Viña Pérez Cruz

The winery

Pablo Pérez and Mariana Cruz bought Fundo Liguai in 1963, in Huelquén, in the municipality of Paine, on the south bank of the Maipo and at the foot of the Andes, some 40 km south of Santiago. It was a family gathering place until, in 1993, Mariana and her eleven children planted the first 21 ha of Cabernet Sauvignon. New plantings in 1998 and in 2009–2010 took the vineyard to about 260 ha, all on the same estate, where the wine is also made and bottled. The family presented its first wines under the Pérez Cruz name in 2002, and Germán Lyon, who arrived as head winemaker in 2001, remains in charge as technical director.

The winery building, commissioned in 2000 from architect José Cruz Ovalle, is the most recognizable feature of the place: a great timber hall with curved ribs, surrounded by native espino, litre and quillay trees and dry-stone walls (pircas). According to the winery, it had already appeared in seven architecture books before its first official vintage. The estate's soil is stony and clayey, and Cabernet Sauvignon leads the portfolio, accompanied by Carménère, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cot (Malbec). The lines run from Gran Reserva and Limited Edition to Piedra Seca, Chaski and the blends Liguai and Quelén, with Pircas as the icon wine; since 2019 there has also been a line the winery calls vinos fríos (wines to serve chilled), with Grenache and the rosé Lingal. It has held ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications since 2009 and the National Sustainability Code, and sells in its online store with delivery throughout Chile.

Visits don't start at the winery but at Emporio Liguai, the shop, wine bar and terrace the winery opened in 2024 beside the Camino Padre Hurtado, about 1.6 km from the winery as the crow flies. From there you cross the vineyard by golf cart to the production area and the underground cellar, where the wines are tasted; the bike tour covers the route by pedal and leaves the tasting for the return to the Emporio. There are four tours, booked at least 24 hours ahead on Tourpay or at turismo@perezcruz.com, with a minimum of two people. The winery is not set up for infants: minors can come along from age 14, and the tasting is for over-18s only. Without taking a tour you can also stop by the Emporio for a coffee or a glass with sandwiches and boards on the terrace, and buy wines, souvenirs and meat from Hacienda Liguai.