Journey to Valparaíso. First, wine tasting at Kingston Wine House among the vineyards in Casablanca.
Chile's grape is Carmenere, but the most common grapes in this valley are Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Pinot. It is the place of an American family that has settled here for 5 generations. The family's story parallels Chilean history. The Andes Mountains are before us, the green valley in front of us; we warm up with the winter sun. We are at the end of the world.
March-April is the harvest here. At the end of May, which coincides with the end of November, everything is over; the tanks were cleaned, the wines were bottled. The valley is filled with lots of small Chilean wine producers. Taxes on wine are high, most of them are exported to America. The most consumed beverage in Chile is beer.
We go up and down the mountains and arrive at Valparaíso. The city is disappointing. The magnificent port city of the past, while providing all connections with the world, lost its importance after the Panama Canal. The beautiful houses are old and neglected on the hillsides. Seafood is great at Don Emilio, a small, beautiful, local restaurant in the north of the city.
Return 1.5 hours. The roads are two or three lanes, not bad at all. The speed limit is 100, maximum 120 km. It's a good thing, because we are constantly going up and down the mountains. We clearly understand that the country is mountainous and agriculture can only be done in the valleys. The road consists of hills and tunnels.
In the evening we go to Backroom Jazz Bar. It feels like a New York jazz bar; stylish, tasteful and decent. We couldn't help but see Santiago's nightlife.