A taste of Santiago

South American breakfasts are a simple affair, usually comprising of bread, butter, jam and instant coffee. Meridiano Sur added a few extras - filter coffee, freshly squeezed raspberry juice, sliced fruit and pancakes filled with a gooey decadence called Dulche de Leche. Sitting outside on the terrace in the drizzle of jacaranda tree flowers, (luckily an umbrella prevented them from landing in my breakfast) I closed my eyes and took a sip of my juice as I let the morning sun warm me up for the day.
After a stroll around the tree lined streets of Provedencia, I came across a local spot called El Ancla (The Anchor). A good place to "drop anchor" for lunch, I think. The waiters were all your typical Latino looking men with their dark hair plastered back and their charming demeanors. Mario showed me to my table and asked me what I felt like drinking. "Bring me something cold and local," I said. Five minutes later I had a frozen Pisco Sour in front of me. "House special," he proudly said, grinning as he stepped back to watch me take my first sip.
Pisco is a potent brandy made from distilled grapes with a high sugar content. A pisco sour is three parts Pisco, one part limon de pica (a miniature lime), powdered sugar and ice all shaken vigorously together until the ice melts and the sugar dissolves.
Well, that first sip hit my empty stomach like an atom bomb. Luckily I had a basket of fresh bread rolls to munch on while I waited for my meal to arrive. I decided on the traditional ceviche. Reineta, a local white fleshed fish is cut into cubes and marinated raw in coconut milk, lime juice, chili and cilantro resulting in, if made correctly, a truly sublime taste.
Following that I had the camarones al pil pil (prawns with peri peri). Another mouth watering dish that had me sitting there "mmmmming" to myself and mopping up the sauce with my left over bread rolls. El Ancla, you have done yourself proud, I shall write a review about you in trip advisor.
I had just enough time for a power nap before my drive out to the south of Santiago and a tour of the famous Chilean winery of Concha y Toro. A stroll around the French landscaped grounds and the 200 year old manor house made me think of how different life must have been back then. I could just imagine ladies floating through the gardens in their Victorian dresses, parasols shading their faces from the harsh sun. Men chatting on the verandah in the late afternoon while sipping a Pisco and puffing on their cigars.
I could see Don Melchor, the owner, trying to think of a way to keep thieves from stealing his wine out of his cellar four meters underground. His solution turned out to be a rumour started by himself that the devil lived in the cellar, hence the name Casillero del Diablo (the devil's cellar), a now famous line of wines from Concha y Toro. Needless to say not another barrel was stolen.
After a taste of the Casillero del Diablo chardonnay, we ventured down the dark staircase to the famous cellar. A cellar built from dirt, stone and damp keeps the temperature and humidity at exactly the right levels.
Their more modern cellar which is air conditioned and humidity controlled houses up to 4000 barrels of wine. At 300 bottles a barrel, that's over a million bottles of wine. No wonder they are Chile's largest exporter.
A final taste of their best - Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon. Velvet on the tongue.
After a day of Pisco sours and wine I needed a cold bottle of water. I grabbed my bottle and headed for an inviting shady spot under the trees. I lay there on the perfectly manicured lawn, watching the sun sparkle between the swaying leaves above me and slowly dozed off.