Viñateros de Raíz

The winery

Viñateros de Raíz is the project of a married couple: winemaker Sergio Hormazábal, with 25 years in the trade between Chile and France, and landscape designer Macarena Guzmán. In 2015 they began, together with their children, to farm the plot where they live, in Carmen Bajo, municipality of Melipilla, and from there comes the idea that defines them: a garden-vineyard of barely 0.3 hectares and some 1,400 vines. They themselves look after the land, the winemaking, the fairs and the visitors who come to see them.

The vineyard sits on the southwest slope of Cerro Guanaco, on the most coastal edge of the Maipo Valley and about three kilometers from the river, with views over the Cholqui valley. It grows on an old, heavily weathered volcanic tuff and is managed with regenerative farming, without breaking the soil and with flowering cover crops; the winery describes its work as organic but publishes no certification. The base is Cabernet Sauvignon, to which they added in 2019 a block of 400 vines of Touriga Nacional, the Portuguese grape they present as unique in the Maipo. Since their own production is tiny, they also work with grapes from their neighbors. Their catalog comes to six wines, with fewer than 2,000 bottles a year per label according to the winery: the Umbral rosé, of Garnacha, Syrah and Monastrell, with 94 points in Descorchados 2026 for the 2025 vintage; Jardinero Mezcla Tinta and Jardinero Touriga Nacional; Aureo, a Syrah from a stony alluvial terrace; VOY!, a very limited edition of Cabernet Sauvignon, and Ambar, a fortified wine in the style of Tawny Port made together with La Viña del Señor.

The visit, the Tour Vinos del Jardín, lasts three hours, is led by the owners and takes place at the family's home, so it always requires a booking. It starts with a walk around the property to understand the soil and the vineyard management, continues on a terrace overlooking the valley with a tasting of three wines and a home-made pairing for each, and ends in the underground cellar. Request it through the website form, in Spanish, English or French, at midday, at sunset or at a time to be agreed. The price per person falls as the group grows: for two to four people it is CLP 55,000. Children are welcome. No restaurant is published, but the winery rents a cabin for two or three people, with a kitchen and a terrace with a grill. The wines are bought in the website's online store, with home delivery, and the family also takes them to fairs such as MaipOrigen.