After the Maratón de Santiago: The Maipo Valley

The Route: Santiago → Maipo Valley winery → Santiago Logistics: Private transfer or organised tour. Booking ahead is required at most estates. Marathon Month: May Duration: Day trip

Santiago ──(about 1 hr by transfer)──> Maipo Valley estate
    ▲                                            │
    └────────────(about 1 hr back)──────────────┘

The Maratón de Santiago finishes in the city centre, and the vineyards of the Maipo Valley start on its southern edge, so wine is the easiest excursion from the race. The estates are organised for visitors who arrive in a car or a tour minibus, and the tastings are seated.

May in the Maipo Valley: autumn. The harvest is ending or finished by May and the vines are turning colour, so do not expect picking activity or a working crush. Cellar tours run all year. Mornings are cool, and the valley floor warms to the mid-teens or higher in the afternoon.

The estates

The valley is a flat plain between the Andes and the coastal range, with vineyards running to the foot of the mountains. Large estates such as Concha y Toro at Pirque, Santa Rita at Buin and Cousiño Macul within Santiago's own southern suburbs offer scheduled tours that include the cellars, the grounds and a tasting. Visits normally require a reservation, so book direct on the estate's website and confirm the language of the tour. Tour prices vary with the number of wines tasted, so use the website figure as the guide.

The walking is minimal and on level paths: gardens, courtyards and cellars with a few steps in older buildings. Tastings are seated. This is a good use of a day when stairs are unwelcome. Do not plan more than two visits, because a tour takes about two hours.

Public transport to the estates is awkward. A prebooked transfer is simpler, and tour companies in Santiago run set-day itineraries to the valley. Check that the booking covers the return to your hotel.

Eating and getting back

Most large estates have a restaurant, and some require a reservation for lunch. Book it with the tour. Back in Santiago, a late dinner in Lastarria is walkable from many hotels. The day needs no overnight stay, and the drive back is about an hour depending on traffic.