Viña Arboleda is a sister brand of Viña Errazuriz owned by Eduardo Chadwick. Although Arboleda winery is towards the Andes, the vineyards are mainly in the coastal hills offering quite a different character to the mountain vineyards.
Arboleda’s wines are fresh, fruit-forward and bright. Wine highlights include the Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Viña Aquitania started in 1990 as a venture between three friends: winemakers Bruno Prats and Paul Pontallier from Bordeaux and Felipe de Solminihac from Chile (but French born). A fourth friend, Ghislain de Montgolfieralso from Champagne, joined the partnership some 12 years later.
Aquitania winery set out to make fine Bordeaux blends in Maipo terroir – specifically from the Quebrada de Macul where they purchased 18 hectares. This they do with aplomb. However there’s another dimension to Aquitania which makes it one of the pioneering producers in Chile today. In 1995, they planted the first commercial vineyard in Traiguen in the Malleco Valley – 650km south of Santiago! This cool southern valley produces excellent Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc under the Sol de Sol brand.
A visit to the winery today, just a stone’s through from Santiago, is a great opportunity to taste the wines of these two contrasting terroirs.
Apaltagua winery makes 2.5m litres a year and has just under 400 hectares of their own vineyards spread across Chile’s Central Valley. The main winery and vineyard is in Colchagua but they also have land under vine in San Antonio, Maipo, Curico and Maule.
The portfolio reflects their widespread vineyards with no less than 40 different labels spread between their Apaltagua, Tutunjian, Pacifico Sur and Gran Verano brands. Visitors can do a winery tour at the facility in Millahue in Colchagua, or take a tour and tasting at the historic Hacienda de San Juan de Pirque, originally built in 1875, which Apaltagua owns in Maipo.
Antiyal winery is the boutique project of Alvaro Espinoza, Chile’s top biodynamic winemaker and consultant. Founded in 1996 it was one of the first garage wineries of Chile and, although the production has grown significantly today, it is still a hands-on family project run by Alvaro and his wife Marina.
All the wines are biodynamic and come from their own estate vineyards in Maipo. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenére, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Garnacha.