Casablanca Valley, Chile is one of the younger, colder wine regions in Chile with many "boutique" wineries. It is mostly known for its white wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but also for a few reds such as Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah. After a few nights in Valparaiso, Chile we headed to the Casablanca Valley.

We hopped onto a bus and headed for the Casablanca Valley. We ended up bypassing our stop, so we had to trudge through the small town of Casablanca. Turned out to be a blessing because we got to see live music in the park, and check out some potential spots to restock supplies. We stayed at Umawtu Bed and Wine. A cozy relaxing spot a little off the main square where our hosts greeted us with bottles of wine and a cheese board. The place was so cute that they even used wine corks from local wineries as their key chains. They gave us a breakdown of the best ways to explore the wineries. We went back into town, grabbed some supplies, a couple of groceries, sandwiches, empanadas and bottles of wine from a local shop. While back at the BnW, we snacked, drank, and planned our attack plan on the wineries.

In the morning, we made a call to a taxi driver recommended by our hosts named Alejandro. We instantly loved this guy, and he explained that there were some spots were we could walk between wineries, but we should keep his number on us and either he or his dad (who once we met, instantly told us to call him Papi) would come pick us up for the next move. So Alejandro and Papi were witness to our trail of destruction (and our sliding sense of sobriety) as we worked our way through Casablanca Valley’s wineries.

It was a beautiful day for an adventure: 70s, low humidity, sun shining, flags flapping the light breeze. We started at Kingston Family Vinyards. The grape plants shown beautifully in the background as we drove down the long road into the winery. We were shown around a bit and then had a tasting where we sampled their 2010 Pinot Noir Tobiano, 2011 Syrah Lucero, and 2012 Syrah Lucero. I’m not much for reds, but these were lighter and less woody than I was expecting. Our guide explained to us the differences of Chile’s numerous wine regions, and had picked the 2011 and 2012 versions of the same wine to show us how climate from year to year can greatly affect the grapes, and in turn the wine.

Our next stop was Vina Casas Del Bosque and the Tanino restaurant. The tours were all booked for the day (book early, book often), but we walked around a bit before settling down in Tanino for brunch. We had the Tabla del Mar (appetizer plate of ceviche, sautéed shrimp in butter, crab puffs and lightly breaded calamari), and a bottle of the winery’s 2015 Syrah Rose (a lighter affair than Kingston’s red Syrahs). Then I had the Mahi Mahi while Tim tried the Asada de Tira (braised shortribs). We finished our first stop with a bottle of their 2014 Riesling Late Harvest, one of my favorite bottles of the day.

We moved on to Emiliana Organic Vineyards, where we tried their 2015 Adobe Reserva Rose, and 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest. I can’t express enough how much the non-stuffy, playful and excited servers, guides, bartenders and others enhanced the playful nature of the wines we were offered in Casablanca Valley. This is a young wine drinker’s paradise. Complete with the animals at Emiliana for when you want to see cute animals.

We moved on to Casona Veramonte, where the winery’s roads led to a towering building. We worked our way up the stairs and were amazed at the beautiful architecture and layout on the inside. Here we were treated to a 2011 Neyen Epiritu de Apalta, 2014 Primus Carmenere, 2014 Primus Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2014 Primus The Blend. Our tasting guide walked us through pairing the wines with various tapas while she told us the history of the winery and how food plays an important part of the wine culture.

We decided take a bit of a break and walk to the next winery. While it wasn't that bad of a walk it was along the main road.

Our final stop was House. (House Casa del Vino or House of Morande to the locals) We started with a Tabla de Quesos y Frutos, with a bottle of 2013 Sepia Riesling. As we looked over the beautiful landscape from their outdoor patio, we were feeling really good from our day of culture and fun, and it was time for dinner. I had the Ravioli Rojo (seafood stuffed ravioli in a pink wine sauce) and Tim had the Risotto Negro (squid ink risotto with grilled shrimp). I know what you’re thinking, “Squid Ink!? Gross!!” but trust me, it was amazing. Another serving of Crème Brulee, a call to Papi, and we road back to the bed and wine with full tummies, drunken smiles, and amazing memories of a great day.