Viña Chillán

The winery

Viña Chillán was born of a journey. In 1995, three Swiss travelers touring the world came to know the Itata Valley, and in 1998 they returned to work a vineyard near Chillán, a name the house translates from Mapuche as “the place where the sun stays.” The project was first called Viña Tierra y Fuego and in 2007 adopted its current name, with Karin Lenz-Meier, Rudolf Ruesch and winemaker Roland Lenz as its driving forces. The property is at km 7 of the road from Bulnes to Tres Esquinas. For years the hotel and restaurant were known as La Favola, with Italian cooking; today the winery presents them under its own name.

There are 22 hectares in the valley of the Itata River, between Bulnes and the Andes. The winery says it farms them ecologically, though it publishes no certification, harvests and sorts by hand and makes wine only from its own grapes: it mentions País and Malbec with a hundred years of history in the area, alongside Carménère, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. Its catalog of twelve wines has some unusual labels, such as a Carménère vinified as a white with 18 months in barrel, the Sauvignon Blanc Naturista, unfiltered and with no added sulfites, and the sweet Dolce Vita, also from Carménère. The Gran Reserva Malbec, Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir spend 18 months in French or American oak. Part of the production is exported to Europe, and there is a wine shop on the property.

The published visit is the Ruta del Vino, which Enoturismo Chile presents as the Tour Vertical: a walk through the vineyard and the winemaking room, alongside the owner, with a tasting in the barrel room. Enoturismo Chile, whose listing for the winery was updated in 2025, gives it from CLP 15,000 per person, with a minimum of two people and booking 48 hours ahead. The restaurant, run by chef Richard Knobloch, works by reservation, uses produce from the valley and has tables under the vine arbor; in October 2026 it served four-course themed menus, one German and one for Día de Muertos. A few minutes' walk away, the guesthouse offers double rooms and two mini apartments, with breakfast and a pool overlooking the vines. Bookings are made by WhatsApp at +56 9 8400 4161 or at reservas@vinachillan.cl.