History

Since its beginning, Viña El Descanso has produced wines that express their Chilean roots and traditions; in which people work the earth, and the natural barriers that surround the vineyard maintain the perfect terroir.

Viñedo El Descanso is located in the Curicó Valley, traditionally known as the “viticultural heart of Chile.” Here the warm days and cool nights help create authentic wines with exceptional fresh fruit aromas and significant depth and complexity.

This 150-hectare (371 acre) estate was first planted to vine from 1949 to 1952, and the cellar was built in 1954 with state-of-the-art technology of the time, that included self-vinifying tanks that are still extremely effective. The age of the vineyards allows for grapes of excellent quality that ripen easily and yield big-bodied wines.

In the 1980s El Descanso replanted part of its vineyards with new and modern grape varieties, and enlarged the facilities with stainless steel tanks and the latest technology. More vines were planted from 1998 to 2000 and oak barrels were put to use to improve the ageing process of the wine.

In the oldest vineyards the operating system was based on “viñeros”; men who took charge of a specific block in which they tended year round and harvested in return for a pair of horses with their respective tack and ploughs. Horses are still used today to work in the vineyards.