We hadn’t planned to visit Santa Cruz. For the weekend at hand, we’d wanted to camp at Altos de la Cantillana, a nature reserve south of Santiago, but we arrived only to find it closed until April due to fire danger. So we came up with Plan B: head over to wine country.
Two hours from Santiago by car, Santa Cruz is a sleepy town with a pretty central plaza. Tourism hasn’t overwhelmed it yet: business still wraps up early on Sundays, and Spanish is likely all you’ll hear while walking downtown. Cheers to that.
Vinonauta
Owner Iván, originally from Patagonia, has spent only four years in the Santa Cruz region, but he’s already garnered a reputation as a local wine connoisseur. We stopped into his downtown shop to orient ourselves, and he offered up a wealth of knowledge about nearby wineries. For wine tours, he suggested sticking to Clos Apalta. For dining, he recommended Casa Colchagua and Envero, both of which waive their corkage fee for wines purchased at Iván’s shop. (Unfortunately, both are closed for dinner on Sunday, which was the only night we had available.) We purchased a bottle of Beso Negro’s El Decadente, made with Chilean grapes by a Malaysian princess (no joke).
Barrica Lodge
With our last-minute change in plans, I hadn’t expected to be able to make reservations at a haven like this. Owned and operated by a design-conscious multilingual couple, Barrica Lodge is the epitome of tranquil.
Architecturally modeled after a wine barrel, this remote B&B center around an open courtyard with a pool, lounge deck, and natural lagoon filled with flowering plants and koi.
Without much on our must-see list, we relaxed into Barrica Lodge and spent much of the following days luxuriating in (at long last!) our lack of plans.
Clos Apalta Winery
We visited this winery for the tour and tasting at CLP 25.000 per person (tip: go directly through the winery instead of local vendors and save 5.000). Dedicated solely to the production of one delicious (and pricey!) blend, Clos Apalta is as intentional as it is focused. The building dips four floors underground in a progressively chillier environment; by the wine cellar, we were all wrapped in blankets.
Clos Apalta produces just 60,000 bottles annually. The blend is often a mix of Carmenere, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and just a touch of Petit Verdot. One bottle goes for about $100. We heartily enjoyed the tasting but, unsurprisingly, left with zero of the 60,000 bottles.
Concha y Toro
In contrast, Concha y Toro is one of the biggest wine producers in Chile. En route to Santiago, its restaurant and bar serves a wide variety of regional wines beyond its own label. There are set tastings at a variety of price points. Instead, we opted for three full pours of different labels and varietals. After tasting each, we closed our eyes and tried to identify them blind. Furthering the taste tests, the waiter brought us an additional glass of wine on the house. We left grateful for the hospitality — and for Plan B overall.
Totally like your plan B option.
Looks like a slice of heaven!