Undurraga

The Chilean winery 50 kilometers southwest of Santiago de Chile was founded in 1882 by the Basque immigrant Don Francisco Undurraga Vicuña (born 1855). Three years later he planted the first vines. As the first winery in Chile, the company began exporting wines to the USA in 1903. In 1995, huge investments were made in the winery and new vines were planted. The wine cellar contains 3.000 barrels. The company is still family owned, the cellar master is Max Undurraga. The vineyards in the Colchagua and Maipo areas cover over 1,000 hectares of vines. There are two cellars in each of the two areas. A variety of wines are produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Syrah. They are marketed in the Espumosos (sparkling wines), Reserva (Altazor, Bodega de Familia, Founder's Collection, Latest Harvest, Viejo Roble = barrique ageing) and Varietals lines. The Varietals are partly bottled (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling) in bottles similar to a ram's bag (Caramanyola = canteen). Around 2.5 million cases of wine are produced annually, 60% of which are exported to 50 countries.