Viña Almaviva

The winery

Almaviva was born in 1997, when Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, of Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A., and Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle, of Viña Concha y Toro, agreed to create a Franco-Chilean wine under the technical supervision of both houses. The first vintage, 1996, reached the market in 1998. It was the first Chilean wine conceived on the Bordeaux château model: one terroir, one winery and one technical team devoted to a single wine. The name comes from Count Almaviva, a character in Beaumarchais's The Marriage of Figaro, and on the label it appears in the author's own handwriting, next to a design that pays tribute to Chile's ancestral history. The partnership still belongs to Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro, and the website highlights the shared vision of its founding families.

The vineyard is in Puente Alto, in the upper Maipo Valley, on the north bank of the river and at 650 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Andes. It has 65 productive hectares on poor, stony alluvial soils, where cold air off the mountains creates a wide gap between day and night temperatures. The oldest vines date from 1978, and the varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, by far the main one, Carménère, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Almaviva 2024 is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carménère, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in French oak; its technical sheet also records Carménère harvested in Peumo, in the Cachapoal Valley. The house's second wine is called EPU. The winery, by architect Martín Hurtado, was built in 1998 and inaugurated in 2000: it uses native timber from southern Chile and its undulating roof echoes the outline of the mountains. According to Brazil Journal, an expansion completed in late 2023 added aging space and a visitor circuit with a panoramic elevator.

The visit is private and scheduled in advance by email. There are three options depending on what you taste: one vintage of Almaviva and one of EPU, two vintages of Almaviva and one of EPU, or a vertical of three Almaviva vintages with one EPU. They last 90 to 100 minutes and, depending on the option, take in the winery, the vineyard and the aging cellar; the tasting room is in the Casona, the tile-roofed house next to the winery. Enoturismo Chile lists opening hours Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00. The official website offers no shop open to the public, and no restaurant or accommodation is advertised; Enoturismo Chile mentions lunches for groups, worth asking about when you book. The wine goes out to the world through the Bordeaux négociants; in Chile it is sold at Descorcha, Concha y Toro's online shop, and in stores such as El Mundo del Vino.