Erasmo (Reserva de Caliboro)

The winery

Erasmo is the brand of Viña La Reserva de Caliboro, in the dry-farmed interior (secano interior) of Maule, beside the Perquilauquén River. The winery was born in 1995, when the Italian count Francesco Marone Cinzano, owner of Col d'Orcia in Montalcino, joined forces with the Solar family, which had kept these lands for generations. They restored an old colonial cellar, planted vines brought from France and Italy and rescued the dry-farmed vineyards that already existed. Today, with Javier Rousseau Solar as general manager, a new generation carries on that work.

The estate says it works without synthetic chemicals, with planned grazing and cover crops on soils of granitic origin. It held organic certification for years and now presents itself as regenerative: it has Land to Market verification for the El Bagual vineyards, the source of part of its grapes, the first in South America by its own account, and it belongs to the Slow Wine Coalition. Its line brings together the Erasmo Blend, based on Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, plus a Cabernet Franc, a Syrah, a blend of Barbera and Garnacha, a País from century-old vines, and two sweet wines, a Torontel Late Harvest and a País Asoleado (made from sun-dried grapes). Caliboro is also where the grape variety of the same name was identified, a white criolla grape, a natural cross of País and Moscatel, through a study by INIA. The online store sells by the case, with six bottles from CLP 70,000.

The visit takes place in Caliboro Alto, at km 5.8 of Camino San Antonio, in a cluster of tile-roofed buildings surrounded by vineyards. The website publishes three tours: Inicio, through the cellar with a tasting of two wines; Erasmo, led by one of the owners, with five wines; and Regenera, a seasonal tour of the El Bagual vineyards, for which you need your own vehicle. Any of them can be extended with an aperitif or a lunch or dinner under the century-old grape arbor (parrón) of the adobe manor house. The wine shop sells wines, local products and crafts. The cellar is a shared space: it is used jointly with Garage Wine Co., a separate project with its own wines and visits. Visits are arranged by WhatsApp or email with Josefa Campos.