Frenchman David Marcel is the winemaker behind Viña Maitia and Aupa wines, boutique brands which he has with his Chilean wife Loreto.
They make natural wines from the old vines of Maule and have been instrumental in bringing Pipeño back into fashion. Old vine Carignan (including an evocatively named Carignan called Weon) and País from bush vines on granitic soils using minimal intervention winemaking techniques.
Luis Felipe Edwards returned to Chile, after several years living in Europe, to found the Luis Felipe Edwards winery and vineyards in Colchagua in 1976. Starting with 60 hectares in Colchagua, the company now owns over 2,000 hectares across Chile (including regions in Colchagua, San Antontio and Maule) and its portfolio is correspondingly wide. Luis Felipe Edwards is one of the largest wineries in Chile today.
Viña Los Vascos is the Chilean outpost of renowned Chateau Lafite – one of the first French companies to invest in a Chilean winery in 1988. The Rothschild family purchased a property of 2,200 hectares, 10% of which was planted with vineyards, in Colchagua. Today Los Vascos winery is best known for its rich red Bordeaux blends and Mediterranean varieties.
Viña Los Boldos, or Château Los Boldos as you’ll see on the label, was founded in Cachapoal in 1991 by a French company. Since 2008, it is owned by the large Portuguese wine group, Sogrape, who invested in modernising the Los Boldos winery. Production is focused on red and white wines from their 180-hectare vineyard in Cachapoal.