To enhance the positioning of our wines in the main high-end restaurants in Peru, the LATAF team invited six prestigious sommeliers to taste and learn in depth about Viña Concha y Toro’s portfolio of luxury wines.

Among the sommeliers who visited Chile were María Florencia Rey from the renowned Maido restaurant – ranked No. 7 in the ranking of the 50 best restaurants in the world in 2023; Antonio Chávez, Alex Mendoza and Martin Saavedra, sommeliers from the restaurant group of renowned chef Rafael Osterling; Hania Matteucci from the gastronomic group Carnal, Fauna, Anima e Cuore and Shinua; and César Huanachi from the acclaimed Osaka restaurant.

“This action is part of a strategic plan to strengthen the image of our Luxury Brands in Latin America, a region in which we have historically had a good positioning, but where we see more and more business opportunities every day, especially in the gastronomic sector in Peru, which is known as a global ‘gastronomic capital’,” said José Ignacio Parodi, LATAM Export Director.

The visit began with a visit to the Don Melchor vineyard located in the acclaimed Puente Alto Denomination of Origin, where they were able to learn all about the soil and climate, harvest the grapes, and learn about the innovative “Solar Vineyard” project. Afterwards, they went to Casona Don Melchor to experience the “Winemaking Experience” with the CEO and Technical Director of Viña Don Melchor, Enrique Tirado.

Afterwards, they enjoyed a pairing lunch with Marcelo Papa, Concha y Toro’s Technical Director, who presented the Amelia line of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. Marcelo discussed the extraordinary quality that both wines have achieved in the last five years, as well as the characteristics of the Quebrada Seca vineyard located in the renowned Limarí Appellation of Origin, as the best origin to produce the high-end Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

At the end of the day, the sommeliers enjoyed an exclusive Don Melchor Dinner with Enrique Tirado, as part of the launch of the 35th vintage of Puente Alto’s icon Cabernet Sauvignon: Don Melchor 2021. On the occasion, they enjoyed with Enrique three iconic vintages of Don Melchor: 1998, 2005 and 2021.

To continue learning about the company’s wine portfolio, they went to the Peumo vineyard, located in the Cachapoal Valley, which gives life to Concha y Toro’s icon Carmenere, Carmín de Peumo and Terrunyo Carmenere.

During the day, they tasted a vertical tasting of three vintages of Carmín de Peumo: 2010, 2017 and 2020, where they were able to learn more about how this variety, rediscovered in Chile in 1994, has evolved. They also tasted Terrunyo Carmenere 2021 while touring the Cachapoal winery.

To close their visit to Chile, the sommelier team traveled to Viña Concha y Toro’s Center for Research and Innovation (CRI) to learn about the different projects promoted by the company in the areas of applied research, technological development, and innovation.

“This initiative, which for us was unprecedented – bringing together the best sommeliers from different restaurants in the same group – undoubtedly reinforced our perception of how important it is to provide an exclusive and valuable experience to push our wines in this channel. In addition to having achieved the incorporation of some labels in the pairing menus of these restaurants, we were able to establish a close, collaborative, direct and permanent relationship with each of them”, concludes José Ignacio Parodi.