Wine guide
Concha y Toto
With over 6,000 hectares of vineyard Concha y Toto is quite simply, the largest (and the top-rated) winery in Chile. Concha also tips the scales as one of the world’s top three leading wine producers, and accounts for almost 25% of Chilean wines on the global market. So if you haven’t already heard of it, then you must have been living under a rock.
A star is born
Founded in 1883, as expanded beyond all recognition from its humble beginnings. A producer of firsts, it was the first wine producer to introduce French (ergo Bordeaux) fine wine blends to its terroir. Because of its grand age (many South American vineyards are not even half the age of Concha), it was the first to snap up the best parcels of land (today it has the lion’s share - over 12 estates - of premium wine terroir in Chile). The estate was also one of the first publicly traded wine estates on the Santiago stock exchange in 1923. Bought out by the wine producing Guilisasti family in 1961, Concha y Toto established itself as the go-to brand for those who wanted decently priced, decent quality wine. The Guilisasti’s investment allowed Concho to initiate its export market and in 1963 its (then) flagship wine Casillero del Diablo became the first Chilean wine to be imported into the US (previously the only export market had been The Netherlands). 1987 saw Guilisasti enter into a partnership with US importers Banfi Vitners, which gave the US market a full spectrum of Concha y Toto’s wine. On the bqck of this great success, shares of Viña Concha started trading on Wall Street in 1994. However, the company is now delisted from the NYSE, leaving hundreds of thousands of investors unable to sell.
And the prize goes to ...
No one when talking about Concha y Toto could omit to mention its Carmenere. Rated as Chile’s 5th most expensive wine (behind the joint venture with Rothschild), Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the 2013 vintage a score of 95. This is a relatively high priced wine, especially considering the region with average prices tipping the scales at around €120 a bottle in Q3 2019. This is a drop from it’s high point of €150 at the start of 2018, probably due to relaxed demand.
Notable facts and vintages
- In March 2013, an international poll of beverage industry analysts, Masters of Wine, consultants, winemakers, wine writers, retailers, educators and buyers, sponsored by U.K.-based Drinks International magazine, named Concha y Toro the “World’s Most Admired Wine Brand” – for the third year in a row.