Our Opimian Wine Tour in Chile continued, the next day, with a cooking class in the morning followed by tastings with two different wineries.
The cooking class actually commenced at the market where we met our chef and followed her around as she purchased supplies for our class.
Back at the kitchen, and of course in need of refreshment, the first order of business was making Pisco Sours … a drink that by now we had quite come to like. Then, while being fed appetizers and sipping wine, we participated in making empanadas and ceviche. Our morning finished off with lunch where we got to consume the fruits of our morning’s labor. This was my first time trying ceviche and it was actually pretty good. And while the empanadas may not have been as nicely formed as a local would have made, they tasted pretty good.
In the afternoon it was off to the Maipo Valley to visit Antiyal. The winery, owned by Alvaro and Marina Espinoza, grows grapes biodynamically. While you might describe it as “organic growing on steroids”, it ensures that the land is kept in a good state for future generations. And while the methodology might seem a bit “out there” there is no denying Alvaro’s passion for wine and biodynamics. And the “proof is in the pudding (or wine)” as he produces some amazing wines. Following a tour of the vineyard and winery, as Alvaro described his methodology, we finished up with a wine tasting, accompanied by incredible appetizers, under the shade of a grove of trees.
We had a chance to have a bit of a snooze on the bus as we returned to our hotel in Santiago and another wine tasting that evening. The winery of one of the new suppliers to Opimian was too far from Santiago for us to travel to on our tour, so they brought the tasting to our hotel. Representatives from Las Veletas did a presentation on their winery in the Maule Valley. More great wines from a great addition to the Opimian family!
Wind At Your Back 