Private VIK and Montes Wineries Day Trip from Santiago

About This Experience

Pickup is at your Santiago hotel, with the operator asking you to wait in the lobby from 07:30. From there it is roughly two and a half hours by road to Viña VIK, in the Millahue valley, where the tour and tasting start at 10:00. The VIK pour covers a glass each of Milla Cala, La Piu Belle and the estate's flagship red, VIK, plus two barrel samples, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Carmenere. The winery building was designed by architect Smiljan Radic with Alex and Carrie Vik.

The middle of the day is spent at Viña Montes in Apalta, Colchagua. The operator reserves a table at Fuegos de Apalta, the Francis Mallmann restaurant on the estate, where meat, fish and vegetables are cooked over open fire under a central dome. You order from the à la carte menu and pay for your own meal and any wine from the list: the listing puts lunch under its exclusions.

At 15:30 the Montes Icon tour begins with a walk through the vineyard, then a look inside the winery where Montes Alpha, Montes Alpha M, Montes Folly and Purple Angel are made, and the barrel room where Gregorian chant plays. The tasting is three premium wines (Montes Alpha or Outer Limits) and one icon wine (M, Folly or Purple Angel). A double-icon tasting can be requested from the operator. After that, the car heads back to Santiago.

This is a long wine day: about 11 hours door to door, around five of them in the car. If you want more time tasting and less time driving, a Maipo or Casablanca tour gets you back by mid-afternoon; this day is for travellers set on two named estates and a long lunch. Bookings need at least two adults, at $375 each for two, $340 each for three, $320 each for four, $300 each for five or six and $280 each for seven to ten. It holds a 4.7 rating from 28 Viator reviews.

Highlights

• Taste Milla Cala, La Piu Belle and VIK, plus two barrel samples, at Viña VIK in Millahue.
• See the VIK winery building designed by architect Smiljan Radic with Alex and Carrie Vik.
• Lunch at a reserved table in Fuegos de Apalta, Francis Mallmann's fire-cooking restaurant at Montes.
• Walk the Montes vineyard in Apalta and visit the barrel room where Gregorian chant plays.
• Finish with three premium Montes wines and one icon pour: Montes Alpha M, Folly or Purple Angel.
• Travel only with your own party in a private vehicle, with hotel pickup and drop-off in Santiago.

What's Included

• ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off in Santiago
• ✓ Private transport and guide for your party only
• ✓ Tour and tasting at Viña VIK (three wines plus two barrel samples)
• ✓ Icon tour and tasting at Viña Montes (three premium wines plus one icon wine)
• ✓ 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
• Wine ordered from the restaurant list at lunch
• Dinner
• Tips for the driver and guide
• Double-icon tasting at Montes (on request, not part of the standard day)

What to Bring

• Money or a card for lunch and any wine at Fuegos de Apalta
• A takeaway breakfast if your hotel serves breakfast after 07:30
• Cash for tips

Good to Know & Caveats

• Lunch is not included: the operator books your table and you pay for what you order.
• Bookings need a minimum of two travellers, up to ten; a solo traveller pays the two-person rate for two places.
• Price per person falls with group size: $375 for two, $340 for three, $320 for four, $300 for five or six, $280 for seven to ten.
• Only adult tickets are sold, for ages 19 and over.
• Viña VIK is in the Millahue valley, part of the Cachapoal Valley; Montes is in Apalta, Colchagua.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure; bookings close 24 hours ahead.

Meeting Point

Pickup from hotels across Santiago, including Providencia, Vitacura, Ñuñoa, Las Condes and Santiago Centro. Be ready in your hotel lobby at 07:30.