Viñedos de Alcohuaz

The winery

Viñedos de Alcohuaz sits high in the Elqui Valley, in the municipality of Paihuano, where the D-485 road pushes into the mountains beyond the village of Horcón. The project was conceived by Álvaro Flaño in the mid-2000s and shaped by his son Patricio, an artist by profession; they were joined by Helia Rojas and Juan Luis Huerta, born and raised in the valley, and later by winemaker Marcelo Retamal, who is the Flaño family's partner in the winery. Today the winemaking is in the hands of Rosario Fillol, who follows the line developed with Retamal: taut wines with natural acidity, true to their origin.

The parcels, some 20 hectares according to the estate's US importer, step up from 1,650 to 2,206 meters above sea level on granite soils, with intense sun, clear skies, very little rain and cold nights. Early attempts with Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère failed to ripen properly, and it was the Mediterranean varieties that adapted: Syrah is the main grape, joined by Garnacha, Cariñena, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Touriga Nacional. The winery says it farms its vineyard on biodynamic principles, though without certification. Because high-altitude grapes have thick skins, they are trodden by foot in stone lagares (treading vats), fermented with native yeasts and aged in foudres, in concrete eggs and tanks and in clay tinajas (amphorae). From there come RHU, the flagship blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah; Grus; three single-parcel wines, Tococo (Syrah), Cuesta Chica (Garnacha planted above 2,000 meters) and Pingo Pingo (Cariñena from a 0.8-hectare vineyard at 2,188 meters); La Era (Malbec and Petit Verdot); the entry-level red VDA; and CAPI, a sweet fortified Touriga Nacional. They are sold at the cellar door, in the online shop and through the Club Altura.

The visit starts at the cellar door, an adobe building with a terrace at about 1,600 meters, beside the road. Every day there is a two-hour Tour Bodega, which goes through the winery and ends with three wines on the terrace, and a three-hour Tour Altura that climbs to the vineyards above 2,200 meters, enters the cellar carved into the rock and closes with RHU paired with local produce; from Thursday to Sunday a short guided tasting is added. The Elqui sky is part of the offer: on Fridays and Saturdays there is Bodega y Estrellas, a night tour with tasting and telescope, and, in private format, Los Pingos, with sunset and stargazing at 2,200 meters, and Vino, Arte y Estrellas, a sensory experience in three stations. Everything is booked online on the winery's website, which offers transfers from Pisco Elqui. To stay over, the estate rents out two rustic houses on the property through Airbnb: Casa Álvarez, for 10 to 12 people, and Casa Espejo, for 4 to 6. In 2023 Viñedos de Alcohuaz ranked 25th on the World's Best Vineyards list.