the 90 minute drive to this relatively new and very exciting wine, nut and fruit producing valley. The views, along with the architectural splendour of some of the wineries makes the extra travel time well worth the effort.
Our first visit will be to Salentein, a concept winery famous for producing Argentina´s first high-altitude Pinot Noir.
Here you visit both the winery and their nationally acclaimed “Kilka Art Gallery”, containing permanent exhibitions of Argentine works of art from the second half of the 20th Century and an ever-changing exhibit of up-and-coming artists and their work.
Following this we visit Benvenutio De La Serna, a boutique Argentine-owned winery producing single estate wines.
Their excellent Sangiovese portrays their Italian roots and they also produce a delicious Viognier. Here we enjoy a
tasting in their garden under a canopy of trees surrounded by vineyards.
Next we travel just 3 miles further on and arrive at O.Fournier, a brand new Spanish owned winery, with sister operations in both Spain and Chile. From a distance this incredible building has been described as looking like a “NASA facility”, whilst inside it could be mistaken for a space-age movie set. A huge barrel cellar, unique conical fermentation tanks, a roof that looks like a launch pad, high point scoring Tempranillo blends and a true gravity operation make this a visit not to be missed. Here we will have a five course Spanish theme lunch, accompanied by
their wines including the A Cruz.
In the evening we will watch La Via Blanca from the Plaza Independencia. It is an extremely colourful parade of all the floats, each one carrying one of the Queens. Lots of music, fresh fruits, ingenious decor and tremendous partisan enthusiasm for ones favourite beauty. Your host will be on-hand to explain and translate. Transfer back to your hotel.
Saturday 6th March: El Carousel & Central Act Your host meets you in the hotel after breakfast to watch “The Carousel”, where a procession of very decorative horse drawn carriages, regional bands playing very traditional music, dancers and the famous “Gauchos” (cowboys)
pass by within easy reach.
Back to your hotel for a “siesta” before your host picks you up again at 8.30pm for the short ride up into the park and the 25,000 seat Greek style amphitheatre, where in reserved seats we will watch the spectacular “ Central Act”, an extravaganza of dance, music, folklore, awesome choreography, clever visual effects and the crowning of “The Queen”. The show is enhanced by laser lights bouncing off the surrounding hills, great special effects and fireworks in abundance. Your host will bring light snacks, wine and water. We will get you back to your hotel by 3am.
Sunday 7th March: Winery Tour – Lùjan de Cuyo
Your host picks you up from your hotel at 11.30am to visit one of our best wineries in the country. This region is considered to be the very home of Malbec, particularly the sub-regions of Agrelo and Perdriel, where the cost of land equates to the quality of the grapes. These two sub-regions epitomise “Terroir” made for the Malbec grape.
Winery Hacienda Del Plata continues to play an important role in Mendoza´s wine history. Founded in the 18th Century the then estancia was known as La Estancia San Ignacio de la Familia González. It has taken generations of hard and intensive labor on the barren desert land that surrounds the estancia to cultivate it and produce outstanding Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. The visit includes a fabulous tasting from barrels and bottles, and a very informative stroll through the vineyard. Before sitting down to enjoy an Asado (traditional Argentine BBQ) in
the gardens. We conclude the day with a visit to ALTA VISTA , a one hundred year old winery started by Spaniards,
but now owned by a very progressive French family. They specialize in “Terroir Expressión” whereby they produce
several single vineyard Malbecs, all scoring very high points. Here we will taste three wines, starting with their
Torrontés and finishing with their Grand Reserve, both gold medal winning wines.
Monday 8th March: Santiago
After breakfast a transfer from Executive Park Suites to Mendoza Airport for your flight to Santiago. A Meet & Greet
at the Airport and then a transfer to Hotel Kennedy.
Tuesday 9th March: Vina del Mar
After breakfast a transfer from Hotel Kennedy Santiago to Sheraton Miramar Vina del Mar
Wednesday 10th March: Vina del Mar
Free Day to explore Vina del Mar.
Thursday 11th March: Santiago
After breakfast you have the morning free before a transfer from Sheraton Miramar to Hotel Kennedy Santiago.
Friday 12th March: Maipo Valley & Concha Y Toro Winery
The Maipo valley is known worldwide as the best valley for Cabernet Sauvignons. Concha y Toro vineyard is located in this valley. In this tour you’ll taste its wines and explore its warehouses. This tour starts from your hotel in Santiago towards Maipo valley, located 45 minutes south of the city. The visit begins in Don Melchor plaza where the guests will be received sincerely by a bilingual guide, whom will invite you to enjoy a panoramic visit of the vineyard, accompanied by a white wine, so that you can be appreciate the aromas and flavours that arise step by step in this centennial warehouse. With the cup in hand, the visitor participates in a long walk by the old park appreciating the large house of Pirque, residence of Concha y Toro family. This great wine company began more than 100 years ago.
In the vineyards of Pirque you will be able to learn about how the grapevines development, the cultural and
technological handling that is responsible for a yield of first quality wine. Once in the warehouse we’ll be able to
taste an excellent merlot stock wine, Casillero del Diablo, while the guide shows and explains the methodology and
materials used in the production of the wine. After this tour we return to Hotel Kennedy.
Saturday 13th March: Wine Train to Santa Cruz
The tour starts with a transfer 815am from Santiago to San Fernando (140kms to the south). Once there, we will board the Tren del Vino (130am) on a 20 minute ride to the Paniahue Station in Santa Cruz along the main vineyards of the Colchagua valley. During the ride, we will enjoy an exquisite wine tasting of red and white wines accompanied by a selection of assorted cheeses while listening to a typical Chilean folk musician. There will also be bilingual
Spanish /English narration of the trip. From Santa Cruz station – where guests are welcomed by a young folk music group – we will go directly on a visit to a vineyard in the valley where we will go deeper in the fascinating world of wine, learning about its making and some tasting techniques at the very source. A typical chilean lunch will then be served at the same place. After lunch we will go to a vineyard at Cachapoal Valley with wine tasting. At approximately 8pm we return to the Santa Cruz Hotel for an included dinner.
Sunday 14th March: Buenos Aires
After breakfast we visit the Colchagua Museum. We then have a prívate transfer back to Santiago Airport where you will catch your flight to Buneos Aires. On arrival a transfer Esplendor Boutique Hotel.
Monday 15th March: End of Tour
After breakfast a transfer to Buenos Aires Airport for your flight back to Sydney.
Inclusions:
Qantas International Airfares from Sydney inc taxes
South American Airfares inc taxes
14 nights accommodation at 4 & 5 star hotels
Private Airport Transfers
English Speaking Local Guides
Winery Tours as per itinerary
Mendoza Wine Festival Program
Wine Train to Santa Cruz
Breakfast Daily
3 Lunches
2 Dinners
24hr contact with Real South America office in Buenos Aires & Sydne
