Private Colchagua Wine Tour: Los Maquis and Neyen from Santiago

About This Experience

The itinerary has the car leaving your hotel at 08:00, although the operator's pickup note asks guests to be ready in the lobby at 07:30, so confirm the time when it is sent. The first stop, at about 10:30, is Los Maquis. You walk the vineyard along the banks of the Chimbarongo estuary, then sit down in the manor house for four wines: Maquis Revela Rosé, a Calcu Cabernet Sauvignon, and the estate's top reds, Maquis Viola and Maquis Franco.

Lunch is at Fuegos de Apalta, the Francis Mallmann restaurant at Viña Montes, where food is cooked over open fire. The operator books the table and you choose from the à la carte menu and pay for it yourself, as the listing excludes lunch. Afterwards there is a stop at Clos Apalta where you can buy wines by the glass, such as Le Petit Clos 2020, Clos Apalta 2020 and Clos Apalta 2013. The listing is clear that this is not a winery tour and the glasses are not covered by the price.

The last visit is Neyen in Apalta. It starts at the entrance to the old cellar, passes through an aroma garden and walks among century-old vines, then ends with a tasting of Primus The Blend, Primus Carménère and Neyen Espíritu de Apalta. Then it is the long drive back to Santiago.

With two full tastings, a long lunch and a fourth optional stop, this is a full itinerary, and it means around 11.5 hours away from your hotel. A Maipo tour is the shorter choice if you want to be back for the afternoon. Bookings need at least two adults: $370 each for two, $310 each for three, $280 each for four or five and $265 each for six to ten. It holds a 5.0 rating from 20 Viator reviews.

Highlights

• Walk the Los Maquis vineyard along the banks of the Chimbarongo estuary before tasting.
• Taste Maquis Revela Rosé, Calcu Cabernet Sauvignon, Maquis Viola and Maquis Franco in the manor house.
• Lunch at a reserved table in Fuegos de Apalta, the Francis Mallmann fire-cooking restaurant at Montes.
• Stop at Clos Apalta to buy wines by the glass, including Le Petit Clos and Clos Apalta vintages.
• Tour Neyen's old cellar, aroma garden and century-old vines in Apalta, then taste three of its wines.
• Travel privately with your own guide and driver, with pickup and drop-off at your Santiago hotel.

What's Included

• ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off in Santiago
• ✓ Private transport and guide for your party only
• ✓ Vineyard tour and four-wine tasting at Los Maquis
• ✓ Tour and three-wine tasting at Neyen
• ✓ Table reservation at Fuegos de Apalta (the meal itself is not included)
• ✓ Bottled water

Not Included

• Lunch at Fuegos de Apalta, ordered à la carte and paid by each guest
• Wines by the glass at Clos Apalta (there is no winery tour there)
• Dinner
• Tips for the driver and guide

What to Bring

• Money or a card for lunch and the Clos Apalta wines
• A takeaway breakfast if your hotel serves breakfast late
• Cash for tips

Good to Know & Caveats

• Lunch and the Clos Apalta wines are paid for on the day; the price covers the Los Maquis and Neyen tastings.
• The Clos Apalta stop is wine by the glass only; the listing says the tour does not include a visit to that winery.
• Bookings need at least two travellers, up to ten; the per-person price drops from $370 for two to $265 for six to ten.
• Only adult tickets are sold, for ages 19 and over.
• The tour runs Tuesday to Sunday.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.

Meeting Point

Pickup from hotels in Las Condes, Providencia, Vitacura, Ñuñoa, Santiago Centro and elsewhere in the city. The operator asks you to be ready in the lobby at 07:30.