Viña Calyptra

The winery

Calyptra was born in 1989, when plastic surgeon José Zarhi bought the 80-hectare Santa Cruz de Coya estate in the Andean foothills of Machalí, about 27 km from Rancagua. On learning that around 1920 the land had held vines, he replaced the fruit trees with Chardonnay; the other grapes and the winery came later. The name comes from Greek and refers to the small cap that covers the vine flower and falls away when it blooms. Emiliano Domínguez directs the winemaking: he has been head of winemaking since 2019 and since 2024 has also been in charge of Calyptra Argentina, in the Uco Valley, whose Wayra wines are sold in the same store.

The 44 planted hectares occupy seven alluvial and colluvial terraces, rocky and low in fertility, between the hills and the north bank of the Cachapoal River. The winery places them at almost a thousand meters above sea level; winters are cold and rainy, sometimes with snow, and summers bring warm days and afternoons of mountain wind. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grow there, and all the wines are made from estate grapes. The range starts with Mosaiko, continues with Vivendo, unoaked, and with the Gran line, aged in barrel. At the top are Zahir, a Cabernet Sauvignon from the oldest blocks, and Inédito, which blends Cabernet with Syrah and Merlot. Completing the list are Marginado, a pure Syrah; Hera, a traditional-method Chardonnay sparkling wine; Solvita, a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc, and Fort, a fortified wine with 60 months in barrel. The house speaks of sustainable farming and an organic vineyard, but publishes no certificate.

Calyptra publishes no visitor offering: neither its website nor its Instagram mentions tours, tastings or prices, and it does not appear on Enoturismo Chile. South America Wine Guide lists it as “by appointment only”, so it is best to write before traveling to contacto@calyptra.cl or WhatsApp +56 9 9432 7330 and confirm whether they can receive you. The address shown on the website, Dr. Manuel Barros Borgoño 71, office 403, in Providencia, is the Santiago office, about 90 km as the crow flies from the estate. The simplest way to get to know the wines is the winery's online store, which ships within Chile, with bottles from CLP 11,000.