Korta Wines

The winery

Korta Wines is a family winery of the Maule founded in 1997 by the couple Francisco Corta Gurruchaga and Amanda Bucarey Fuentes, from a family of Basque origin with long experience in farming businesses. That year they bought the historic Santa Ana de Peteroa estate, in the Sagrada Familia valley, about 200 kilometers from Santiago, and with advice from Chilean winemakers and viticulturists they planted the varieties that define their wines today: Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Carignan, among others. According to the official website, on that land stands a memorial recalling the death of the toqui (Mapuche war chief) Lautaro at the battle of Peteroa. The Korta-Bucarey family still runs the winery, with Ricardo Pérez Cruz as winemaker, and its wines are exported to more than 20 countries.

The vineyard totals close to 210 hectares. The more than 180 hectares of red grapes are in the Sagrada Familia valley, surrounded by hills, in a warm climate where coastal winds create a marked difference between day and night temperatures. The 30 hectares of white grapes grow at the foot of the Andes, in the cooler Zapallar sector of the Curicó foothills, with Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Roussanne and Sauvignon Gris. The top-tier reds are harvested by hand, mostly in April. The list runs from the Classic Varietal and Reserva Selected wines to the Gran Reserva Barrel and the Premium line (K Premium, A de Korta, Reserva de Familia and the Beltz varietals of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Carignan), plus Brut, Brut Rosé and Extra Brut sparkling wines and sweet wines such as the Late Harvest.

The visit, with 24 hours' advance booking, covers the history of the winery, the vineyards and the winemaking process, and ends with a tasting of Korta wines paired with local products. It is offered Monday to Friday between 10:30 and 16:30 and, on weekends, subject to availability; there is also a higher-priced Premium version whose details the winery does not publish. The experience takes place on the old Santa Ana de Peteroa estate, in Sagrada Familia, home to the cellar and a historic manor house that the winery is restoring for wine tourism: its virtual tour dates it to 1870, and a press article gives it more than 200 years. The wine shop open to the public is elsewhere, on Ruta 5 Sur, km 192, on the outskirts of Curicó and about 20 km from the estate, so confirm the meeting point when you book. The wines can also be bought in the winery's online store.