Viña San José de Apalta

The winery

Viña San José de Apalta was born in 1970 as a family business and, like many wineries of the time, began by selling wine in garrafas and chuicas (demijohns), as the Cachapoal Wines association tells it. In 1994, after more than two decades in the trade, it decided to concentrate on fine wines: it invested in technology and moved to the 750 ml bottle and to exports, which today have Asia, above all China, as their main destination. Its website defines it as a boutique winery, but it is not a small cellar: the association credits it with a capacity of more than five million liters. The winemaker is Raimundo Barros and the head of vinification is Leonel Cortés. The registered company is Agrícola Santa Cristina Ltda.

The name can mislead: the winery is not in Apalta, the Colchagua area some 50 km to the southwest, but on the Ruta 5 Sur service road, around kilometer 108, in Rosario, municipality of Rengo, Cachapoal Valley. Its labels say Valle del Rapel, the larger area that includes Cachapoal and Colchagua, and in recent competitions it has entered as Cachapoal Valley. The house highlights Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, in a range that runs from the Reservas to the Single Vineyard and Gran Reserva, with the Friend's Collection blend (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 10% Carménère) and the Carménère Blue Label, from the Peumo D.O. Rounding out the offer are a traditional-method brut sparkling wine, a Late Harvest and Nuba, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Leyda Valley presented in 2026. At the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2025, the Gran Reserva and Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 won Grand Gold Medals.

The winery publishes no tours, prices or hours, and the Cachapoal Wines guide does not mark it among those offering tours. Its website does invite anyone wishing to visit to use its contact details, so a visit must be arranged beforehand by WhatsApp (+56 9 5668 5343), phone (+56 72 252 1796) or email (ventas@sanjosedeapalta.cl). To buy wine, the brand's shop operates inside the Reina Victoria restaurant, at Paseo Independencia 667, in downtown Rancagua, about 20 km north of the winery; the restaurant opens Monday to Friday 9:00 to 19:00 and Saturdays 9:00 to 18:00. In May 2026 the winery also said its wines are available at the winery itself, and it handles sales by WhatsApp; the website advertises free delivery to Rancagua and Santiago. Its website store shows products without prices and does not allow online purchases. It belongs to the Ruta y Vinos Cachapoal, with which it took part in the Primavera Wine fair in Machalí in October 2026.