South American WINE, CUISINE AND LIFESTYLE, a 12 Day Tour to Argentina and Chile.
This is a suggested program, price is based on season, size of group and availability.
Can also be arranged as individual program
Day 1
Depart from home town to Argentina.
Day 2.
Upon arrival to Buenos Aires, transfer to domestic flight to Menoza. You will be greeted by your host and escorted to Finca Adalgisa, an upscale retreat that features separate private cottages overlooking one of the last remaining historical vineyards in the area with the mountains as a backdrop. Welcome dinner in 1884, the restaurant of Escorihuela winery, run by the well known Argentine chef Francis Mallmann. Dinner and overnight at Finca Adalgisa.
Day 3
After breakfast we will leave in the morning for O'Fournier, a winery located in the beautiful Uco Valley. The Spanish family Ortega Gil-Fournier, makers of the famous playing cards, established their dramatic and innovative winery at the turn of the millennium. This architectural wonder has been designed to work with gravity to minimize the use of pumps, its underground cellar holds up to 2,800 oak barrels at a constant temperature and humidity, and is developing a state-of-the-art laboratory with micro-vinification capabilities. They produce remarkable Tempranillos, and a blend of Cabernet-Malbec-Tempranillo. The chef of the restaurant at the winery, Nadia Ortega Gil-Fournier, will be waiting for us with a her signature fusion-cuisine and the winemaker will explain to us how to do the wine paring with their awarded wines, including their top wine A Crux, B Crux and Urbano. Here we will exchange comments and first impressions with the cooks and members of the "Gourmet Women Association of Mendoza", who will join us in this experience to the Uco Valley. At night we will go to Cruz de Piedra to the home and studio of the famous Mendocinian painter Sergio Roggerone. Sergio is a remarkable artist who has been invited to many art exhibits in New York; Florence; Santiago de Chile; and in the Museum of Fine Arts of Buenos Aires, among others. He will introduce us into his Barroc world, his place and his personality. A multiphased artist, he is known to be a great cook. Olivier Ruhard, a winemaker who came to Mendoza to work for Jacques Lourton, made great wine for Escorihuela winery, and now is making his own wine, will join us to offer together with Sergio, a superb night of aromas and flavors. Overnight at Finca Adalgisa.
Day 4
After breakfast we will have a guided tour by Mendoza city and afterwards we will be heading to the new winery of Carlos Pulenta, descendant of the Pulenta lineage of winemakers. His Vistalba winery is a model establishment and an architectural jewel: a product focused facility aimed at maximizing the quality of his wines in a stark, modern, understated building surrounded by 120 acres of vineyards. All grapes are picked and sorted by hand and each barrel and bottle is carefully tracked throughout the production processes. The visit will be followed by a splendid lunch surrounded by the Vineyards at La Bourgogne, the winery's sleek restaurant run by chef Jean Paul Boundoux, considered by the Great Wine Capitals organization as the world's best restaurant within a winery in 2005. The official site of Relais Gourmand says; "Bourguignon de race, Jean Paul Bondoux est l'un des chefs les plus prestigieux d'Argentine. D'une franchise éroutante, ses convictions et ses principes sont inébranlables: "La cuisine provient du peuple, des traditions d'une région, d'une province. C'est La culture et non du snobisme ou une mode. C'est l'identité d'un pays. Les goûts, les saveurs doivent rester distincts, nets. La cuisine de fusion n'est que confusion! Ma cuisine est proche de la terre, j'aime le thym, le laurier, la sauge, le romarin, l'ail, l'oignon, la tomate, tout ce qui est proche de la terre. Le pain, les oeufs, le fromage... des réalités... La réalité." In the evening we welcome you with an invitation to Julian's Cavagnaro 19th century private country state in Coquimbito. Cavagnaro family were owners - with Rutini family - of La Rural winery. The first Cavagnaro and Rutini were brothers in law . They sold their shares in the winery a lot of years ago. But they are still living very close to it. Here we are going to have a blind taste of Chilean and Argentinean premium wines. You will meet again Olivier Ruhard and he will guide you throughout the secrets of wine. You will appreciate and compare the colors, aromas and taste to finally make up your minds which wine is the best. It´s a professional blind tasting since you will be comparing the different aromas by grading in your wine chart every property of the wine you have just tasted. From the grades you have assigned, we will then unveil which wine wins the first lace. Undoubtedly, this is a program that perfectly fits connoisseurs since they can appreciate premium wine from different wineries by drawing a comparison between them. Also, this tasting suits amateurs because they can learn to appreciate wine like experts. After the tasting we will teach you how to cook a perfect "Asado" - Tipical Argentine BBQ -. To prepare a great Asado it is not required to be a great cook or a chef, you just need to know the perfect cut of the beef and the "Achuras", which you put over the grill and you have to know how to make a good fire. Timing, experience and enjoying are the essence of making Asado. This is why we have Horacio Bermejo Hilger, a fantastic Asado maker who will show you his little great secrets. Also we will have some fun with the typical local deserts in the particular erotic style of our friend "Gata" Ficcardi, gynecologist and cook. Just for you to know, for us the Asado it´s not just a meal, Asado is a joint venture of friendship and comradeship, this is why we have invited Jorge Sanchez to join us. Jorge is a well knwon guitarist and folklorist who will teach you the secrets of our traditional music and dances together with his girlfriend Laura and Maria Elena Cavagnaro with her incredible voice. And of course that we will be expecting for your singing contribution. We hope this will be the highlight of your visit to Mendoza. Overnight at Finca Adalgisa.
Day 5
After breakfast, we will say farewell to Mendoza and Argentina. We will cross the Andes Mountains towards Chile. We will pass by through beautiful places as Potrerillos, the valley of Uspallata, the ski station of Penitentes and we will also see the Aconcagua, the highest mountain of the occidental hemisphere. In the frontier - once in Chile - the ski station of Portillo where we will have lunch. An amazing trip. We will arrive to Viña del Mar, the beautiful Garden City over the Pacific Ocean and have accommodation in San Martin hotel.
Day 6
After breakfast we will visit Valparaiso city. Valparaiso is one of the oldest ports of the Pacific, recently named by the UNESCO World Heritage. You will see the colorful houses in the hills overlooking the port and the incredible atmosphere of this particular city, the second of Chile. We visit the spots down town and its historical elevators that give access to the hills. We will visit La Sebastiana, the house-museum of the Nobel Prize Pablo Neruda, the emblematic poet of Chile. We will pass by the artisans street in the Cerro Concepcion and find our place for lunch: Bistro Cuisine & Vins. As they say, is a classic modern gastronomic offer and an invitation to the history of Valparaiso. A place considered by www.valparaiso.cl as the best new restaurant of 2006. Late in the afternoon, after a break and when the sun is setting on the pacific, we will visit Viña del Mar and its rich and beautiful architecture and go on to the amazing north coast of Viña, full of little and beautiful coves and beaches. We will stop for dinner in a simple sea dishes place: "La Gatita", a little and common restaurant over the sea. Here you will be able to appreciate the richness, diversity and freshness of fish and seafood of Chile . You will have a beautiful evening, enjoying the food and the casual atmosphere of the place. Overnight at San Martin hotel in Viña del Mar.
Day 7
After breakfast we leave Viña del Mar towards Santiago, Chile's capital. We go through Casablanca valley. A cool coastal climate makes this wine-growing region ideal for white varietals, and accordingly, the Casablanca Valley is known for its premium Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines. The white wine route is another alternative for the wine lovers. You will have the opportunity to taste different wine varieties in some of the world most famous vineyards: Veramonte and Viña Indómita. First we visit Veramonte. A native Chilean, Agustin Huneeus joined Napa Valley based Franciscan Estates in 1985 as President and CEO, bringing with him international wine experience from Chile and the US. In 1990, after discovering promising potential in a vineyard property in the Casablanca Valley, Agustin Huneeus realized his dream of returning to Chile to found Veramonte. And afterwards we forward to the top of the hill winery: Viña Indómita where we will have lunch in its restaurant. With a minimalist decoration based on wood, iron and wicker and magnificent view to the Casablanca Valley, this restaurant offers us an entertaining cuisine designed by his chef Oscar Tapia, and his sommelier, Claudio Urcullo, will suggest a wine to accompany every course. Oscar Tapia comes to Indomita with experience in Italian and Thai cooking traditions. Each course is a creative fusion that blends his background influences into a unique melding of flavors, textures, sights, aromas and taste ,and most importantly his original recipes work. We follow to Santiago and we have accommodation in Vespucci Suites, five stars suites in Vitacura, a residential area of this dynamic and modern city.
Day 8
After breakfast the morning is free to explore on own. At noon we have the highlight of our visit to Santiago. We go to Sukalde, the little restaurant of the chef Matias Palomo. We will have an interactive cooking class with Matias and a pairing of wine and food with the Sommelie. Matías Palomo, worked at El Bulli, in Spain; learning here the ultimate steps of high end and gourmet cuisine. Then he worked in New York with Daniel Boulud - for many years considered one of the top ten chefs in the world - at his restaurant, while Whoopie Goldberg, Woody Allen or Bill Gates waited for the magic coming out of this spectacular kitchen, in which Palomo was partly responsible. There´s even more, after traveling around Europe and Asia, he ended up cooking with Juan Mari Arzak in the restaurant named alter him. From each of them he learned something: the technique of Adrià, the strictness of Bouloud, and the flavors of Arzak. At sunset we will have a guided visit downtown Santiago ending up at the central market. This delightful galvanized steel construction was built in 1872, to replace the unsanitary Mercado de Abastos (provisions market), which had served the needs of local citizens since the colonial period. Today, the Central Market still shines with nostalgic architectural pride, and offers an eclectic selection of handicrafts, fruit and vegetables. And after dinner we meet in El Teatrino, a little bar very near the hotel, for having a delightful evening of music with the voice of Mirella Tironi and the piano of his husband Alejandro Pinto. And again, we hope to have your singing contribution. Overnight at Vespucci Suites.
Day 9
After breakfast we have a Free day of leisure to shop and explore the city of Santiago on our own. Overnight at Vespucci Suites.
Day 10
After breakfast we will go by the morning to Concha y Toro winery in the Pirque. In 1883, Don Melchor Concha y Toro founded, together with his wife Doña Emiliana Subercaseaux, the Concha y Toro vineyard. He brought to Chile, as did other visionaries who were establishing vineyards at the time, the best grape varieties of the Bordeaux region: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Carménère. Today Concha y Toro is America's #1 imported wine from Chile. It is also one of Chile's most historic wineries, and over the past ten years has become the country's leading ambassador in the international wine market. Don Melchor de Concha y Toro built the Casona of Pirque in 1875 as his family home. Don Melchor's wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, took personal charge of directing its construction. Although it was built in the distinctive style of a Chilean country home, she gave the house a touch of French architecture for good measure. Inside, visitors are greeted by ample rooms which betray the influence that French culture had on the life of aristocratic Chileans during the late 19th century. On display are paintings by Monvoisin, Lambert, and Subercaseaux, as well as fine clocks and chairs, and elaborate tapestries and weavings. The house was well known for the many tales and stories spun around it. In fact, the name "Casillero del Diablo" - The Devil's Wine Cellar - came from a favorite anecdote of Don Melchor. According to his own workers, Don Melchor, wishing to keep his choicest wines from prying eyes and lips, spread word that the devil himself dwelled in the cellar. Thus, his employees were scared away from the temptation to steal, and Don Melchor was able to cellar and enjoy his best wines. After trying Concha y Toro wines we follow up to Santa Rita winery. Founded in 1880 by Don Domingo Fernandez Concha in Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley.From the end of the XIX century until the mid 70´s, Santa Rita developed under the ownership of Mr. Vicente García - Huidobro, father of the famous Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro Fernández. We will try its famous wines and have lunch in the winery restaurant: "Doña Paula". National Monument. In 1814, General Bernardo O'Higgins, one of our country's forefathers, together with 120 patriots fighting to achieve Chile's Independence, found refuge in the Santa Rita Hacienda, after a fierce battle against Spanish Crown soldiers in the city of Rancagua where they had been defeated. History tells us that the distinguished dame Paula Jaraquemada, with great courage, defended the 120 patriots by hiding them in the basement of the Santa Rita house, confronting the Spanish soldiers and not allowing them to enter her home by throwing a brazier full of hot coals at them. Thanks to her bravery, the 120 soldiers were able to regain their strength and continue on their quest for Chile's independence. This historical fact was printed on the label of the vineyard's most traditional wine, the 120 line as homage to those brave 120 soldiers. La Casa de Doña Paula Restaurant offers a wide variety of superb international and local dishes. Chile, over the Pacific Ocean, is an open gate to Asia. And Pamela Fidalgo, awarded as the best chef of 2006 by the "Circulo de Cronistas Gastronomitos" has imported all the flavors of Thai and Japanese cuisine to introduce us into her ethnic food. In the afternoon we will have an interactive cooking class with her, and then we will have dinner at Alma, her restaurant. A modern fusion cuisine that rescues the Chilean produce and combines it with Asian techniques. Overnight at Vespucci Suites.
Day 11
After breakfast we have a free day until departure for the airport for flight home. Airport transfer.
Day 12.
After an overnight flight we arrive back home. Welcome home.
For pricing and availability call 1 800 853 6736
or