Viña Chocalán

The winery

Viña Chocalán was born in 1998, when the Toro Harnecker family, which made glass bottles for the Chilean wine industry, decided to fill its own with wine of its own. It chose the rolling hills of Chocalán, the village that gives it its name, in the coastal part of the Maipo Valley within the municipality of Melipilla: 35 km from the Pacific as the crow flies and less than a kilometer from the Maipo River. Its icon wine Guillermo is named after Guillermo Toro, the founder, and since 2009 the winery has had María del Pilar González as consulting winemaker.

The 75 ha of vineyard open out like an amphitheater at the foot of the Coastal Range hills, with about a third planted on slopes. Sea breezes and morning fog cool the valley and stretch out ripening. From here come Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, in four lines: Ámbar, Origen Gran Reserva, Vitrum Premium and the icons Alexia and Guillermo, the latter dominated by Carménère. The Pinot Noir in the Origen line is the exception: it comes from Malvilla, in the San Antonio Valley, about 5 km from the sea. The winery building, from 2005, was designed by Marianne Balze, with landscaping by Teodoro Fernández; it leans into the hillside to move the wine by gravity, and its curves of laminated timber and exposed concrete are part of what you come to see. The estate reports that it holds the Vinos de Chile sustainability certificate.

Visits take place at the winery, 65 km from Santiago via the Autopista del Sol, and are booked by WhatsApp; the estate is open all year and also points to a bus from the Terminal San Borja. The Tour Premium and the chocolate-and-wine tour take in the gardens, the winery and the aging cellar before the tasting; there is also a three-hour trek to the Los Paltos lookout, a clay workshop with a potter from Pomaire, a picnic under the vine arbor and the Día Campestre, a country day with a barbecue in the quincho (barbecue pavilion) among quillay trees. Each activity has its own days and a minimum number of people: the two tours run from 4, and the rest are offered to private groups from 10, though it's best to confirm when booking. The winery lists no restaurant open to the public or accommodation; it does host events and weddings with catering. Harvest happens in March and April, and in March 2026 it held the second edition of its Noche de Vendimia (Harvest Night). Beside Ruta G-60, about 900 m from the winery, the wine shop offers the wines along with cheeses, olive oil, coffee and chocolates; they can also be bought from the online store.