Casas del Bosque
Casas del Bosque

Casas del Bosque is well set up for tourism. There is a restaurant, shop, two outdoor seating areas, one of them a bar area beside the vines. There are bicycles available, or you can just do a tasting or go for a picnic.  They clearly work at coming up with seasonal attractions, for instance you can pick grapes at harvest time. I was there during the Copa América football championship and they had organized events on that theme.

I didn’t try the restaurant, but it was busy on a weekday in winter, which is a pretty good indicator.

We had an efficient guide and the group was just enough with around 12 people.

Overall score 7 / 10.

Details

Cost $16,500 Chilean pesos for Premium tour (other options available)
Ease of booking Good. Booked by form on the website. They responded by email within a couple of hours.
Information prior to arrival No prices on the internet but they did send a brief description of tours and prices by email. The website has a reasonable level of information.
Getting there Easy. I took a taxi from the centre of Casablanca, which cost $2,000 pesos. The same taxi driver came to pick me up when I was ready. For anyone driving, the winery is signposted from Casablanca centre.
Welcome on arrival Good.
Efficiency Good
Toilets Spotless.
Café / restaurant Didn’t stay to eat but the restaurant was busy.
Vines in winter before pruning
Vines in winter before pruning
Where the wine is made
Where the wine is made
The cellar, where the wine is aged in oak barrels
The cellar, where the wine is aged in oak barrels

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shop Very well stocked with wine and good quality wine accessories and souvenirs.  Quite pricey.
Languages available English and Spanish
Brief description of tour Short but quite interesting.  The guide was pleasant, gave a good introduction and offered to take photos for anyone who wished. We saw some vines, had a brief tour of the plant and a few minutes in the cellar among the barrels. Some noisy cleaning work was going on in the plant, which made it difficult to hear, but otherwise it was all easy to follow.
Tour guide’s ability to answer questions The guide was good at responding to queries about the growing and winemaking process but not so strong on the winetasting and she misunderstood a couple of questions.
Tasting We tasted 5 wines, which were very good, worth the additional cost for the premium tour.
Tasting time!
Tasting time!
Bikes available at Casas del Bosque
Bikes available at Casas del Bosque
Great for summer
Great for summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasting time!
Tasting time!

Pequeñas Producciones Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Casablanca

Clear, light, almost translucent. Fruity nose dominated by grapefruit, maracuya, apple and a touch of green chilli pepper with a floral hint. Good acidity in the mouth, citrus but not like sucking a sour lemon, well-rounded, with good body and relatively long in the finish.

Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2013, Casablanca

Shiny yellow. Oak aromas mingled with bananas, pineapple and red apple.  Good body, a bit oily, high alcohol, good acidity, that hint of oil in the mouth.

Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2013, Casablanca

Light purple; classic nose of strawberry flavoured toffee with hints of chocolate and vanilla.  Dry, high acidity, slightly astringent tannins, good alcohol and fruit.

Gran Reserva Syrah 2012, Casablanca

Classic inky purple colour. Nose of blackcurrant cordial with olives, black pepper and a hint of leather. Strong, tannic with high acidity, good body, almost chewy.  Potential to evolve a little more.

Gran Bosque Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Maipo

Intense purple with good legs. Expressive nose featuring blackcurrants, blackberries, cherries, sweet spices, such as cinnamon and cloves. A sweet, chewy, elegant wine with smooth tannins, high alcohol and well-integrated acidity.  I think this would benefit from more ageing.

This tasting was part of the premium tour at the winery in June 2015.