Spanglish Accent: The Harvest Experience

We are blessed here in Chile with some fabulous countryside. When I say fabulous, I really mean without equal. It just doesn't get much better. The Andes run the entire length of the country on our east side and the Pacific ocean borders us to the West. With all of that beautiful scenery, you can't ask for much more. But of course, there is more. These two things (and some great weather) create the perfect conditions for grape growing. Chile has some of the best vineyards in the world...And most of them are within a 2 hour drive from our house. How did I get so lucky to live here?

When my girlfriend C and her husband had been wine tasting in the Casablanca valley a few weeks before, they found out about a special program that catered to both kids and adults alike. For about 5 weeks in March and April, Casas del Bosque hosts the Harvest Experience. We just knew we had to sign up (and fast, since it was already mid-April and they only had 2 more weekends left).

On Sunday, we loaded up the car and headed out for the scenic hour and a half drive to the vineyard. We got an early start because the tour started at 10:30 and we wanted to make sure we were there on time. We were a large group (16 in all) and I didn't think they would start without us, but you just never know.

We need not have worried. We had plenty of time before our tour started so of course we snapped a few pictures.

When the whole group had gathered, our guide handed out our aprons, our gathering crates and the clippers we would need to harvest the grapes. B and I held on to the girls clippers for them but we couldn't get the crates out of their hands to save our lives.

MadHatter and her first buddy in Chile!

I'm amazed we got them all in the same picture much less almost all looking.

We headed out to the fields after a quite history of the vineyard.

When the wineries of the central region here in Chile started concentrating on quantity over quality, Juan Cuneo Solari, an Italian businessman, wanted to start a winery that would focus on exactly the opposite. In turn, he accomplished this by investing in high quality equipment, choosing only the best to work in his vineyards and by planting only the highest quality grapes. He also has held onto ancient traditions and his staff only hand picks the grapes at Harvest time.

In 1993, with the founding of Casas del Bosque, Señor Solari became one of the first family wineries in the Casablanca Valley. He situated his wineries among the old Pine and Olive trees found in the area and created a grand manor house. The house and wineries situated in the Woods are what gave him the idea for the name - Casas del Bosque - Houses of the Woods.

And then we were off to hand pick some of those very tasty grapes...

We walked the fields looking for the best ones. We finally handed the clippers over to MadHatter, but not without my supervision. B got the job of helping Stinkerbell (which if you know how strong willed she is about doing it herself, all by herself, you know I got the easier task). There was just no way I was handing clippers to a not quite yet 3 year old to handle alone.

Stinkerbell would cut a few. Admire her work and then promptly pick the ripest one she could find and stuff it in her mouth. We finally had to tell her that if she didn't stop eating them all, there would be no wine for the winery to sell in a few years.

MadHatter on the other hand was too hard at work to stop and taste the rewards of her labor.

The final results of their hard work.

It was now time to take the grapes to the collecting basket. Stinkerbell refused help - can you believe that, she asks, tongue firmly in cheek.

Maybe one last taste...

She managed to carry it a couple of feet by herself but even she knew she couldn't make it all the way to the collection basket...She gave Papa the puppy dog eyes and he came running to her rescue.

MadHatter dumped the grapes. Because she could reach and Stinkerbell couldn't. Stinkerbell didn't cause a fuss. Probably because she knew that any grape that fell overboard would be hers seeing as her hands weren't tied up and MadHatter's were.

The girls tired out of cutting down grapes before anyone else so it gave me a minute (literally, like one minute) to take a picture or two of the surroundings

We actually then had to go back and put a few of our grapes back in our crates, as they would be needed for the next step. Stinkerbell volunteered to carry our crate...go figure.

We listened attentively as they told us how the machine would sort the leaves and stems off of the grapes and then shake the grapes down the conveyor into the container that would then take them inside the winery to begin their final steps in becoming a good Chilean wine. Well, some of us listened attentively. Some of us were daydreaming about how the grapes we were holding in our hands would taste so good right about now...

What????

We dumped them on the conveyor...

They were separated and shaken down the belt...

and landed in a neat pile at the end.

Stinkerbell thanked her Papa for all his help!!!

Then it was time for a tasting of their fabulous Sauvignon Blanc, accompanied by some tasty treats.
And then we headed inside for a tasting of their award winning Pinot Noir - accompanied by a
traditional Chilean empanada.

Our group of 16 sat warming ourselves by the fire. Wait - our group of 15 did that. Stinkerbell joined the German family that was with us on the tour. No amount of coaxing, bribing or threatening would make her join us. Good thing the German family thought she was adorable...

We then enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch (paired with more wine at every course). In light of Chile's new ZERO tolerance drunk driving laws (one glass will put you over the limit), we sat around the fire while the kids played at the strategically placed playground right outside. Very nice.