Once upon a
time, Santiago
was a small city surrounded by farmland, including extensive vineyards. Over
the past century-plus, it’s turned most of that farmland into factories, houses
and roads. Many of those houses now sport parras,
the grape arbors that cover driveways and patios for table grapes, but there
remain a handful of vineyards and wineries.
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The cellars at Viña Santa Carolina, Santiago's most central winery |
The closest of
the wineries is Viña Santa Carolina,
just a few Metro stops from the central Plaza de Armas,
but it has no vines to speak of—all the grapes are trucked into town. A bit
farther out, though, in the capital’s Peñalolén
district, extensive vineyards still surround the facilities of Viña Cousiño Macul, which has
occupied these lands since 1856.
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Coal tailings at Lota are still visible from the lovingly landscaped Parque Isidora Cousiño |
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Carlos Cousiño (at left) at the bar of the Grigoriy Mikheev |
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Cousiño Macul's vineyards are on the eastern edge of the city. |
The ride doesn’t
leave from Bicicleta Verde’s downtown Santiago offices (though the company does
offer tours of the city proper). Peñalolén’s a bit distant for that, but it’s
still a quick trip on the exemplary Metro to Estación Quilín, despite involving
a change of trains.
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The bikes await the riders. |
From Quilín, it’s
a half-hour walk or a short taxi ride to the winery, where wrought-iron gates
open onto a tree-shaded road leading to a complex of buildings dating, in some
cases, to the mid-19th century. Bicicleta Verde stores its gear in a warehouse
here but, on this particular morning, I was the only client on hand (I chose to
avoid the hot afternoon sun). The bikes themselves are basic, with baskets, big
tires, limited gears, and hand brakes, suitable for terrain that slopes only
slightly from the piedmont vineyards toward the city proper. It’s not a
strenuous tour, though the return to winery requires a bit more effort
(especially after sampling a glass of cool rosé offered by a well-prepared
guide).
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The Cousiño family's private collection ages in secure subterranean cellars. |
After visiting
the vines, we toured the atmospheric cellars proper—dating from 1870—where the
Cousiño family keeps its private stash and much of the modern equipment
resides; there’s also a collection of antique paraphernalia in one museum-like
room. Then it was time to conclude the tasting,
before catching a cab back to the Metro.
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The tasting facilities at Cousiño Macul |