This guide is for you if you want a taste of Chilean wine from Santiago without giving up a whole day. The tour takes you to Concha y Toro at Pirque and back in five hours. The planning is mostly about one thing: booking the winery's own visit first, then choosing our start time to match it.
Book the winery visit first
Concha y Toro runs its own visits at set times, and the visit and tasting are not part of our price. You book them directly with the winery. Its visits are subject to availability and to changes in the daily schedule, and the winery advises buying in advance.
The winery offers several formats, and they differ mainly in length and in what you taste. Formats have included:
- A guided tour of about two hours, with the museum, a tasting, the park and the Casillero del Diablo cellar.
- Longer versions of the same tour, of around two and three-quarter hours, which add a second tasting of one of the winery's ranges.
- A version with lunch at the winery's restaurant, Bodega 1883.
- Late-day formats, such as an evening tasting with a cheese board and a night visit to the cellar with dinner.
- A harvest experience, in some seasons.
Formats and times change, so check the winery's site before you book. Once you have your slot, pick our 07:00 or 13:00 start so that you arrive in good time. The drive to Pirque takes about an hour, and our timings leave around two hours at the winery, which fits the standard tour. A longer format makes the day longer than our timings allow, so tell us when you book.
What you see at Pirque
Concha y Toro was founded in 1883 by Don Melchor Concha y Toro. At Pirque, at the foot of the Andes south of Santiago, the visit takes in the late 19th-century gardens of the family's former summer house, the Casona Don Melchor, and the vineyards. Some tours include a plot planted with 25 different grape varieties, side by side.
The cellar is the part people remember. The story goes that Don Melchor, tired of losing bottles from his best stock, let it be known that the devil lived in his cellar. Local superstition did the rest, and the bottles stopped disappearing. The name Casillero del Diablo, the devil's cellar, comes from that.
When to go
Autumn, from March to May, is harvest time in the valleys around Santiago, and the city itself is calmer then, with fewer visitors. If you want to see the grapes being picked, those are the months. Summer, from December to February, is hot in Santiago, often above 30°C. The morning start keeps you out of the worst of the afternoon heat.
In any season, the two starts give the day a different feel. The 07:00 start gets you back to Santiago by midday, and the afternoon is yours. The 13:00 start lets you sleep in and ends with the drive back in the early evening.
How the five hours fit together
You are collected at your hotel or apartment in Centro, Providencia, Las Condes or Vitacura. About an hour later you are at Concha y Toro. The visit and tasting take most of the next two hours.
After the winery, about three hours into the day, you have lunch at a country restaurant in Pirque, with the mountains behind the vines. Lunch is not included. You start back at around four and a quarter hours, through the south of the city, and you can be dropped at your hotel or anywhere else in Santiago.
The point of the day is that nobody has to drive. Your driver does the driving, so everyone in your group can taste.
On your own or with a driver
Pirque is close to Santiago, about 45 minutes to an hour by road according to the winery, and the visit itself is easy to book. The question is getting there and back after a tasting. Driving yourself means one person does not drink. A private car removes that problem and takes you straight from the cellar to lunch and back to your door, at the time that suits you. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Who it suits, and who should check first
It suits a first taste of Chilean wine, a short day before or after a longer trip, and couples or friends who want a relaxed afternoon. A few points to check before you book:
- Age. Tastings are for adults only, and the winery asks you to confirm you are of legal drinking age when you book. Bring ID.
- Children. On at least one of its tours, the winery states that children are not allowed in the tasting room. If you are travelling with children, check the conditions of the format you choose.
- Mobility. The winery says the Casillero del Diablo cellar does not have universal access, because the historic building cannot be altered. If anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or finds steps hard, ask the winery which parts of the visit are accessible.
- Pets. Pets are not allowed on the winery grounds.
Making more of the day
Pirque sits at the mouth of the Cajón del Maipo, so the two can be joined as a longer trip. If you would rather see the mountains in full, our Cajón del Maipo and El Yeso day goes all the way up the valley. There are other wineries in the Maipo Valley too, and a second visit is possible; it makes the day longer, so ask us and we will price it. Our guide to day trips from Santiago compares all five of our days from the city.
Questions people ask
What if there are more than 16 of us?
You travel in two vehicles on one booking. Message us through the contact page and we will price it.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel our tour up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page. The winery visit is booked with the winery, under its own conditions.
Booking the day
Book your Concha y Toro visit first, then choose the start that fits it. The pick-up areas, timings and what is included are on the Concha y Toro private wine tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
