Viña Casa Marín

The winery

Casa Marín was born in 2000, when María Luz Marín, whom the winery presents as Chile's first female winemaker, decided to plant in Lo Abarca, a coastal corner of the municipality of Cartagena then considered too cold and exposed for vines. She bet on high-end white wines on soils of granite, limestone and marine deposits, about 4 km from the ocean, and the place ended up lending its name to an appellation: since 2018 Lo Abarca has been a D.O. recognized by the SAG (Chile's agricultural authority) and Casa Marín is its only winery. Today it is run by her children Felipe Marín, winemaker and viticulturist, and Nicolás Marín, in charge of operations, together with Jamie Verbraak, commercial director. In 2025 the Wines of Chile Report by Masters of Wine Susie Barrie and Peter Richards named it best producer in Chile.

There are 38 hectares divided into 57 small blocks, nearly all on slopes facing different directions, with average temperatures below 14 °C, morning fogs and very low yields. Harvest is by hand and runs from mid-March to late April. The Casa Marín line gathers wines from named vineyards, such as the Cipreses Sauvignon Blanc, the Estero Sauvignon Gris, the Miramar Riesling and Syrah, or the Lo Abarca Hills Pinot Noir; its Syrah and Pinot Noir icons spend 12 to 24 months in French oak and then several years in bottle. Cartagena is the entry line, and Viñedos Lo Abarca groups Felipe Marín's most experimental wines, born in the Tierras Blancas vineyard, planted about fifteen years ago. The estate generates its power with solar panels and has stopped using pesticides.

The stone-and-tile manor house on Camino Lo Abarca opens Tuesday to Sunday; it closes on Mondays. Without a booking you can drop into the cellar door and wine bar for a tasting of four wines between 10:00 and 15:00. Tours are booked online: the Tour & Tasting D.O. Lo Abarca, with the vineyard and four wines; a blind tasting of six wines led by the sommelier; a picnic for two overlooking the vineyards and, for groups of four or more, a tour with a five-course paired signature lunch. Through the year the winery holds seasonal celebrations, such as the harvest festival in early May, and corporate days. For now there is no restaurant open daily and no accommodation announced on the official website; the wines are sold at the cellar door and in the winery's online shop.