South America – More than Wine

I have wanted to visit South America for a very long time. Sure, Iguazu Falls were always on the list, Patagonia is still on the list, and there are plenty of museums and architecture that I wanted to see. However, if I am honest, one of the biggest reasons for this trip was kosher wine.

Well, I got that one wrong. Sure, I found wine. Actually, I found far more wine than I expected. I found wines I had never heard of before, wineries that almost nobody in America talks about, and bottles that never make their way to our shores. We will get to all of that, and of course there will be wine notes. However, by the second or third day, I realized this post was not going to be about wine.

It became a story about Jewish life. Before leaving for this trip, I spent weeks trying to figure out where I could eat, where I could shop, what kosher restaurants existed, what stores carried kosher wine, whether I needed to order food ahead of time, and what I could realistically expect. Honestly, there is very little information out there. You can Google all you want, but eventually you just have to get on the plane and figure it out when you land.

That is what this post is really about.

Actually getting to South America from the West Coast

If you are traveling from the Bay Area to South America, you will run into issues right away. There are no easy nonstop options to Santiago or Buenos Aires, and most routings push you east through Texas, Miami, New York, or Panama. Overall, to me, the West Coast truly feels like the forgotten coast—unless you’re going to Asia or Hawaii. Australia is a different story. However, when you think about South America, which really isn’t that far from the West Coast, it just bugs me. Thankfully, there was one other practical option for me: Panama! And for those asking about Avianca, yes, I know they exist. Please let them know there are airports called SFO and SJC, because for my dates, they were a hard miss. Sure, they have a few flights to Guatemala, but that does not make the trip very comfortable.

You really do start to feel like the stepchild.

Copa does fly nonstop from San Francisco to Panama, which is great, but that only gets you to Panama. It doesn’t get you any farther south. The reason is that Panama is the hub, much like Dubai is for Emirates or Abu Dhabi is for Etihad. The difference is that Panama really has one dominant airline—Copa. It’s Copa in and Copa out, and there really aren’t many other options.

So, if you’re hoping to get farther south, don’t be surprised if your connection is eight or even ten hours after you land in Panama. That means you’re sitting in Panama for quite a while before continuing to Santiago, Buenos Aires, or wherever else you’re headed. Still, it is a good option. Actually, it is a great place to stop over and enjoy; for the kosher consumer, it has loads of restaurants and shuls. The only problem is the weather. You might as well just put a water bag over your head ’cause it’s gonna feel the same. Walking around Panama, at this time of year, is basically like walking through a monsoon. There’s really no difference whether it is raining or not. It’s actually raining, and it’s miserable. Not my weather at all. Not interesting. I will leave that for a different time of year!

First Impressions of Chile

The first stop was Santiago.

Now, if you are coming from New York, Los Angeles, Paris, or even Panama, you need to reset your expectations. The Jewish community is much smaller than I expected. That is not a criticism. It is simply reality.

The interesting thing is that the people are incredibly warm and welcoming. Once you make one contact, another follows, and then another. However, before that happens, finding kosher food and kosher stores is honestly harder than it should be. Some places simply do not have much of an online presence. Some places almost feel like they exist by word of mouth.

Eventually, everything worked out. The food was good, I met wonderful people, and I was able to buy and taste many of the wines that I had come to Chile looking for.

Still, what struck me almost more than the kosher world was simply…Chile. There are cafes everywhere. Not Starbucks, though they exist; real cafes. Cafes where you are meant to sit and enjoy life. Watch life walk by and take in the weather, the neighborhood, and the people. Sit with your friends and enjoy the time. That is the feeling of South America. It is very much the same, but even more so in Buenos Aires.

You sit outside, and people are everywhere. Young people, older people, families, friends- everyone is just sitting, talking, drinking coffee, living life. It reminded me of Paris, Barcelona, and La Rambla all rolled together. There is something incredibly uplifting about watching people simply enjoy life.

The other thing you notice immediately is wine. Wine is everywhere.

Walk into almost any restaurant and there is wine on nearly every table. Walk down the street and there are wine shops all over the place. Wine is not treated as something special. It is simply part of lunch. Part of dinner. Part of life.

Honestly, that was refreshing. It is very different from America, and in some ways even different from Paris today.