Hacienda Araucano (François Lurton)

The winery

François Lurton belongs to the fifth generation of a family of Bordeaux winegrowers and has made wine in Chile since 1992. After traveling through several of the country's regions, in 2000 he planted his vineyards in the Lolol valley, in the coastal zone of Colchagua, on poor granite and schist soils, and built the valley's first winery there. Today Lolol has its own appellation of origin, and the estate farms 28 hectares about 40 kilometers from the Pacific. Each morning the temperature difference between sea and land forms a low mist over the vines, the “white smoke” (humo blanco) that names one of its lines and marks the edge of the blocks.

Farming is organic and biodynamic: the official website says that, after five years of conversion, the vineyards obtained Demeter certification, and Lolol serves as the testing ground for the ecological techniques the Lurton group later applies at its wineries in France, Spain and Argentina. Since there is no phylloxera in Chile, the vines grow on their own roots. The lines are Alka, a 100% Carménère that is the house's icon wine; Gran Lurton (formerly Gran Araucano), a Cabernet Sauvignon the winery presents as chosen three times as the best of its variety by Wines of Chile; C.L.O. (Clos de Lolol), with a red of Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cabernet Franc and a white of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay; Humo Blanco, devoted to the valley's fresh varieties such as Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah; Une, a Pinot Noir sparkling rosé; and L'Atelier, a small experimental series with a pét-nat, an orange wine and a sulfite-free Carménère.

The estate opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and experiences are booked online through Vintrail. The Tour Humo Blanco takes in vineyards, kitchen garden and gardens and ends with three wines; the Tour L'Atelier is a biodynamics workshop with a hands-on part in the Ruca (a traditional Mapuche-style house) and three wines from that line; and the Tour Grandes Vinos brings the main labels together in the glass: C.L.O. red and white, Gran Lurton and Alka. In spring and summer there are picnics among the vineyards with a bottle of Humo Blanco, and for groups a country-style barbecue can be arranged by advance booking. If you want to stay, you can rent the Casa de la Hacienda, a country house inside the vineyard for 12 people, with six double rooms with private bathrooms, a pool, a quincho (barbecue pavilion), a terrace and a fireplace, also available on Airbnb. The wine shop sells the estate's wines, and the online store ships nationwide, with free delivery in the Metropolitan and O'Higgins regions.