Concha y Toro Vineyard

On Saturday, Matt and I went to a vineyard called Concha y Toro. Concha y Toro is located just outside of the city proper in an area called Maipú. We went on a winetasting and vineyard tour there with our Australian friends, Elly and Matt.

The tour started with a long, bizarre bus ride. We enjoyed getting out of the city for a bit and seeing the paisajes (landscapes/countrysides).

The weather was perfect for a walking tour. The sun was shining and the temperature was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or 21 degrees Celsius - I'm still getting used to temperatures in Celsius).

Concha y Toro was founded in 1883. It is the largest producer of wine in Latin America, and draws many tourists from around the world. We were there as gringos alongside our Aussie friends, and also met Brazilians, Argentinians, Colombians, and a few Chileans. 

Concha y Toro has also garnered national attention as a sponsor for the soccer team Manchester United. The gift shop had not only wine and wine accessories, but also Man U gear!

Although we went during sort of the off-season (the grape plants were not in bloom), we still enjoyed looking at the vineyard.

The grounds were quite beautiful. The photo below is of the home of Don Melchor, the original owner of the vineyard. You can't tell from the photo, but the house is palacial! There are 22 rooms, seven bathrooms, and countless parlors. It is now used as offices for the shareholders.

Truthfully, I don't care much for wine (I'm not a big drinker in general), so I couldn't tell you the names of the wines I tried, or any of the nuanced flavors or undertones. There were three of them, though, and they were all red wines, as red grapes are more common in Chile. The wines we sampled were quite smooth, and they were all French styles (but Chilean-grown and -produced).

They let us keep our glasses as a souvenir.

After touring the vineyard, we traveled to the Concha y Toro cellar, which, according to legend, is haunted by the devil himself, which is why it is known as el casillero del diablo.

According to the legend, many years ago thieves broke into the cellar and stole several bottles of wine. While escaping back to town, bottles in hand, they were ambushed by a dark spirit, thought to be the devil, that killed them. After that, everyone had great reverence and fear for the Concha y Toro cellar, and were too afraid to try to steal from it, lest the devil attack them, too. 

Most legends like this are developed and spread in order to scare poor people into not stealing from the rich. Nevertheless, the legend persists today.

The cellar was very dark. We were told the legend via a cool projection on the cellar wall.

Giant casks in the cellar.

There were so many!

This is just one small wing of the cellar. There were many, many wine barrels.

All in all, it was a really nice time. We had fun with our friends, we experienced a great example of one of Chile's most important exports (wine), and enjoyed the nice weather. 

Matt and Elly

I hope to take more excursions soon. I'll be sure to post about all of them!