Concha y Toro

Concha y Toro is South America’s largest wine producer, and one of the leading wineries in the world. There isn’t just one Concha y Toro winery – or vineyard – but the main one for visitors is the historic property in Maipo, which was established in 1883 and is one of Chile’s most renowned historic estates.

About Concha y Toro winery

Established by Don Melchor, the winery expanded throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to become one of the leading players in Chile’s wine industry and open up wine markets around the world (today sold in more than 130 countries).

Within the fold of Concha y Toro you’ll find brands including Don Melchor, Amelia, Terruñyo, Marques de Casa Concha, Heritage, Gravas del Maipo, Casillero del Diablo and Frontera among others. Working with their own vineyards and managing vineyards from growers, the portfolio of Concha y Toro is spread throughout Chile’s wine regions including an enormous diversity of grape varieties and wine regions.

About the vineyards

Concha y Toro works with vineyards across the country’s wine regions, including their prime Maipo estate (see Don Melchor).

One of the real gems in the portfolio is the Amelia estate in Limarí, where a 65 hectare vineyard of Chardonnay (52 hectares) and Pinot Noir (13 hectares) offers top quality grapes for their Amelia range of wines. The soils here are of colluvial origin with clay and calcium carbonate, and the vineyard benefits from close proximity (22 kilometres) to the Pacific Ocean.

About the winemaker: Marcelo Papa

Marcelo Papa is the Head Winemaker of Concha y Toro winery and premium brands, and is one of Chile’s leading winemakers with many accolades to his name. He started his career in 1998 taking charge of Casillero del Diablo in the main Concha y Toro winery, and steadily grew the brand and its recognition worldwide.

Since 2017, he has been Technical Director of Concha y Toro and has spearheaded Amerial since its inception. Papa also impulsed Concha y Toro’s first venture in Limarí, Maycas del Limarí, in 2005. It is in this region where Papa perhaps most identifies with his philosophy in winemaking:

“Once we discovered the potential of Limarí, we realized that there is no better terroir in Chile for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. That freshness and minerality that we can only find here is precisely what we are trying to deliver in these wines: identity of the terroir.”

About the wines of Concha y Toro

Concha y Toro produces a multitude of different brands that range from everyday Casillero del Diablo up to some of the top pours in Chile. The wines start to get interesting at the Marques de Casa Concha level, where you can find good varietal definition and wines that are selected from specific regions of Chile.

Above that, that are a handful of premium brands to dip into, including:

Terrunyo

Vineyard designate wines that cover the classics, Terrunyo is a great value line that provides benchmark classics for Chile: Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca, Carmènere from Peumo, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo. Reliable, well made wines that reflect why these regions have become emblematic for these varieties.

Carmín de Peumo

One of the best Carmenère wines in Chile, Carmín is an opulent and luxurious interpretation of Chile’s emblematic grape variety. Laden with spices and rich bramble fruit, it is silky and spicy.

Gravas del Maipo

With two wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, both reflect the terroir of Maipo with its stoney, gravel soils and cool nights with warm, sunny days. Structured with freshness and pure black fruit, they offer a classic Maipo expression and are ageworthy.

Amelia

Focused on top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Limarí, these are two iconic wines for Concha y Toro and reflect the cool, coastal terroir of northern Chile. Both aged in French barriques, these are wines that can be laid down for a couple years.

Don Melchor 

Concha y Toro’s top wine, coming from prime vineyard estate in Puente Alto. See Don Melchor.

Visiting Concha y Toro winery

You can visit the Concha y Toro winery in Maipo, less than an hour outside of Santiago, for a range of experiences. The winery is open from 9am until 5pm, and includes guided tours and tastings at the winery right up to special lunches and night time tours of the Casillero del Diablo cellar. One of the more relaxed options is taking a picnic in the beautiful gardens of the handsome centenarian casona (stately home).

More information and booking available online.

Concha y Toro also has a wine story in Vitacura, Santiago.

Tasting notes