Frustrations and difficulties continued on the roads of Santiago, resulting in me being almost an hour late for my only appointment for the day. It reflects poorly on myself, and I feel really guilty that I am keeping people waiting. Leaving Santiago should be much easier, but I’m not holding my breath, as the navigator just doesn’t help at all. It’s a little bit funny when you look at my tracking and see that there is a lot of circling and wrong turns, and I’ve covered a lot of ground in one city. The second winery recommended to me by Daniela Penno from Wines of Chile and Argentina was Santa Rita, located in the Alto Jahuel, Buin in the Maipo Valley. The winery was the first to produce registered wines in Chile, and the estate is one of the oldest in the country. It dates back to when land was awarded to wealthy families (usually those making their fortunes in mining), to turn into haciendas. The purpose of the hacienda was to run agriculture and allow workers to live on the property that were provided for by the owners. Thus many estates such as Santa Rita, Santa Carolina and Concha y Toro would have communities living on the estate, complete with schools and churches. An important part of Chile’s history occurred on the estate, when 120 escaping revolutionary soldiers were hidden in the cellars. From here they escaped from the advancing Spanish army across the Andes into Argentina, where they raised another army to return and win freedom for Chile several years later.
The Intrepid Wino 