Words and Photos by Ann Hattes

If you're a wine aficionado, you already know that Chile was the first wine producer in the New World, producing wines 200 years before California. And if you're not a wine aficionado, experiencing the wine scene in Santiago might just convert you.

Traveling in Santiago is a pure delight, as it is one of the few capital cities in the world with easy access to both skiing (30 miles) and beaches (60 miles). The majestic Andes can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. In Santiago, museums, art galleries, and handcraft centers beckon to be explored.

Enjoy views such as this while exploring the Maipo Valley of Chile.

You'll definitely want to explore the Maipo Valley, one of the country's most important winegrowing areas near Santiago. The region combines the "trilogy" to produce good wine: climate, soil, and vinestock. Small vineyards have flourished here since colonial times when wine was produced for Catholic church communion.

The wineries often have stately manor houses and spacious estate grounds like those at Cousino Macul that have been in the same family since 1856. Many times visitors find specialty wines not available on the international scene due to limited production quantities. One such, produced at Concha y Toro, is Late Harvest, an exquisite delicate dessert wine that really can be enjoyed anytime.

The guide at Vina Concha y Toro, Chile's largest winery, explains that dry summers in the Maipo Valley are ideal as irrigation of vines permits exact control of water. Contrast this with French wine that is purchased by the year because of the weather.

Touring a Chile vineyard.

The Vina Concha y Toro guide also points out that Chile is the only country free of disease, due to its isolated location with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes to the east and the dry desert to the north. When the phylloxera fungus decimated European vineyards in the late 1800s, Chilean vines were used to replenish the stock.(CONTINUE...)