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Guide to Casablanca Valley and San Antonio

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Where to Stay

Matetic Guesthouse
An estancia on the vast estate owned by one of Chile’s richest families. There are only three suites, so book as early as you can. Fundo el Rosario, Lagunillas, Casablanca; 56-2/232-3134; mateticvineyards.com; doubles from $360.

Where to Eat

El Sauce
Since 1950, this roadhouse has delighted day-trippers from Valparaíso and Santiago with unforgettable Chilean-style barbecue. Look for the Coca-Cola sign. Calle Palomino, Lo Abarca, San Antonio; 56-35/437-206; lunch for two $25.

House of Morandé
Accomplished food served in a dramatic glass-walled dining room. Morandé wines include the absurdly underpriced Terrarum Reserva Sauvignon Blanc: crisp, intense, and about $8 a bottle. Km 61, Ruta 68, Casablanca; 56-32/275-4701; lunch for two $50.

Restaurante Viña Indòmita
Oscar Tapia is related by marriage to the Cuban-American chef Douglas Rodriguez (Miami’s Yuca, New York’s Patria), and his cooking is like Rodriguez’s raised to a higher power. Km 64, Ruta 68, Casablanca; 56-32/275-4400; lunch for two $60.

Where to Sip

Casa Marín
A hilltop spa among the vines and a small inn are the newest elements of María Luz Marín’s boutique winery, which is rapidly becoming one of Chile’s most compelling. Taste the bright 2006 Riesling, only available here. Camino Lo Abarca, Cartagena, San Antonio; 56-35/437-205; casamarin.cl.

Garcés Silva
The winery looks like a spaceship, and the wines buttress a Californian ripeness with a Chilean feel. A barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc leads the way. By appointment. Fundo San Andrés de Huinca, Camino Rinconada de San Juan, Leyda, San Antonio; 56-2/428-8080; vgs.cl.

Veramonte
The area’s first winery with California-style amenities still draws the biggest crowds. Highlights include a clay oven in a hidden clearing off the vineyard where groups can sit on hay bales and enjoy an alfresco lunch. Km 66, Ruta 68, Casablanca; 56-32/232-9924; veramonte.com.

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