As part of an amazing opportunity through my work, I was able to dive deeply into the wines, wineries and people I get to represent in Chile. One of the stops was in the Leyda Valley part of the coastal San Antonio region. This area’s focus is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah due to the region being on the western side of the coastal mountain range with full exposure to the Pacific. The day spent in this region would mirror the ocean.

The two wineries that we visited were Boya (meaning buoy in Spanish) and Amayna (loosely meaning ‘the calm after the storm’ in Spanish). Both sustainable, gravity fed and focused on soil and the influences of the ocean (7 miles from the vineyards), further translated in the the winery names.

During our visit we had lunch next to the vineyards, complete with a salt-crusted whole fish prepared in a clay oven, the salt and the fish harvested locally. It was a magical pairing with the wines, which have a natural salinity on the mid-palate and fresh fruit and bright acidity in both the reds and whites.

When we arrived where we were having lunch, a flat of fresh strawberries greeted us along with a glass of Amayna Sauvignon Blanc. One of the simplest and delicious pairings I have had, the two together became strawberry shortcake in my mouth!

Following a well paced lunch we ended the day watching the sun sink into the Pacific, finding a warm rock to lean on and sipping Boya Sauvignon Blanc as the sky played it’s nightly show.