Our Trip to the Amazon, Machu Picchu and Chile's Wine Country

Overview:

OK, so the blog title of Hot, High and Tipsy might suggest a pretty risque site. Not so. Except for the title, everything on this blog is pretty much be something that a 10 year old can read. Just wanted some unique and intriguing name for our blog. So, here is a little background on our trip.

Hot

The Amazon: What an adventure this will be! We will navigate the shores of an Oxbow Lake, looking for black caimans, giant river otters, and innumerable species of birds and monkeys. We will ascend up into the Canopy Tree House, set 25 feet above the forest floor and be able to experience the life of the macaws, parrots, and other jungle birds. OK, so it is a Tree House that serves cocktails also, and I hear that Bartender Ysmael makes a potent champagne and pisco sour. Well, we still have to have our wits about us to climb back down. Oh and spa treatments and twilight boat tours through the flooded marshland brimming with amphibians, mammals and flora complete the experience. Hot, eh? Well the average temperature for when we are there is a high of 97 degrees during the day with a low of 70 degrees, now I would call that hot.

High

Cusco: At 11,200 feet above sea level it's twice as high as Denver, Colorado! Although Cusco was the historic capital of the Inca empire, it's believed that Cusco was inhabited by the Killki people before the Incas around 900 AD to 1200 AD.

Cusco history in brief: By the time the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1532 Cusco was unrivalled by any other South American city. It was packed with fabulous stonework architecture and a great amount of gold and silver. The Spanish took all the gold and silver and killed the emperor Atahualpa. The Spanish placed a relative of Atahualpa, Manco, in charge but Manco escaped to form an army for what was to be the Great Rebellion. Yet in little more than a week later the Spanish killed thousands of Inca warriors and retook the city. Many of the Inca temples were torn down or built over and replace with the Spanish architecture.

Machu Picchu will certainly be one of the highlights of our trip. It's not has high as Cusco at 8,000 feet but is in the midst of a tropical mountain forest in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire. Its walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora.

 

 

Tipsy

OK, we probably won't really get all at tipsy, but it sounded just edgy enough for a blog. We will, however be tasting some beautiful wines from wine regions that are coming into their own.

Colchagua Valley

 

Our first 5 days will be spent in the Colchagua Valley. The valley is hot during the day but ocean breezes cool the grapes at night, much like the Paso Robles wine region in Cali that we love so much. Just like Paso, the formerly quiet Colchagua Valley has been transformed into one of the most important new red wine regions. Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah grow especially well here.Colchagua Valley

The first two days we will be staying at Casa Lapostolle Winery. Lapostolle is owned by the great granddaughter of Grand Marnier's founder (OK..enough name dropping). This winery's mission is to produce world-class wines. They use traditional French winemaking techniques, combined with Chilean soil and climate, the results have been some of the highest quality wines from Chile. Can't wait to post some pictures from this beautiful winery.

The following 3 days we will be at Vina La Playa Winery. Horseback riding, bicycling throughout the vineyards and of course wine tasting within the region to 5 different wineries with prearranged, private tastings will be part of our daily activities

Casablanca Valley

 

Casablanca Valley is Chile's best wine country for cooler varietals like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. We will visit a winery with a focus not only on whites but cold-weather red wines like Pinot, Syrah, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. Next, we will visit an American-Chilean owned winery focusing on dazzling Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, in a chilly nook of the valley. We'll lunch in the picturesque fishing village of Quintay at the bottom of dramatic cliffs plunging into the Pacific. The menu will include Rockfish, machas (indigenous razor clams), fresh crab, scallops, and abalones, all brought in from the local fishing.

 

San Antonio Valley

 

Just like our Paso area in California, San Antonio Valley is located close to the ocean. We will visit one of Chile's pioneers in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. We will taste their finest wines with the winemaking family, and after, dine with the winemaker/owner and her son (asst. Winemaker) in their private home. After lunch we will visit a winery in its own valley nearby, one of the first to pioneer "cold weather" Syrah. We'll meet the sommelier and have a private visit and tasting of their top wines.

 

 

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