San Pedro Cachapoal Andes (Altaïr)

The winery

Altaïr was born in 2001 as a partnership between Viña San Pedro, founded in 1865 in Molina, and the French Château Dassault, with the idea of making top-tier wines on the Andean foothills of the Cachapoal. The winery was built that same year, the work of architect Samuel Claro: a long horizontal line of stone walls, leaning against the hillside and open to the view of the valley. The first harvest was 2002 and the wines reached the market in 2004. Since 2007 Viña Altair has been a subsidiary of San Pedro, now part of VSPT Wine Group, and the site presents itself as San Pedro Cachapoal Andes. At the entrance stands a sculpture by Francisco Gacitúa inspired by the constellation Aquila, the Eagle, whose brightest star gives the wine its name and also appears on the label designed by painter Sammy Benmayor.

The estate is about 110 kilometers south of Santiago, close to 500 meters above sea level, and VSPT's 2025 annual report lists two estates of its own in Requínoa: Altaïr, with 69 hectares, and Totihue, with 90. The gap between day and night temperatures lengthens ripening, on soils with minerals deposited in sandy layers and, in some areas, lime and stone. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc grow here. Altaïr 2022 brings together 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc and 18% Carménère, with touches of Syrah and Petit Verdot; Sideral rests on Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and Cabo de Hornos, a pure Cabernet Sauvignon born in 1994 from old vines in Molina, has come entirely from Cachapoal Andes since the 2014 vintage. Tierras Moradas and Kankana del Elqui are also made here. Winemaker Gabriel Mustakis arrived in 2018 and works with barrels and foudres (large wooden casks), but also with granite and ceramic eggs, cocciopesto amphorae and a rotating Galileo vessel. In 2026 the harvest began on February 24 with Cabernet Franc and ended on March 30.

The winery is open to visitors Monday to Saturday, only with a booking and advance payment through VSPT Tours & Events; it closes on Sundays and public holidays. The shortest visit is Trío Cachapoal Andes, an hour and a half, which goes through the vineyard, the gravity-flow winery and the barrel hall before tasting Cabo de Hornos, Sideral and Altaïr. Experiencia Íconos, two hours, serves five wines with a bite to match each. The four-course paired lunch is served in the quincho (barbecue pavilion), facing the valley: it can be booked on its own or combined with the tasting in Experiencia Baco, which is also sold with private transfers. Bookings can be rescheduled up to 24 hours ahead and carry no right of withdrawal; minors enter only with written authorization from their parents and do not take part in the tastings. The estate also quotes private events, with meeting rooms and a quincho for up to 60 people. The wines are bought online at Catadores, the group's store. Anyone curious about the brand's origins will find in Molina, about 100 kilometers to the south, the Viña San Pedro wine shop, which has its own profile.