Viña Escondida de Colchagua

The winery

Viña Escondida de Colchagua is the project of the family of Martín Subiri and Macarena Guiñez, who bought a plot in La Dehesa, a rural area of the municipality of Placilla, and moved there to live. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines were already more than a decade old when they arrived, and for the first few years they sold the grapes to other wineries. In 2014 a winemaker friend made the first bottles and, on the strength of that result, the family decided to carry on with wine of their own. Martín presents himself as the author of the wine and Macarena as the founder who welcomes visitors. The name and the labels come from a local tale: according to the winery, decades ago the property belonged to Urbano Pérez, an engineer at the El Teniente mine who set up a speakeasy (clandestino) in an old storehouse, where the American bosses from Sewell, politicians and estate owners came to drink, dance and play monte, a card game.

The vineyard has 8.3 hectares, all Cabernet Sauvignon. From that fruit come the Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignons, with two years in barrel, whose illustrated labels portray the characters of the old speakeasy: El Dueño (the owner), La Madame, El Banquero (the banker) and El Mozo (the waiter). The online store adds a Carmenere called Tomás, the Ajustacuentas blend, half Cabernet Sauvignon and half Carmenere, and a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sparkling wine; the winery also makes a rosé and a Cabernet Sauvignon brandy. It is a small, artisanal, family-made production.

All activities run by advance booking, Tuesday to Sunday, and are bought in the winery's online store, which schedules the day and time. The tour starts among the vines, where the year's work in the vineyard is explained, continues through the winery and ends with wines tasted straight from the tanks and French oak barrels, along with the house rosé and brandy. You can also book just the tasting, or a winery visit with lunch. The El Clandestino restaurant opens Tuesday to Sunday from midday and, with a booking, also welcomes those who only come for lunch: its short menu offers sirloin steak in a wine reduction or reineta (a local fish) with mushroom sauce, with pan amasado (traditional Chilean bread) and dessert, and the house wines are served at cellar-door prices.