OUR PEOPLE
The Cooperativa Agrícola Vitivinícola de Curicó Limitada is situated on 2500 acres of some of the best land in Chile. Originally founded in 1943 after the devastating earthquake of '39, the Cooperativa became a leader in wine export, and was one of the few coops to survive the troubling 70's and 80's. Today the Cooperativa maintains its rich tradition and continues to share with the world the quality, and unique taste of Curicó Valley wine.

THEIR HISTORY
Wine was brought to Chile during the Spanish conquest and flourished later under the skilled hands of Franciscan priests. By the end of the XIX century French wines, mainly brought from Bordeaux, found a natural home in the region. The Curicó landscape offered protection from Phylloxera disease that almost wiped out French vines in the mid-to-late 1800s. These vines flourished in Curicó, promoting a continuation of the grape varieties, rather then their complete loss. These have been their wines since the end of the nineteenth century and these are the vines that members of the Cooperativa continue to grow today.

Nestled between the snow-capped Andes Mountains and the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean, Curicó Valley possesses exceptional climatic qualities. Located in central Chile, the country’s hub for agricultural production, Curicó is blessed with well-defined seasons- a bright spring, a scorching summer, a dry autumn, and a rainy winter to quench thirsty farms. It is South America’s most benign climate.

For centuries the Lontue, Teno, and Mataquito rivers have nurtured the valleys of Curicó. The landscape of rivers has provided remarkable drainage, silent breezes and smooth hills, all of which have imprinted a unique and irreplaceable characteristic in each grape. This cultivation, occurring for almost half a millennium, has brought a balance of acidity to concentrate the grapes’ sugar. Instead of minimizing their unique characters, the Cooperativa’s advancements in environmental sustainability and organic production have favored the terrain. The individuality of the fruits of these vineyards and wine cellars has never diminished.

Expert hands of the Curicó people gently take care of the grapes and harvest them at the time of their exact ripeness. At noon, the sun seems to burn over the valley, temperatures rise and forests become shelters. During the night slight winds bring cool flavors from both the ocean and the mountain ice. White and red capture the seasons, the obscure earth and vegetable scents of this famous Chilean valley.

Reserva Merlot 2003
Carménère 2005
Sémillon 2006
Calesa