Jun 04, 2015

Santa Cruz was our next stop after Pucón and our plan was to do a little couch surfing with a guy Matt and Elissa stayed with. He came highly recommended as the two gushed about how great it was via Elissa / Jen communique. Jen and I figured we’d give it a shot on the account that we could use another stop in wine country and we never turn down a shot at free accommodation.

Gonzalo's place with a view.

Meeting up with our host Gonzalo was at first a little strange. When we got to his apartment there was a key waiting and we were expected to let ourselves in and make ourselves at home. My first thought was “how do I do that without it feeling weird that this is someone else’s home?” I wondered if it would feel like we were breaking into a strangers place and going through their stuff just by going in and using the rest room or sitting on the couch. Turns out it didn’t at all. In fact, we walked in and felt quite at home. Sure it was a little awkward at first but it was just the two of us in a strange place, nothing new about that. Then I considered the host coming home. Would that be weird? Would some homeowner coming home from work to find you lounging around their house be weird? It depends on the person I guess because with Gonzalo it felt like we were catching up with an old friend. He is seriously the coolest guy and just welcomes people in with no reservations. Amazingly genuine in every way.

Gonzalo was a typical Chilean who loved wine. His love for wine ran deep. I mean this guy worked at a winery, was practicing to become a sommelier and was going to school to learn how to make fine Chilean wines. He drank wine when he came home, he talked about wine whenever he had the chance and he knew more about the wine’in business than anyone I ever met. A real Benjamin Buford Blue, or “Bubba,” of the wine industry you might say.

First night we met he took us to his school to see and taste the wine he was making with his study group. He introduced us to a few friends and showed us around one facet of the thing he loves most in the world. When we got back home he uncorked a nice wine from his collection and we just shot the breeze mostly talking about the volcano, the earthquakes in Nepal, and the riots in Baltimore. The next day, we hung out while he was off at work and we did some walking around town.

The ladies smashing grapes outside of the casino.

Santa Cruz isn’t a big place or a particularly note worthy one either but it is a bit adorable. It’s small but cool without trying. It’s the Fonz of Chile in that it’s in the middle of great wine country without making a big deal about it. The wineries are generally premium producers and they do really well. The town benefits quite a bit from that and other agricultural ventures. We learned that being in the Colchagua Valley means fertile land and water in abundance via the Rapel River and it’s tributaries. One of the best things in Santa Cruz, however, is the Colchagua Museum. It is freaking awesome. So awesome, that your ticket is good for 24 hours so that you can either return the next day to see it all again or to spend an unreasonable amount of time in each exhibit so that you must come back the next day to finish what you started. We have been to our share of museums and I’m a tough critic to please in this department, but this one was on par with some of the worlds best. It was actually quite large but the displays were incredible. In my opinion, it was right up there with National Museums in New Zealand and Australia which stand out as some of the best I’ve ever seen aside from the Smithsonian.

After exploring, Jen and I went back to the apartment and got right to relaxing over some charcuterie and red wine. The region has almost all my favorites, full-bodied Cabernet, Carménère, Syrah and Malbec. When Gonzalo got home we had some wine, we hung out, we watched a movie or had friends over and made dinner. This is how it went right up to the last day we were there. It seemed that everyday we had at least two or three bottles of fantastic red wines between the three of us - at least. It might have been more than we needed, but it was a necessary indulgence to properly enjoy such good wine.

Jen enjoying one of the many parties we had.

On an evening during the middle of our stay, Gonzalo invited us to hang out with his friends who are all wine makers, Chefs, tour guides and winery employees at an event a local restaurant hosts each week. At this popular event, participants sample a huge range of premium wines. Your price of admission is a bottle or two to share and agreeing to the unspoken rule that you won’t just bring the cheapest bottle you can find or poor a big glass of the best bottle. The restaurant is owned by an industry friend and sits on the outskirts of town, tucked down a dusty driveway amongst some trees and bush. It looked like a really nice place tucked away in a location that would have been suitable for a hidden crystal meth lab. It was a masterfully run place owned/operated by a guy who reminded me of a less attractive Antonio Banderas. He was as charismatic as they come and missed nothing. g over some charcuterie and red wine. The region has almost all my favorites, full-bodied Cabernet, Carménère, Syrah and Malbec. When Gonzalo got home we had some wine, we hung out, we watched a movie or had friends over and made dinner. This is how it went right up to the last day we were there. It seemed that everyday we had at least two or three bottles of fantastic red wines between the three of us - every day. It might have been more than we needed, but it was a necessary indulgence to properly enjoy such good wine.

I have to imagine couchsurfing is all down hill from here but who knows, maybe this is a normal thing. Could people really be this genuine and awesome all around world?

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