Just beyond Santiago lies the Maipo Valley, home to the great traditional Chilean vineyards such as Concha y Toro, Undurraga, Santa Rita and Cousiño Macul. Here you can learn more about the history of Carménère, a grape variety of French origin that seemed extinct but resurfaced in the central valleys of the country and is still offered practically exclusively in Chile.

Concha y Toro was also the first winery in the world to receive the “Preferred by Nature” sustainable tourism label in February 2022. The company has a long history of promoting the sustainability of wine. For many years, they have pioneered work in various areas, such as carbon and water footprint measurement and management, and forest conservation.

Get to know Chile’s oldest and most famous wineries and visit their vineyards and cellars. Taste great wines, experience a journey into the past and be impressed by the avant-garde design of the facilities and the innovative production systems.

The Maipo Valley is one of Chile’s best-known wine-growing regions, with a reputation for being the home of excellent and renowned red wines. Here you will find vineyards to the east, nestled in the foothills of the Andes, and vineyards to the west, reaching down to the sandy soils of the coastal mountains.

Here you can also taste the Cabernet Sauvignon wines, which are among the best in the country. Visit the various wineries in the valley, which offer interesting activities such as bike tours, wine tastings and exquisite cuisine.

HOTELS IN THE MAIPO VALLEY

Majadas de Pirque

In the midst of nature and the rural surroundings of Pirque, just 50 minutes by car from downtown Santiago, is the Hotel Las Majadas de Pirque, which welcomes its guests in a warm atmosphere. Noble materials such as oak and elm wood were used in the construction of the hotel. From your hotel room, you can enjoy a view of the beautiful park from your balcony, which invites you to linger and take a walk. The Majadas de Pirque Park has more than a thousand evergreen trees with native species such as peumos, Chilean araucarias as well as cypresses and palm trees.

A truly remarkable sight is the impressive French-style palace built in 1907, which stands in the middle of the park and today also serves as a congress center and houses a café and library.

Casa Real (Santa Rita vineyard)

The Hotel Casa Real is part of the Santa Rita winery, located near Santiago on the slopes of the Maipo Valley. The winery is firmly part of Chile’s history, as it was where Doña Paula Jaraquemada, the then owner, granted refuge to the Chilean national hero Bernardo O’Higgins and 120 of his soldiers from this Spanish adversaries. Even today, the “120” line of wine is a reminder of this. The elegant Hotel Casa Real is housed in an old manor house from the 19th century and is surrounded by a large park.

The house is still largely furnished with the valuable original furniture from that time, giving it a unique historical touch. At the same time, the Hotel Casa Real offers modern comforts and the in-house museum provides the opportunity to learn more about the time before and after the Spanish conquest.

For more information on wine tours in the Maipo Valley please send an email to info@travelart.com.