Viña Aromo

The winery

Viña Aromo was born in 1922, founded in the Maule Valley by the French firm Estansan y Cía. In 1936 Víctor Henríquez Solar acquired the rights to the winery and joined it to the vineyards he had inherited, and it has remained in his family's hands ever since: the second generation came in in 1970 and the third from 2000. In 1980 it opened a distributor of third-party wines, drinks and spirits, in 1990 it bought the El Trapiche estate and winery, in Villa Alegre, and in 1997 it opened up to exports; today it reports shipments to 30 countries. The head winemaker is Jimena Egaña. The brand presents itself as Viña Aromo, although the sign on its building in Talca still reads Viña El Aromo.

The winery reports 320 hectares of its own across four estates, spread over two zones of Maule. In the Claro Valley, in the municipality of Maule and toward Duao, are Santa Margarita and El Pilar, with stony soils, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Tintorero. In the Loncomilla Valley are El Trapiche, in Villa Alegre, where the wines are made in a cellar with fifteen million liters of storage capacity, and Ventolera, in the Melozal area of the municipality of San Javier, warmer and planted with Syrah, Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. The wines are organized into several lines: Aromo Varietal, Reserva Privada and Barrel Selection; Dogma, with Gran Reserva, Prime and sparkling wines; V de Víctor, the blend that honors Don Víctor on the winery's hundredth anniversary; the Centenario sparkling wine, of Pinot Noir; Artemisa, a Moscatel late harvest; and the Catedral sparklers.

The winery publishes no tours or tastings. What is open is its wine shop, next to the head office and distribution center at 20 Oriente 1675, in Talca: according to its website, Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00, and Saturdays from 8:30 to 13:30. Google Maps gives somewhat shorter hours, so call ahead at +56 71 224 2438. The El Trapiche winery is about 28 km away in a straight line and has no published visits. The online store, Aromo Store, sells by the case of six bottles, from CLP 23,940 for Aromo Varietal, ships throughout Chile and takes WhatsApp inquiries at +56 9 6678 2516. The winery's website also includes a map of retail outlets.