Chilean History

Since the end of 1980s, Chile is an inevitable actor on the worldwide chessboard of wine. Everything began with the arrival of the "Conquistadores" which, very quickly, felt the need to cultivate the grapevine, the wine being necessary to the celebration of mass. The first grapevine was planted in 1541 in Santiago.

Since the independence of the country in 1810, the large, important spanish families, realised the advantages of living in such special climate conditions began to establish big vineyards to satisfy the local request which was ever increasing.

Towards the middle of the XIX century, the French method , synonymous with quality, was introduced to reinforce and restructure the vineyards. Numerous aquitain grape varieties were established, starting with Merlot, Cabernet, Carmenère and Sémillon. The vineyards experienced a remarkable growth which fitted the fastidious demands of the exigent palates.

Chile is a staggering country which offers numerous climates divided into different degrees of latitude. They differentiate between 7 main regions with different characteristics: Aconcagua, Casablanca, Maïpo, Rappel, Maule, Valley of Itata, Bio bio.

Being located in the south hemisphere, the calendar is naturally reversed in comparison with the wine making of Chablis or the South of France. Grape harvests start in March.

Viña Punto Alto has two vineyards a few kilometres apart, and mainly planted with Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

El Chaparro is planted on well oriented and perfectly drained hillsides.

La Vinilla is the vineyard that surrounds the estate, and is planted on a plain, which has constant sunshine all day long.

Located on the Peaceful coast of Latin America, Chile stretches its 4 300 km from Peru to Cape Horn with an average breadth of 190 km. Natural borders isolate Chile of its neighbours. It is separated from Argentina in the East by the Andes Cordillera and from Bolivia and from Peru in north by the Atacama desert. The very particular geography of this country is reflected by its climate. The north is hot and arid, the Central Valley benefits from a Mediterranean climate and the South is influenced by an oceanic climate.



The exceptional natural environment and climatic conditions are very advantageous for viticulture which favours the development of the grapevines in the Central Valley.