We woke this morning to a port surrounded by lovely green hills and scattered brightly colored houses. There are 42 hills in the city and each one has a name (nun hill, cemetery hill, etc.). There was a massive farmer's market next to the pier which would have been fun to walk through but we needed to get to our tour for the day.
As soon as we boarded the bus I realized this could be a very long day. There was a bunch of grumpy old people on board. Everyone was complaining about something!!! The woman sitting across the aisle from me kept sighing deeply, moving around as if trying to get comfortable, cursing with every move. Later, I realized that this trip had been advertised as appropriate for people with limited mobility so there were many people who had difficulty ambulating. I decided to say a little prayer for a good tour and for the comfort of all the people on the bus.
The bus ride was quite lengthy. It took us about 1-½ hours to reach the first stop which was an incredibly beautiful winery. The landscape looked quite similar to the Napa Valley in Northern California. There were rolling green hills filled with rows and rows of vines as far as the eye could see. The winery was a magnificent collection of structures with a Latin theme. There were enormous chandeliers hanging in the visitor's lobby, colorful tile on the floors and scattered in patterns on the walls. Walls of windows gave us unobstructed views of the vineyards. Luxurious sofas with huge soft pillows provided a comfortable resting place as we sipped champagne and waited for our tour to begin.
Once our tour guide arrived we walked out to the vineyards. He brought our attention to the roses growing on the end of each row. They serve as a warning for staff as the pests will strike the roses before they attack the vines. So, the growers keep a close eye on the roses. The roses we saw were completely healthy and beautiful. There was not one spot on them. Wish my roses at home looked this good!
He explained that a majority of wine produced in this area is white due to the cooler weather conditions. The cooler influence of the Pacific Ocean creates gentle morning fog and greater cloud cover which is a perfect environment for producing white wine. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are typical wines produced from this vineyard.
The vineyard, named Vineyard Mar (vineyard by the sea), produces about 1.2 million bottles of wine each year. We were told this is a small, family-owned vineyard who chooses to focus on quality instead of quantity. Their premium wines are aged for 12 months in a new oak barrel, while their typical wines (meaning cheaper) wines might be aged for as little as 10-12 days in a previously used barrel. It sounds like the wineries throughout South America use oak barrels from the U.S. or France to age their wines. Red wine is also produced at this winery but the grapes are brought in from other local areas at lower elevations so they don't freeze.
We continued our tour of the winery and saw the same process that we observed yesterday at the last winery we visited. Still a very impressive sight. Of course, there was more wine tasting! It didn't seem to matter to many people that it was still morning when they broke open the bottles. For Bob and I, it was a little early for wine, particularly since we are losing our enthusiasm for alcohol since being surrounded by it on the cruise.
After we finished our tasting we traveled to another local winery which had a very different, but just as spectacular, feel to it. This winery was built in an Italian Tuscan style and was absolutely exquisite. There was hand-blown crystal and beautiful paintings and statues everywhere in the magnificent visitor's center. We sipped on champagne, although we were told that technically they cannot use the name "champagne" because the name is reserved for the specific area in France. All champagnes produced outside of that area must be referred to as "sparkling wine."
There were magnificent displays of flowers everywhere on the property. Staff explained that this location is used frequently as a setting for weddings and other functions. Bright purple bougainvilleas fell gracefully from baskets and arbors, giving the entire atmosphere a very elegant appearance. There was a large circular gravel driveway in front bordered by a large infinity pool that overlooked the beautiful vine-covered hills. The weather was absolutely perfect with completely clear bright blue skies, a very light ocean breeze, warm yellow sunlight which warmed the skin as it flooded our faces when we stepped outside. We walked along the gravel path which cut a path through the magnificent flowers and vines. The gravel crunched under our feet as we moved along. I found myself breathing deeply, taking advantage of the crisp and clean, fresh air as we enjoyed our final moments in this luxurious environment.
The ride back to the ship was more pleasant than this mornings' trip. The grumpy old people on the bus had a number of glasses of wine and champagne and they were tired from all the walking. Most of them were sleeping, so they weren't complaining. I was content to sit quietly and appreciate the beautiful landscape as we made our way back to the ship.
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