Kingston Family Vineyards

The winery

The story of Kingston Family Vineyards begins in 1906, when Carl John Kingston left Michigan's Upper Peninsula to prospect for gold in Chile. He never found the vein, but he and his wife Caroline ended up with a cattle ranch in the hills of western Casablanca, about 20 kilometers from the Pacific. Their son John came back from studying in the United States to take charge of the estate, where he raised five children in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1990s, Courtney Kingston, of the fourth generation, wrote the plan to turn part of that land into vineyard while at Stanford's business school, and in 1998 the family planted the first 20 hectares, betting on cool-climate reds that were then almost unheard of in the valley. Today it is a Chilean-American winery founded and run by the women of the family, with an office in California and a team in Chile headed by general manager Enrique Alliende and winemaker Andrés (Andy) Campana.

The vineyard is in the Las Dichas area, in the heart of the Cordillera de la Costa, among hills covered in native forest. The nearby ocean brings cool, humid, cloudy days, and granite soils surface on the slopes. From those first 20 hectares the farm has grown to more than 140 hectares under vine, and Kingston is also a benchmark grape grower in Casablanca. In the cellar the work is done by hand, in small lots and with native yeasts. Pinot Noir is the backbone: Tobiano and Alazán are the younger versions, CJ's Barrel comes from the hills where the project began, and La Cantera and Cuartel 8D each come from a single block. Syrah appears as Lucero, Bayo Oscuro and CJ's Barrel; Chardonnay as Sabino, aged in concrete eggs and used barrels, and as CJ's Barrel; Sauvignon Blanc as Cariblanco, from the oldest vines, and as a south-slope CJ's Barrel; Merlot as Pangaré, added in 2017, and there is also a rosé, Rosillo. The wine names are horse coat colors, a nod to the horses that once worked the land. Tim Atkin has placed Kingston among his First Growths of Chile six years running, gave 96 points to CJ's Barrel Pinot Noir 2023, CJ's Barrel Chardonnay 2023 and La Cantera Pinot Noir 2022, and named Campana Young Winemaker of the Year in his 2026 report.

The visit begins as you leave a country road and drive up an avenue of palms to the tasting room, a contemporary building with a terrace and views over the valley which, together with the winery and the guesthouse, won the global Architecture and Landscapes award at Great Wine Capitals' Best Of Wine Tourism in 2025. All experiences are private and booked in advance, through the website form, WhatsApp or email. There are three guided tastings of five wines, with a welcome glass, small bites and an optional cellar visit: Casablanca Essentials (USD 55), CJ Kingston and Pinot Noir & Chardonnay (USD 75 each), plus VAT and gratuity, departing daily between 10:00 and 16:00. With at least two days' notice you can book a five-course paired lunch (USD 115) or a Chilean cooking class with the chef (USD 150), and groups can request a masterclass on the family business based on a Stanford case study. Kingston does not operate as a walk-in restaurant: the chef cooks only for those who book. Buy the wines at the winery, because the website's online shop ships only within the United States. The tasting room closes on January 1, May 1, September 18 and 19, and December 8 and 25.