Casablanca Valley is a wine-growing region in Chile, located 100 kilometers north of Santiago. The valley itself is around 30 km long and is an easy day trip from Santiago or the city of Valparaiso on the coast. Casablanca is best known for its fruity reds, mainly Pinot Noir and crisp white wines, most notably Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. This post covers the best wineries to visit in the Casablanca Valley in Chile.
Visiting the Casablanca Valley
Before I go into the best wineries, here are some important things to know/tips about visiting the Casablanca Valley
- The Casablanca Valley is an easy day trip from Santiago
- You could either spend the entire day touring wineries in the Casablanca Valley or couple it with a visit to either Valparaiso or Vina del Mar
- Unlike the Maipo Valley vineyards, the ones in Casablanca are located very close to each other
- You need advanced reservations for most wineries (There was a time you could walk in to most but now they require a booking)
- English tours are a little less frequent than Spanish ones so make sure you book ahead
Best Wineries in the Casablanca Valley
You can do tastings only at most wineries which is what I did. I did not want to tour each and every facility. Like at the Maipo Valley, I picked one winery to tour.
Kingston Family Vineyards
Kingston was probably my favorite! It is also the number 1 winery in Casablanca based on Tripadvisor as well as a number of other wine magazines and lists. This is easy to see why! The wines were simply amazing and the staff were so friendly and nice. I opted to do a tasting only here. It was the most expensive tasting on this list but I think it was worth it. I got a 1:1 explanation of each and every glass I tasted. The wine was accompanied by cheese and chocolate truffles. Each of these were paired so well with the corresponding wine.
Kingston has a restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the vineyards. The resturants serves what they call “A thoughtfully curated seasonal four-course, wine-paired culinary experience featuring locally sourced ingredients”.
Check out more HERE
Casa Valle Viñamar
Casa Valle Viñamar is one of the rare wineries on this list that you don’t need a reservation for a tasting. The vineyard is on the other side of the valley. The approach to it is quite scenic with a long drive with the verdant vineyard on either side. This vineyard is set up well for tastings. Once you enter the building, you select which “tasting menu” you want to try. Once you do this, someone comes with the bottles and glasses and explains each and every item. I selected a sparkling wine option which this winery is known for. Ask for Alvaro. He was awesome!
Casa Valle Viñamar also has a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the vineyard. The reviews seem to be good and I was told no advanced booking is needed.
Viña Casas del Bosque
Viña Casas del Bosque is a popular winery. There were a lot of people when I visited. I decided to do a tour here instead of a tasting or tour and tasting (had to pace myself ha!). We were taken through the wine making process from the vineyard to the cellars. It was a short tour but enjoyable nevertheless. I found myself asking a lot of questions from the tour guide which he gladly answered. Casas del Bosque also has a restaurant that was completely booked when I asked. Definitely need to make a reservation if you want to eat here.
Check out more HERE. The one I did is called the “winery tour”.
Viñedos Veramonte
Veramonte is one of the first wineries in the Casablanca Valley when coming from Santiago. It is a completely organic vineyard. They are known for their white wines. You need an advanced reservation at Veramonte as well. Make sure you are calling the Casablanca location though as they have another location in the Colchagua Valley. I made this mistake and called the wrong location. Luckily the staff at Veramonte were so nice and they served me wine by the glass and spoke to me about the vineyard, especially their organic practices. My visit was not totally in vain but I did miss an opportunity for a full tasting experience because of this.
See HERE for more details on tours and tastings.
Bodegas RE
Formed in 2008, Bodegas is one of the new wineries in the valley. This small winery is family owned and operated. They have many different options for tours and tastings that you can check out HERE. They also have a pairing option that includes wine pairings with a 4 course meal. An advanced booking is a must for a visit.
The next two wineries were visited by two of my very good friends who were in Chile the exact same time as I was but our paths only crossed for a few minutes in Atacama. They are avid travelers (I’ve been to Italy, France, Iceland, Turkey, USVI, Malta, Colombia and Sri Lanka with them) and wine drinkers and they fully recommend the next 2 wineries.
La Recova Wines
La Recova is a small winery located in the remotest and coldest sector of the Casablanca Valley. The winery is surrounded by beautiful hillside landscapes and is best known for their award winning Sauvignon Blanc. Unlike some of the other bigger wineries in the region, La Recova is a boutique winery and therefore an advanced booking is a must.
William Cole Vineyards
William Cole was established in 1999 and has a family feel to it. They mainly produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The winery itself is in a beautiful location, just 5 kilometers towards the interior. An advanced booking is a must for this winery.
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Also visiting the Maipo Valley? See my detailed post HERE or below!
See all my posts on Chile HERE
4 comments
Hi! Did you drive yourself or did you book a driver? How was driving in the area?
I drove by myself. It was super easy to and the roads were great!
Can you walk into most wineries if you would just like to have a glass or two of wine and enjoy the surroundings?
No, I highly recommend making bookings in advance. Most used to take walk-ins prior to covid but now most ask you to call ahead. Some may do phone bookings the day of but still not walk-ins.