Main house and summer home of Don Melchor Concha y Toro
Our Guide
Barrels full of wine
Aging cellars
Cabernet Sauvignon vines
Yes, you can take it with you!
February 21
Sunday
Wandering around Santiago on the bike with no real destination, I remembered that last year I rode by the Concha y Toro vineyards on the outskirts of Santiago. Concha y Toro is the largest winery in Chile and the 10th largest in the world as well as being the largest wine producer in Latin America. It was established in 1883 by Don Melchor Concha y Toro and his father-in-law, Don Ramón Subercaseaux Mercado. This sounded like a good place to spend the afternoon, so I headed south toward the Maipo river and over to Concha y Toro vineyards. Arriving at the main gate, I was greeted by a beautifully maintained gated entrance manned by two security guards. I asked where I could go to take the tour, and they advised me and allowed me thru the gates. Once on the property it was evident that this is a very large operation that spends a great deal of money in the upkeep of their property. The grounds where impeccably maintained and the buildings where very attractive with their Spanish styling. Once I had my pass for the tour, I went into the main building where the tours originate. The tours are given in English or Spanish. In the main building is a restaurant open to the public, a small room where you watch an informative video of the history of Concha y Toro before starting the tour, and a very nice store where you can buy wines and souvenirs. After watching the video our group, which consisted of myself and another couple, was escorted out into the main square, by our tour guide, where one can sit and enjoy the sunshine and maybe a bottle of wine. Continuing on we headed to the main house that was once the summer home of Don Melchor Concha y Toro and has now been converted to offices and event center. The gardens surrounding the main house where of French design and as would be expected, meticulously maintained. Next, we went to the nearby vineyards where the grapes of the Cabernet Sauvignon are grown. Our guide explained that although most vines will produce grapes for about a hundred years or so, Conch y Toro replaces it’s vines after forty years to maintain the high quality of its wine. Another interesting fact was that while other wine producing countries have to worry about insects that attack the vines, Chile is in a rather unique position. Since Chile is bordered by the Atacama Desert to the north, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Antarctic to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile has almost no native insects that threaten the wine industry. This is one reason that the Customs agents are so careful to screen for any fruits, vegetables or other contaminants that could enter the country.
Next we where, escorted by a guard, to the buildings housing the wine barrels that where aging in the cellars. There were thousands of barrels of wine in the cellars aging and waiting to fill the bottles that would be exported to all corners of the globe. Each barrel holds enough wine to fill 300 bottles. After touring the new wine cellars as well as the original, it was off to the good stuff, the wine tasting. In a special room with wonderful mood lighting and beautiful old handmade Spanish furniture, we sampled both the white wine as well as the red that Concha Y Toro is so famous for. The nice surprise was that we were invited to keep the wine glasses with the Concha y Toro name etched in the glass. A very nice touch and a wonderful tour.
Key Dates:
1883: Concha y Toro establishes its first vineyard and winery.
1965: Company introduces its first premium wine, Casillero del Diablo.
1987: Concha y Toro introduces Don Melchor, its most ambitious wine yet.
1994: Concha y Toro makes its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
1998: Company ranks second among wine exporters to the United States.
