One Day in Maipo Valley, Chile
Updated: 55 minutes ago
Just outside Santiago, Maipo Valley is one of Chile’s classic wine regions, especially if Cabernet Sauvignon is your thing. Warm, dry summers help grapes ripen fully, while the valley’s different elevations and growing conditions give winemakers plenty to work with. Cabernet leads the way here, but you’ll also find Carmenère, Merlot, Syrah, and a few surprises along the way.
Where We Tasted
Our stops gave us three very different experiences, from a smaller family-run winery to a larger, more established property. As usual, the places where we could relax, ask questions, and learn a little something along the way were the ones that stood out.
Odfjell Vineyards
Odfjell was our favorite stop in Maipo. It’s a beautiful, family-run winery with a female winemaker, and the whole experience felt relaxed and personal. Our tasting included small bites alongside wines made from French grape varieties, interpreted with Odfjell’s own Chilean style. The setting was lovely, the tasting was interesting without feeling overly formal, and it was the kind of visit where we could simply enjoy the wines and the experience.
TerraMater
TerraMater brought a completely different personality to the day. Three sisters founded the winery, and Paula Cifuentes was its chief winemaker. We especially enjoyed tasting the wines alongside TerraMater’s olive oil, followed by an excellent lunch on the patio. The staff and sommelier were terrific, and the winery gave us a chance to try something unusual for Chile: Primitivo. TerraMater says its founding family brought the grape to Chile in 1984.
Undurraga
We almost skipped Undurraga because we were watching the clock before our departure, but we're glad we didn’t. The property is gorgeous, and our patio tasting was a great way to finish the day. The wines were good, but what really made the visit work was the tasting team. Even after a full day of wine, they kept the experience engaging and worth the extra time.
Get to Know the Wines of Maipo Valley
Maipo is best known for structured red wines, with Cabernet Sauvignon firmly at the center of the region’s identity.
Climate: Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Vineyards stretch from the Andean foothills toward the coastal mountains, so growing conditions vary across the valley.
Key Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted, followed by significant plantings of Merlot, Syrah, and Carménère.
Wine Styles: Red wines dominate, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends, although individual producers may work with less expected varieties and styles.
What to Expect: Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon is typically structured and tannic, with enough concentration to make it feel substantial without simply being about power.
Worth Knowing: Maipo is close enough to Santiago to make it a very manageable wine day if you’re visiting the city.
Try This: Start with Cabernet Sauvignon, then branch out. Carménère, Syrah, and even something unexpected like TerraMater’s Primitivo can make the comparison much more interesting.
Getting There
We booked a private car for the day, which made visiting several wineries much easier, although we weren’t particularly impressed with the service we used. Plenty of transportation options are available online, but one lesson from our experience: make sure you request a vehicle large enough for your group.
Also check exactly what your transportation company includes. Ours arranged the driver and winery reservations, but we paid for the tastings and meals separately. It’s worth knowing that before you head out so there are no surprises.
Hillary Tucker is a WSET Level 2 wine professional currently working toward Level 3, and the founder of Grape Curious, where she makes learning about wine approachable, practical, and fun. She helps curious people understand what they’re tasting, discover what they like and why, so they can trust their own taste.
Through the Grape Curious blog, Hillary also shares wine tips and travel experiences, often highlighting smaller wineries she visits with her family, where relaxed settings, personal conversations, and casual learning make discovering wine even more enjoyable.
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