We then drove slowly down the dirt road, past a crowing rooster and three workers riding a tractor.


*

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Chile by the bottle

GETTING THERE:

From LAX, LanChile offers direct (stop, no change of plane) and connecting (stop, change of planes) service, and American, Varig, Copa, United and Mexicana offer connecting service. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $798.

TELEPHONES:

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 56 (country code for Chile) and the local number.

WHERE TO STAY:

In Chile's wine regions, restaurants are scarce, butmost hotels have restaurants on the premises.

Hotel Montebianco, Isidora Goyenechea, Las Condes, Santiago; 2-233-0427, fax 2-233-0420, http://www.hotelmontebianco.cl . The 33-room hotel is a small, quiet, charming place owned by an Italian, which may be why it feels like an Italian pensione. We were served authentic spaghetti Bolognese. Doubles $88, including breakfast.

Santa Cruz Plaza Hotel, 286 Plaza de Armas, Santa Cruz; 72-821-010, fax 72-823-445, http://www.hotelsantacruzplaza.cl . A tasteful, elegant Spanish colonial-style hotel. Doubles $150. The restaurant serves traditional Chilean dishes such as grilled sea bass and lomo a lo pobre, a steak topped with two fried eggs covered with French fries.

Hotel Casa Real, 0695 Avenida Padre Hurtado, Buin; 2-362-2100, fax 2-821-9767, http://www.santarita.com . On the grounds of the Santa Rita winery. Doubles $220, with breakfast.

WINERIES & TOURS:

Tours of Santiago-area wineries can be arranged through most hotels.

Tours of Colchagua Valley wineries can be arranged through the Santa Cruz Plaza.

Ruta del Viño, Santa Cruz; 72-823-199, http://www.rutadelvino.cl . Works with 14 wineries, including Viña Bisquertt, Viña Laura Hartwig and Viu Manent, and can arrange tours.

GotoLatin Travel S.A., 1954 Alfredo Barros Errazurz, Officina 810 Providencia, Santiago; 2-940-2925, http://www.gotolatin.com . This agency can arrange day trips as well as winery tours. (Ask for Marta.)

Viña Santa Rita, 60 Hendaya, Las Condes, Santiago; 2-362-2000, http://www.santarita.com . Tours free to hotel guests.

Concha y Toro, 210 Virginia Subercaseaux, Santiago; 2-476-5269, fax 2-853-1063, http://www.conchaytoro.com . English tours 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. and noon Saturdays. Fee $6.

Viña Cousiño-Macul, 7100 Avenida Quilin, Peñaolén; 2-351-4135, fax 2-351-4181, http://www.cousinomacul.cl . English and Spanish tours 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays and Spanish-only tours 11 a.m. Saturdays. Fee $6.



Viña Indomita, Ruta 68 (Camino a Vena del Mar), in Casablanca; 32-754-403, http://www.indomita.cl . Fee about $5 per person.

TO LEARN MORE:

Chilean Tourism Promotion Corp., (866) YESCHILE (937-2445), http://www.visitchile.org .

— Ralph Cipriano