(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XVI - Chilean Wine Country Continues...

We awoke to an al fresco breakfast served outside our door on the patio which was lovely.  Then we relaxed, enjoyed the setting and did nothing until our 12:30p tour of the Matetic Vineyard.

Breakfast by our porch...

10km down the road was the actual vineyard.  We arrived and had a private tour, learning a lot about the vineyard – a Yugoslavian couple started it in 1990 and the entire facility is biodynamic and organic.  It was an exquisite setting and they even had horses and alpaca running around the grounds.

Alongside the winery...

Matetic horses...

We had our tasting with another couple visiting for a tour and, surprise, surprise, they were from NYC.  The upper west side. 
They had been down to do the National Geographic tour of Antarctica and were spending a few days in Santiago.  As we got to talking they told us about how they ran into their NYC neighbors in the same hotel as them in Santiago by coincidence!  But an even bigger coincidence?  Those neighbors were the Columbia doc and his wife we stayed with at Explora!  How amazing is that coincidence?

After our tour, we drove back to Casablanca to have lunch at the Indomita vineyard – that restaurant came acclaimed by Food and Wine magazine.  The setting was the top of a cliff overlooking the vineyard. 

View to the top...

GG ordered a beef carpaccio which was quite tasty and I ordered a crispy crab and edam cheese ravioli which was interesting.  I opted for the duck breast with chipotle potatoes, spring onions in a malbec and cranberry reduction which I enjoyed.  GG was underwhelmed with her crab and avocado roll, as was I.  I had a glass of their reserve Pinot Noir which was served to me cold.  I was confused but the waiter assured me this was right (or at least I think he did – he spoke no English).  It was good, but I was thrown off by the temperature.

Beef Carpaccio

(not so) Crispy crab and edam cheese ravioli

Tasty and heaping portion of duck breast - the malbec reduction was excellent.

The underwhelming crab and avocado roll...

Self pic perched atop Indomita...

Next it was off to Casa Marin with the least clear directions I have ever seen, care of the very friendly and wonderful host at Matetic.

and we were surprised when we got obscenely lost...

Needless to say we got very lost and ended up in the port of San Antonio.  Right on the water, but not a pretty place to visit at all.

By luck, intuition, a few very vague printed maps, a cop who spoke no English on a street and a very nice older lady, we found Casa Marin nearly an hour later.  When we asked our guide at Casa Marin how far they are from Matetic, he said 15 minutes.

Anyway, we made it.  And that was an accomplishment.  We were greeted by Oswaldo, a very friendly older man who we learned was the owner/winemakers brother.  He told us the story of Casa Marin – his sister, Maria Luz, worked in wine, then got a job importing wines to Tesco’s throughout Europe and then used her earnings to start the vineyard in 2000.  She is the only female owner/winemaker in all of Chile.

He toured us around the vineyard and was very knowledgeable and his English was very good.  We did our tasting and lingered with him over each glass – from their Sauvignon Blanc, to Sauvignon Gris to their Pinot and Syrah.  We particularly enjoyed their Sauvignon Blanc and their Pinot was much lighter than I was used to.  We also learned that their younger Pinot is meant to be served cold with food you’d normally serve white with (fish, light cheese, salads, etc).  So, the Pinot I had at Indomita was supposed to be served that way after all.

After our tour, he directed us to the guest house.  We followed him in his truck with his hitchhiking pooch in the back up a long and winding road for about 10 minutes…then we turned into the vineyard and drove along dirt roads for another 5 minutes until we arrived at a house plucked on top of the hill in the vineyard.  This was actually the winemakers first home which they picked up and transported to this location.

pooch along for the ride...

It was a cute 2 BR/2BA house with a wonderful front porch, complete with hammocks and an outdoor seating/eating area.  It’s got plumbing, electricity and Oswaldo left us with a mobile phone to reach him just in case.  It’s definitely a bit out in the middle of nowhere.  But, it’s a very unique experience for us amidst all these fancy hotels and boutiques.

take a close look at that comfy first hammock...

The view from the front porch...

 And here's a little video tour of the place...

I had heard about a hole in the wall Chilean barbeque restaurant called El Sauce nearby and asked Oswaldo about it.  He loves it and told us we must order the ribs.  In fact, he called the restaurant and told them what we would eat – an order of ribs to share (the portions are huge), some salad, and papas fritas.  He said to go over anytime before 10pm.  He said the restaurant has been around for 60 years and international people eat there all the time with waits every weekend.  But, a Monday night would be safe without reservations.

So, we lounged at the house and around 8p we headed back to civilization and to El Sauce.

We arrived and did not know what to expect.  I parked across the street and we headed to the front of the restaurant.  It was empty.  Not a good sign.  But we trusted Oswaldo and Food and Wine.

Picturesque El Sauce

Upon walking in, the waitress got up and said something in Spanish that included the words, “Casa Marin.”  We nodded and said “si” and sat down.  They asked us our beverage order (austral cerveza, aqua con gas and later a pisco sour) and then eventually the food came out.

A big old slab of pork ribs right off the grill with a plate of French fries and a colorful and simple avocado salad.

Oh boy...

Mind you this is a serving for 1 person.

GG loves her ribs!

We tore into the ribs and they looked a little pink but I trusted El Sauce implicitly and we chowed down.  Plus, I would have no way to explain how to cook them longer in Spanish.  So we just feasted.  The ribs were tender, meaty and full of flavor.  I would have loved to see how they could pull all of that off, but I also think knowing too much might have freaked me out.  So we enjoyed the blissful ignorance about how El Sauce works it magic and just enjoyed each bite.  And, slowly, the restaurant started to fill up a bit more which also made it a bit less awkward.  One dinner in a restaurant by ourselves in wine country is more than enough.  Nice to have some company…

From there, we headed home and miraculously found the right dirt path back to our home for the evening.  The amenities are not really existent, so we’re relaxing – I’m writing as GG continues to read and we’ll turn in early for another good night’s sleep…

Tomorrow, it's time to hit the big city.