Casablanca winery visits: House
February 2, 2016
Welcome to the first in a series of Casablanca winery visits: House, Casa de Vino, part of Grupo Belén, is principally a wine tourism experience, though a limited edition, high-end Syrah named Tiraziš is made here by renowned winemaker Sven Bruchfeld.
The location has been designed with tourism in mind and is hard to fault. The single-storey building is accessible with ramps for wheelchairs. There are picnic tables in the shade of a line of trees right next to a children’s play area, making this one of the best winery options for families with children. Mum and Dad can sip a glass of wine in the shade while keeping a close eye on their kids.
The shop is well thought through, selling a range of wines, including some limited edition wines by new winemakers, gourmet food items and Chilean handicrafts and it was doing brisk trade the day we were there. The restaurant was busy too.
We opted to do a tasting rather than a tour and the Chilean guide spoke excellent English and made the tasting entertaining and enjoyable. There were a range of different tasting options, enabling us to taste the wines that we were interested in.
Tasting notes
Mancura Gran Reserva 2012, Casablanca
80% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot
Lovely, smooth red wine with lots of fruit and spice, pleasant acidity and a hint of bitterness on the finish.
Morandé Gran Reserva Carmenère 2012, Maipo
Classic Carménère nose of green pepper, red and black fruit, dark chocolate. Fresh, smooth mouth with big tannins.
Morandé Black Limited Edition 2012, Maule
Grenache, Syrah, Marsanne, Carignan, Roussanne,
Very classy Mediterranean blend, smooth and powerful with notes of cigarbox, leather and cherries.
Malmau Malbec 2013, Maule
Fruit forward nose with aromas of violets and tobacco intermingling with cherrries and other berries. This is a lovely mouth-filling red wine with big tannins and fresh acidity.
FACTFILE
Ruta 68, KM. 61, Casablanca
Tel. (56) 32-2754701
Restaurant open Tuesday to Sunday 11. a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shop and Tour Tuesday to Sunday 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
You can reserve tours, tastings or a visit to the restaurant through the website. The website does not offer an email address.
For other articles about Casablanca wineries, check out: