| From | Car | Bus |
|---|---|---|
| From SantiagoGoogle Maps | 300 km on Route 5 North (Ruta 5 Norte) to Los Vilos, then Ruta 47 toward Illapel, with a turnoff to Salamanca; about 4 h. | From Terminal San Borja there are about 19 daily departures to Salamanca; between 4 h 30 min and 4 h 50 min. |
| From La SerenaGoogle Maps | 290 km on Ruta 5 heading south, then inland via Illapel (routes D-751, 47 and D-81); about 3 h 50 min. | There are few direct buses from La Serena's Terminal de Buses (two or three a day) and they take between 5 and 6 h. |
Car or private tour only, as the municipal wine route itself suggests. The wineries follow the Choapa river: two less than 10 km from Salamanca, Viña Choapa in Panguesillo (10 km), Arnaud Faupin and Wayra in Coirón (25 km) and Viña Salamanca in Cuncumén (35 km).
Harvest: in March, according to the valley's wineries.
Harvest is in March. The Municipality organizes a Fiesta de la Vendimia (harvest festival; in 2026, in early April). Dry, sunny climate with cold nights; at the higher-altitude wineries it cools off at dusk. All require booking and several receive visitors only Monday to Friday.
It's not a day trip: it's 4 h from Santiago or La Serena. Best to spend one or two nights in Salamanca, which has hotels in the center.
Base town: Salamanca.
Where the visits are concentrated:
Flagship grapes:
The Fiesta de la Vendimia de Salamanca is listed for 4 and 5 April 2026 on the chile.travel calendar and as organized by the Municipality on a festival listings site; the municipal website does not mention it, and neither its being annual nor its 2027 date was confirmed. Bus times come from a timetable comparison site (CheckMyBus), not from the companies. No day tours from Santiago or La Serena were found. The harvest month (March) is published by three of the six wineries.
Hollow dots are approximate locations. Open this valley in the map with filters.
Those open to visitors first.
Small high-altitude vineyard in Coirón, in the upper Choapa, where Arnaud Faupin makes natural wines by hand and without electricity. Visits by booking and a harvest festival every summer.
Family winery built in 2013 in Panguesillo, in the narrow Choapa Valley, making wines from Pedro Jiménez and pisco Moscatel varieties; tours with a soil pit and a paired tasting.
Family winery founded in 2015 at the foot of Cerro El Queñe, in Salamanca: around 5 ha of vines, artisan wines made with native yeasts and centered on Pedro Jiménez, and visits by appointment.
Artisan winery in Cuncumén, in the upper Choapa Valley, with vineyards at around 1,100 m; it makes whites, rosés and reds and takes visits by booking.
Family winery of around 17 hectares in Colliguay, Valle de Camisas (Salamanca), that makes Gran Pisco Ceremonial, the Angeliz mistela (sweet fortified wine) and Brebaje Secreto, a fortified Cabernet Franc.
Mother-and-daughter artisan winery in Coirón, in the upper Choapa, among wind and petroglyphs: Syrah, Carménère, Petit Verdot and a sweet red with gold medals from Catad'Or. Sales on the property and by WhatsApp.
