Chile's Wine Route - Global Wine Tourism

Vines were first brought to Chile in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors and missionaries who needed wine for Mass. Today, the industry has grown significantly, to the point where it produces some of the best wines in the world.

The Maipo Valley: A Tribute to Cabernet Sauvignon

Santa Rita

This valley, located just outside the capital, specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon—much to our delight. It has a Mediterranean climate, with some variations between the vineyards in the western plains and those in Maipo Alto at the foot of the Andes, which enjoy cooler temperatures. It is home to Chile’s two oldest and largest wine producers: Concha y Toro and Viña Santa Rita. The first winery offers a tour of the vineyards and a stroll through its vast landscaped grounds, where a tasting is held. We recommend trying the Almaviva, a wine produced in partnership with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, head of Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux. Near the second winery is the Doña Paula restaurant, housed in an early 19th-century hacienda. It serves dishes that pair particularly well with the region’s signature wines.

The Colchagua Valley: Carmenère, Chile’s premier grape variety

Montes Winery

Located near the city of Santa Cruz, the Colchagua Valley is the country’s most dynamic region in terms of wine tourism. Several climatic factors favor vine growth here: the significant temperature difference between day and night, and the warm climate that remains uncooled thanks to the coastal mountain range blocking winds from the Pacific. It is a perfect climate for intense wines like Syrah and Carmenère, THE wine of Chile. The Montes Winery produces one of the country’s highest-rated wines. The building is built into the hillside; it was constructed on the advice of a feng shui master and uses the principle of gravity for winemaking—nothing less! Its Montes Alpha M, Montes Folly, and Purple Angel labels are particularly successful.

The wines from the Viu Manent winery are of very high quality and are unique in that they are made from Malbec, a grape variety typically associated with Argentine wines. A horse-drawn carriage ride is included before you tour the 1902 hacienda and enjoy a delicious food-and-wine pairing at La Terraza restaurant.

Casa Apostolle

A local curiosity: the Casa Apostolle, owned by the Grand Marnier family, which in 2006 opened a building entirely dedicated to the production of its Clot Apalta, a very high-end blend of Carménère, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. It features a truly unique architectural design resembling a nest or the staves of a split barrel. Inside, a seven-story elliptical structure allows the wine to be produced using the principle of gravity, a method that is decidedly very popular in the Chilean wine industry.

The Casablanca Valley: White Wine Takes Center Stage in Chile

Indomita

We head back up toward Valparaíso to explore the Casablanca Valley, which has some wonderful surprises in store for us. The strong Pacific winds create a climate particularly well-suited to the production of Chilean white wines: notably, there are some excellent Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs. Several wineries offer high-quality wines. We’ve chosen Indómita for its exuberant white wine, which stands out from afar, and Casas del Bosque for its excellent Sauvignon Blanc. An added bonus at the latter: you can participate in the grape harvest!

The Aconcagua Valley: From Wineries to the Peaks of Chile

Casas del Bosque

The "Roof of the Americas" has its own vineyards, too! A valley nestled in the Andes, it is home to a small number of wineries, but they are of high quality. The Errázuriz winery, founded in 1870, comes to mind first and foremost. It was Maximiano Errázuriz Valdivieso who was the first to import grapevines from France and settle in the Aconcagua Valley to launch his winemaking venture. Its wines, such as the single-varietal Don Maximiano and Single Vineyard, or the Max Reserva blend, have won numerous awards and are widely exported. The tour of the estate begins with a stroll through the vineyards surrounded by fields of avocado trees—a regional specialty—and concludes in style with a tasting of Chilean wines.

Errazuriz

Want to learn more? Pack your bags and fly to Chile to see for yourself what Chilean grape varieties are all about!

Agathe (Argentina Excepción)