Casablanca Valley Wine Tour: The Best Day Trip from Santiago, Chile
During our unforgettable 15-day trip to Chile, before heading to Atacama Desert, Patagonia, Easter Island, we spent a day tour from Santiago de Chile exploring one of the most enchanting wine regions in South America: Casablanca Valley. We actually did on our own a Casablanca Valley Wine Tour on our way back to Santiago after spending one night in Valparaíso. This Chile wine country road trip approach maximized our time and made perfect sense to chill out a little bit between these two bustling cities.
Positioned between the capital city Santiago and UNESCO heritage port city Valparaíso, Casablanca Valley is an inviting stop if you rent a car and visited both cities.
It can also be planned as a full day tour from Santiago, Chile, especially if you’re passionate about wine, cozy atmospheres, and stunning vineyard views.
The valley is compact respect to other wine regions in Chile but still there are many wineries and they are in different categories. So, if you would like to press all your bucket list into one day, it can be overwhelming.
If you’re looking to realize your independent day trip from Santiago or planning to join a Casablanca valley wine tour, here’s our personal experience:
Table of Contents
Casablanca Valley Chile Map: Understanding the Layout
Casablanca Valley lies peacefully and comfortably between the capital Santiago and the UNESCO-listed bohemian Valparaiso. The name of the highway is Route 68 and some of the vineyards are located at the exit of this highway, while others require a drive through rural roads.
How to Plan Your Casablanca Valley Wine Tour
By Car: Rent a vehicle and drive directly to the Casablanca Wine Valley. The journey takes 80 kms approximately 70 minutes, and the road has scenic views of the Chilean countryside.
Pro tip: Fill up with fuel wherever possible, as gas stations are sparsely distributed along Chilean roads.
Organized Tours: If you are reluctant to drink & drive then join a half-day or full-day wine tour from Santiago or Valparaiso that includes transportation and guided tastings at multiple wineries.
Public Transportation: It is possible to reach Casablanca Valley town center by bus and then take Uber to the vineyards. However, the total cost may not be worth it if you visit at least 3 wineyards.
Best Route: Santiago → Valparaíso (overnight) → Casablanca Valley → Santiago
Pro Tip: Book winery reservations in advance, especially for premium tastings and cellar tours.
Why Visit the Casablanca Wine Region?
A day trip to Casablanca Wine Valley ranks among the best tours from Santiago, Chile—not just for its convenient location and stunning vineyards, but for the magic behind its world-class white wines.
If you’ve visited nearby Valparaíso, you’ve likely seen the morning fog phenomenon. Pacific humidity rises, creating a mystical mist until noon. By the time this cool, humid air reaches Casablanca Valley, it becomes milder—perfect for shaping grapes in a unique way. The vines grow slower, concentrating complex flavors like ocean salinity and granite soil minerals. This terroir produces Chile’s most famous Casablanca Valley wine specialties: crisp Sauvignon Blanc and buttery Chardonnay.
Fun Fact: While winemaking in Chile dates back centuries, Casablanca Valley’s wine industry is relatively new. Its Pacific proximity and cool climate initially made it seem too risky to invest —but thankfully, pioneers proved otherwise!
Best Wineries in Casablanca Valley, Chile
Before listing our top vineyard picks, let me share our priorities for wine tasting in Casablanca Valley.
While our Italian background makes us appreciate perfect wine pairings (even the right cheese platter matters!), we recognize this is a specialty of Italian wine culture. Since we can’t always be picky travelers – especially when trying to pack light! – our focus is different:
For us, it’s about:
🍇 Living the moment – breathing the same air as the vines that grow our favorite wines
🖼️ Natural settings – scenic views or cozy atmospheres to enhance the experience
🍷 The joy of recognition – spotting “our” bottles later in restaurants or shops
Assuming all recommended wineries produce excellent quality wines (a given!), our one key criteria was atmosphere. We prefer tasting rooms that combine stunning views with intimate charm.
Here are our personal favorites in Casablanca Valley – judged by ambiance, vistas, and tasting experience:
P.S. Wine lover? Don’t miss my Cape Town Winelands Guide for more great wine escapes!
1. Veramonte
Enjoy balcony wine tasting with panoramic views or opt for their picnic experience (70 USD for 2 persons). While the modern industrial interior wasn’t cozy for our taste, we loved their:
♻️ Eco-commitment: Organic vineyards & partnerships with local small farmers
💰 Tour options for every budget:
Basic vineyard walk: from 12,000 CLP (~15 USD)
Themed nature experiences: 25,000-40,000 CLP (~30-50 USD)
Premium picnic package: 70 USD/couple
🌿 Note: They offer wonderful immersive nature tours (check their website) – we couldn’t try these as they require advance booking. Perfect for planners!
2. William Cole Vineyards (Tapihue)
This American-founded estate in Casablanca Valley’s Tapihue area has been crafting award-winning wines since the 1990s, when William Cole first fell in love with this unique terroir.
🏆 Heritage:
• Pioneering vineyard established in the 90s
• Their Tapihue brand wines showcase Casablanca’s cool-climate excellence
• Multiple international awards
💰 Tasting options:
Standard tasting: ~15,000 CLP (~18 USD)
Reserve tasting: 25,000 CLP (~30 USD)
Full tour + premium tasting: 40,000 CLP (~48 USD)
🌿 Our experience:
• Arrived too early – garden wasn’t ready (reservations essential!)
• We were impressed by the sight of thousands of a barrels at the basement.
• The shopping area was the temporary tasting area didn’t feel cozy to us.
💡 Tip: When operational, their garden offers magical vibes – book ahead to enjoy the full experience at this historic Casablanca Valley pioneer.
3. Bodegas RE – The most intimate experience
We were about to get disappointed with the size of this winery as soon as we entered – until clay-aged wines and warm hospitality changed everything!
✨ What made it special:
• Intimate atmosphere: The rustic-chic lively tasting room with local products.
• Unique wines: Aged in giant clay jars (ancient technique meets modern craft)
• Delicious pairings: House-made cheese platters with their signature blends
🏺 Behind the Scenes:
Founded in 2008 by a former Concha y Toro head winemaker – the visionary who first believed in Casablanca Valley’s potential. Though we missed the tour (reservations needed!), photos showed incredible underground caves with towering clay amphorae.
👨🌾 Human Touch:
What we loved most? We enjoyed a great cheese platter while chatting with the winemaker about Italian wines—warm and personal.
💰 Budget-Friendly Luxury
• Tastings: 20,000-40,000 CLP (~20-40 USD) All include generous platters
• Tours: 10,000-50,000 CLP (~10-50 USD)
• Picnic Experience: 55,000 CLP (~55 USD pp)
Lunch Pairings (Reservation required)
4. Casas del Bosque – The Crown Jewel
Without a doubt, Casas del Bosque is the most stunning winery we visited in Casablanca Valley — this is Chile’s answer to Stellenbosch’s wine estates, with every detail perfected.
🌿 Premium Experience Worth the Splurge
• Higher budget tier (expect ~30+ USD pp minimum) reflects their exceptional quality
• Architectural Harmony: Buildings that blend seamlessly with manicured gardens
• Multiple Experiences: Multiple dining and tasting environments and beautifully landscaped grounds
💰 Investment-Worthy Options
Basic Tasting: 30,000 CLP (~36 USD)
Vineyard Tour + Premium Tasting: 50,000 CLP (~60 USD)
Gourmet Lunch Pairing: 70,000 CLP (~84 USD) reservation essential
🍷 “Yes, it’s pricier than others – but as our favorite Casablanca experience, we’d happily return and budget accordingly.”
5. Viña Indómita
We arrived with high expectations—the entrance’s giant palm trees were impressive! But the main cement building? It felt like a mass tourism state hotel of a developing country (what a letdown). The redeeming part? Just below that ugly building lies a gorgeous terrace with panoramic valley views, where vines stretch to the horizon.
💰 Budget for your Planning:
Simple terrace tasting: ~18,000 CLP (22 USD)
Fancier wines + terrace: ~25,000 CLP (30 USD)
“Full tour” (skip it!): 35,000 CLP (42 USD)
Tips:
Go straight to the terrace (the interior is cold and charmless)
Bring a jacket—it can be windy up there if it is not summer!
6. Viñamar
Viñamar specializes in sparkling wines, and while at that moment we’re more into full-bodied reds. It was still worth the stop as we found Casas del Bosque’s elegance combined with a piece of Bodegas RE’s warmth.
At their terrace with view we enjoyed all from the music playlist to breadcrumb-stealing birds. We actually sampled wines from their other estates in Chile.
Pro Tip: The basic tasting offered already an incredible value.
Budget Tips for Visiting Casablanca Valley Independently
We did our Casablanca Valley wine tour independently and spontaneously, without joining any pre-organized wine tours. Instead of booking full cellar tours, we chose to sample highlighted wines, enjoy cheese platters or snack pairings, and soak in the unique atmosphere at each vineyard. Oh, and we may have criticized a few of them for their wine pairing sins – a habit from our Italian background or I could call it arrogance!
This approach saved us a lot of money, especially since cellar and vineyard tours tend to be pricier. If you’re more into living the wine moment than diving into winemaking history, this route offers incredible value.
Independent Wine Tour Budget Breakdown
For fellow travelers looking to explore Casablanca Valley wineries without a tour, here’s what to expect:
Glass Tastings:
Most flexible at: Bodegas RE – choose your wines by the glass
Best value at: Veramonte – 3 glasses for just 10,000 CLP (~12 USD), though you can’t select which wines
Basic Tastings:
Average: 10–20 USD per winery
Food Pairings:
Add-on platters cost around 12–25 USD
Comprehensive Experiences (Tour + Premium Tasting):
Budget at least 30–40 USD per person per winery
Budget-Friendly vs. Premium Wineries
💎 Most Expensive:
Casas del Bosque & William Cole – premium architecture, full experiences, and higher price tags
💰 Best Value:
Bodegas RE – small, intimate, and flexible with à la carte tasting
Veramonte – large, eco-conscious, and offers some of the cheapest tasting options
Viñamar specializes in sparkling wines, but we went for reds from their other estates in Chile. Still worth visiting for the ambiance and view.
Should You Consider a Guided Wine Tour?
While we loved the freedom of planning our own route, we realized later that guided wine tours from Santiago offer surprising value, especially for first-timers.
Typical Casablanca Valley day tour packages (around 80 EUR) often include:
Visits to 3–4 premium wineries
Full tastings at each stop
Round-trip transport from Santiago or Valparaíso
A local wine expert guide explaining regional history, grape varietals, and winemaking methods
Tour operators organizing these tours naturally have their commercial agreements with the wineries. Therefore some full-day tours can be cheaper than visiting a single high-end winery independently!
If you’re also factoring in logistics, safety (no drink & drive!), and convenience, a tour might be the smarter choice. We will probably join an organized tour to Maipo Valley on our next visit to Chile!
If you’re considering a wine tour, check out my affiliated links below — there’s no extra cost to you, and it helps support me in writing more helpful content. 🙌
🍷 Final Thoughts: Savoring Casablanca Valley, One Sip at a Time
Our DIY wine tasting day in Casablanca Valley turned out to be an unforgettable, relaxing escape between the colorful chaos of Valparaíso and the cosmopolitan vibe of Santiago.
Yes, it ended up costing us more than an organized tour — and maybe we learned a bit less about the wines themselves. But instead, we chose to simply enjoy the flavors, the views, and the freedom of wandering at our own pace.
One day, somewhere far away, we’ll order a Chilean Casablanca Valley wine during a romantic dinner — and we’ll instantly recognize that cool air, that mineral elegance that only this region offers.
Next wine adventure in Chile?
It will definitely be the Maipo Valley — and this time, we’re joining a tour!
May you also be interested in my Santiago Tips?
• 🍴 Best Bites: Discover my picks for Santiago’s top tables – from fine dining to local holes-in-the-wall – in Best Restaurants in Santiago. Pair your Casablanca favorites with Chilean cuisine!
• 📍 Trip Planning Made Easy: Get neighborhood guides, transit tips, and cultural must-sees in my Complete Santiago Travel Guide.
• ⏱️ Short on Time? Maximize a brief stay with my efficient 4-Day Santiago Itinerary, including wine bars to compare with Casablanca Valley.
Santiago’s food and wine scene will deepen your love for Chile – save room for pisco sours!
