Viña Cousiño Macul

The winery

Cousiño Macul was born in 1856, when Matías Cousiño bought the Hacienda Macul, some 1,000 ha on the foothills of the Andes watered by the Las Perdices springs and the San Carlos canal, on land where vines had been grown since colonial times. His son Luis and Luis's wife, Isidora Goyenechea, replanted the vineyards with vines brought from France: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Pauillac, Sauvignon Vert and Sauvignon Gris from Martillac and Riesling from Alsace. When she was widowed, Isidora took over the running of the winery, oversaw the building of the cellar inaugurated in 1878 and redesigned the company's family monogram. The winery still belongs to the same family, now in its sixth generation with the seventh already working there; according to the company itself, it is the only 19th-century Chilean winery that remains entirely in the hands of its founders.

The winery works two estates in the Alto Maipo: Macul, in Peñalolén, now surrounded by the city, and Buin, 300 ha bought in 1996 in the Paine area to replicate the historic vineyards, where production began in 2001 and where no visits are listed. The vines are planted on their own roots and renewed with massal selections from the estate's own nurseries. Of its ten varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot define the character of the reds, which make up more than 60% of production; among the whites, Riesling and Sauvignon Gris stand out. The range runs from the Don Luis and Don Matías lines to Antiguas Reservas, born with the 1927 harvest; Finis Terrae, the premium blend launched in 1994 with the 1992 vintage; Jardín de Macul, from old blocks such as the Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 1960; and Lota, the icon wine created for the winery's 150th anniversary. Rosario Palma, head winemaker since 2018, was named Revelation Winemaker by Descorchados 2026, the guide that gave 98 points to Jardín de Macul Cabernet Sauvignon 2021. The estate is certified under the National Sustainability Code, valid until October 2028, and uses compost, cover crops, sheep grazing and a solar plant in Peñalolén.

Visits take place at Macul, at Av. Quilín 7100, and are booked online on the winery's website. The Tour Tradicional covers in an hour the cellar for premium and icon wines, the old 19th-century vats, the century-old cellars and the museum, with three tastings and a glass to keep; the Tour Premium adds a tasting of three wines with bites. There is also a bike ride through the vineyard with four wines, a vertical tasting of Antiguas Reservas on Thursdays and Fridays and, in spring and summer, the Tour Sunset, which ends at dusk in the Jardín de Macul, with a wine bar and charcuterie. This garden, opened in 2023 inside the estate, can also be explored on your own with its own ticket: a family outing, alcohol- and smoke-free, among sheep, farm birds, a reservoir and picnic and hammock areas, with views of the Andes. The tours include access to it, except when closed for events or public holidays. The underground cellars are not wheelchair accessible, pets are not allowed and there is parking. The wines are bought in the winery's online store; no restaurant open to the public or accommodation is listed.