I know starting this post with another picture of wine is risky because you may even be wondering if I'm actually studying while I study abroad. The truth is that I have been studying and learning much about the Chilean culture. This is where the wine comes in. As I mentioned in my last post, Chilean is a rich wine region. It is a significant part of the culture down here and most everyone drinks wine.
Chile, and especially near Santiago, is an optimal region for wine because of the natural barriers that create weather conditions that make the area fertile for agriculture and wine making. The two natural barriers that create the climate are the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains (also called hills if you are from Chile). The Pacific Ocean and Andes help keep some of the pests out of the region, which is why grapes like the Carmenere are grown here. The carmenere grape that makes a deep red wine was originally a french grape, but disase came and there was none to be found anymore in France, some even thought the whole world. That is why carmenere appeared in Chile and is now the most well known Chilean grape. The natural barriers help protect this grape from disease and pest, allowing it to grow in the valley regions around the Andes Mountains. Once I learned the importance of the natural barriers in Chile, I understood why the wine culture was becoming so developed here.
Most of the wineries mention these barriers. Besides the wineries in my last post, I went to one more this week: Concha y Toro. They are the second largest winery in the world and are the largest winery in Chile. The tour here was very different than that of the smaller wineries, but they also produce a larger selection of wines because they grow 28 different kinds of grapes.
Aside from the wine, I have been trying a lot of foods. Some of the Chilean foods I have tried so fare are the empanadas and sweet pastry desserts. I enjoyed the pastries (I have a sweet tooth similar to many of the Chileans) and the empanadas are a great meal for people who don't want much to eat or are in a hurry to get somewhere.
I have learned much more than this about the Chilean culture that goes beyond the food, though food is a large part of it. I am looking forward to understanding beyond the culutre that meets the eye, much of which I have encoutered this week through food, conversations, and tours.