In Situ Family Vineyards

The winery

In Situ Family Vineyards is the name under which Viña San Esteban, a family business at the far eastern end of the Aconcagua Valley, at the foot of the Andes, has presented itself since 2023. Its story began on 18 April 1974, when José Vicente Kusanovic bought Fundo La Florida, on the banks of the Aconcagua River in the municipality of San Esteban, where some four hectares of wine grapes were already growing. For two decades the family sold grapes; in 1992 it renewed the vineyards and planted Cabernet Sauvignon on the slopes of Paidahuén hill, in 1996 it made its first export, to the United States, and in 2000 the In Situ line was born. Since 2001 the winemaker has been Horacio Vicente, son of the founder and now also chief executive, who studied at the University of Bordeaux and worked at Château Mouton Rothschild and at Chalone Vineyards, in California. In 2007 the In Situ Winemaker's Selection Carménère 2005 was named the best Carménère in the world at the International Wine Challenge in London.

The winery works two estates in San Esteban. La Florida, 57 hectares and home to the cellars, at about 870 meters, has alluvial soils of sand and stones carried down from the mountains. Paidahuén, 90 hectares, climbs the slopes of an isolated hill to 940 meters, with thin soils formed by rock breaking down in place, which is the origin of the In Situ name. Hot days and the cool breeze that comes down from the mountain at night mark its high-altitude wines. Among its vines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Carignan, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The range goes from the Reserva and Gran Reserva lines to the Signature Wines, limited-production blends such as Syrah-Mourvèdre-Viognier or Cabernet-Sangiovese, and on to two icons: Laguna del Inca, which unites Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah and takes its name from the legend of the mountain lake, and QV1000, a Petit Verdot-based blend. A Pinot Noir from a parcel in the Casablanca Valley, a Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine and a Late Harvest complete the offer. The winery holds the Vinos de Chile sustainability certification and its labels are inspired by the hill's petroglyphs.

Visits are booked and paid online. The Tour In Situ lasts an hour and a half: it goes through the vineyards and the barrel room and ends with a tasting of three wines and a small board of cheeses, crackers and nuts with a view of the mountains; it runs Tuesday to Saturday, in Spanish, English or Portuguese, and costs CLP 25,000 per person, with a minimum of two. The winery also looks after and manages the Parque Arqueológico Paidahuén, a national monument on the hilltop: a self-guided trail of about two hours, steep and narrow, leads to rock outcrops with petroglyphs attributed to the Aconcagua culture and to the period of Inca influence, with views over the valley, the vineyards and the Andes. Entry is at 10:00 and admission costs CLP 3,000 (CLP 2,000 for children). The wines are sold at the winery's shop and in its online store. There is no restaurant open to the public and no accommodation; San Esteban is an hour and a half from Santiago.