Day Trip to Quintay and Casas del Bosque Vineyard

I got a part-time job offer from Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences which I am really excited about. She and her husband coordinate trips throughout Chile, Argentina and new this year, Uruguay. To give me a first-hand taste of the type of trips they plan, Liz invited me to join a "Wild Wine Day" tour Wednesday. The clients were two friends flying in from Texas and Arizona. This was their third time touring with Liz. The one started coming to Chile 10 years ago. They met each other for the first time years back on a hunting trip to Argentina. Argentina is the #1 destination for hunting doves. They were scheduled to arrive in Santiago yesterday at 7:45am. We were supposed to leave via van at 9:30am. Unfortunately, their flight was delayed so the day was cut short. Regardless, it was an incredible day of breath-taking ocean views, the freshest seafood I have ever eaten, and wonderful wine.

We left from the Orly Hotel where the clients were staying at 12:30pm to the coast. After an hour and a half drive which ended with a steep decline on a road of switchbacks, we arrived at the bottom of the hill to Quintay - a small fishing town (which was so small you really can't even call it a town) - to have lunch. Liz had shot a show for PBS there in the past and I vividly remembered how quaint and special this place looked. It was an absolutely beautiful day filled with sunshine and warmth. We parked and walked across the sand to the restaurant. This hidden gem serves seafood that is literally fresh off the boat. The boats dock on the beach only steps from the entrance of the restaurant. We started with a delicious Santa Carolina Carmenere and fresh warm bread while taking in the ocean breeze. For lunch we had abalone (locos) served with salad, razor clams (machas), baby eels (angilas) which was a daring choice but I was game, and a rich crab pie (pastel de jaiva) accompanied by a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. I took a little video to catch the cook in action.

At 4:30 we finished lunch and left to Casas del Bosque vineyard for a tasting. The vineyard was very pretty and surprisingly contemporary. We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot, and Syrah. Everyone liked the Sauvignon Blanc best. The clients were exhausted after a long flight and full day of food and wine but very content. We headed back to Santiago and were home by 6:45pm.

Here is the video I took in the kitchen of the chef preparing our fabulous lunch.

A little plug for Liz: she will be on the Travel Channel on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show Monday night at 7pm PST.