Day 7: Kross Microbrewery

On the 18th of January we began our days adventures by driving out to
Kross brewery. Kross was started six years ago by Asbjorn Gerlach who
had formal brewmaster training in his home country of Germany. When he
started his business and designed his beers he had to keep in mind the
different Chilean pallate for beer. This was one of his main
difficulties opening the first microbrewery in all of Chile. Instead
of more hoppy and bitter beers as preffered in the United States and
Germany, the Chilean consumers prefer a sweeter more full bodied beer.
Over the past six years his business has grown to produce 50,000
Liters every month, and is the most award winning brewery in Chile.
Being a microbrewery, the only ingredients used are water, barley,
hops and yeast and take anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months to produce.
Asbjorn has seen increasing business and is currently distributing
through Concha Y Toro and has plans to increase production to 200,000
Liters per month. The beers were quite delicious and well crafted. My
favorite was the stout which fully expressed the rich chocolatey
flavors of the barley. However, I would have liked to try something
with more hoppy and bitter flavors, as we agreed that style was our
favorite, but Chile may not quite be ready yet. The website for Kross
brewery can be viewed here: http://www.kross.cl

Day 6: Arrival in Viña Del Mar & The Elections

Sunday was the day of the Chilean elections in which everybody must participate. Just about everything was closed, as residents must pay a hefty fine if they do not vote.

We rode the bus for about two hours until we reached the Valparaiso area. The views were amazing and the weather was much more temperate than that of Santiago.

At 7:00 the election results were revealed. Piñera had won the election and for Valparaiso this was great news. The residents basically went crazy and paraded around in their cars honking and waving flags out of their windows. This continued until late in the night. In an effort to curb the outrageous partying, alcohol was not sold in Chile until 11:00 that evening, but I believe it had little affect. It was quite an exciting time to be in Valparaiso.

Day 5: Recovery and More City Exploration

As I slowly got out of bed, I was immediately reminded of last nights activities. Nonetheless we needed to take advantage of our free day in Santiago. After getting some nourishment, Sam, Erik and I took the Metro to the Palacio Cousiño. It was epic and beyond luxurious including a half ton chandelier and the family crest imprinted everywhere possible. The Cousiño family had built the palace in 1878 and had aquired a vast amount of wealth through coal and other business ventures. The website, including more pictures of the palace can be seen here:

http://www.palaciocousino.co.cl/

The rest of the day was spent catching up with all of the homework and reading that had been forgotten about during the past few days. And finally to end the day, packing for Viña del Mar and the closest to 8 hours of sleep I have yet experienced on the trip.

Day 4: Cousino Macul Winery and The Chilean Night Life

On Friday we visited Cousino Macul winery, the oldest winery in Chile. The 154 year old cellars were very cool to see. Much of the old equipment was around to view which gave me an appreciation for the conveniences of modern technology. In the cellar our guide gave us a tasting of a blend called Gris which was rather unique.


The next day was our free day, so it was a perfect evening to get a taste of the Chilean night life. We started by getting drinks on top of the W hotel and watched the sun set. We then headed out in search of some food. As we walked down the street the owner of one of the restaurants noticed we spoke English. His restaurant was called "California" and being that we were from the same place he invited us in for a free round of beers. After a taco and a beer or two we entered the club next door. We stayed there for a while and had some champagne but decided it was time for a discotheque. I had never been to anything quite like it, the Chileans know how to party. Finally at about 4:30 am we headed back to the hotel for some well deserved rest.

Day 3: Pisco, Wines of Chile Awards & Vinnova

Today we met early for a lecture from the exports director of Capel, the main producer of Pisco in Chile. Pisco is a 40% spirit made from distilled white grape juice and is very popular in Chile, especially with Coca Cola (a Piscola). The export director explained the techniques they are using to increase their exports to other countries including a potential deal with Costco. In addition to straight Pisco, the Capel line included and oaked Pisco as well as pre-mixed cocktails.

After the Pisco presentation we headed to The Annual Wines of Chile Awards. There a panel of some of the most influential wine business people discussed Chile's current wine industry, where it is heading, and how it can become even greater. Many interesting suggestions were made about improving the way Chilean wine is perceived as it is now mainly known for "value wines" despite the amazing quality.

We then went to a lecture at Vinnova about how they aim to enhance and improve Chile's industry. Their website can be seen here at www.vinnova.cl/EN.

Day 2: Pro Chile and Concha Y Toro

Wednesday morning began early with a breakfast buffet and our first meeting about the Chilean wine industry. Masika Noriwa represented ProChile and discussed the uniqueness of Chile's wine and wine regions. She also provided and overview of Chile's main export markets and the differences of the Chilean wine industry compared to that of the US. I was very interested to learn about Chile's advantage of being isolated with a dry desert in the North, the Andes to the East, and the Ocean to the West and South. Due to these natural barriers, wine growers have few pests to worry about such as phyloxera, which has plagued most all other wine growing regions in the world.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Chile's largest wine producer: Concha Y Toro. We took a tour of the beautiful grounds and then descended into the massive cellar. Apparently after losing bottles to occasional wine thieves, the owner declared the cellar home to the devil, which kept out the superstitious thieves. We ended the tour with an elaborate tasting of their Merlot, Carmenere, Syrah and Cabernet along with a selection of delicious cheeses.



In the evening the whole group got together to enjoy a group dinner at the nearby Akrana restaurant. We indulged in a delicious dinner of Ceviche, Salmon Salad, and a fruit/ice cream dessert as well as great conversation about things to come.

Arrival In Santiago

After nine sleepless hours of flying in what must have been the airline's oldest plane, we finally began our descent into the Santiago airport. I knew at this point that life would soon be enjoyable once again. As we neared the airport my westward facing window showed huge mountains devoid of any vegetation, but they were a wonderful sight. Once we landed and made our way through various lines and checkpoints we met up with our tour guide, Claudia. As a professional sommellier, cigar aficionado and a native Chilean she makes an ideal guide for our upcoming adventures.
About a half hour bus ride later we arrived at our luxurious hotel in Santiago. Although most of the group was running on fumes, we proceeded to break into three groups to explore the city. My group took the subway to St. Christobal where we rode a Funicular to the top. Atop the mountain stood the Virgin Mary overlooking a grand view of Santiago. Upon our return we were let loose to get ourselves some dinner and relax. Conveniently located on the adjacent block is a large supermarket, a few bars, and a variety of restaurants. A few local cervezas and some pizza proved to be a good way to end the day before our meeting the next morning.