An encounter with the devil at Concha y Toro winery

I’m sure you’ve seen Casillera del Diablo wine at your local grocery store. It’s sold everywhere here as well—and for only 2.000 pesos (= $4). Central Chile is certainly a big wine growing and exporting region, but I had no idea that Concha y Toro winery exports 33% of this country’s wine. Just as interesting, you can take the Santiago Metro to the winery! Well… almost. Still, it’s just a 5 minute taxi ride from the last Metro stop on Line 4. (If only BART were extended from San Francisco to Sonoma or Napa…)

On this cold weekend day, there were very few tourists at the winery and only 8 of us on an English-speaking tour. The gardens and grounds were quite nice, situated in Chile’s central valley with views of coastal mountain ranges in the distance. I’m guessing the property is much more beautiful during the summer growing season.  

There is a fun story related to the origination of the biggest export brand, Casillera del Diablo (translated: Cellar of the Devil). Apparently locals were stealing wine from the cellars during the 1890s, so the owner of the winery began to spread a rumor that the devil lived in his wine cellar. Because the locals were very superstitious, the rumor took hold, and today the winery plays on this bit of history.

Original cellar at Concha y Toro with the name Casillera del Diablo. Can you see him?

No hay diablo leso – translation 1: There is no dumb devil

No hay diablo, leso – translation 2: There is no devil, dummy

All that devil talk made me thirsty. It had been at least 30 minutes since our last tasting and I was ready for more at this point.

After being served the good stuff, a $105 USD bottle of 2006 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, Stephanie felt like la reina de la Casillera del Diablo (queen of the devil’s cellar).

Obligatory tourist group-shot of our crew. Thiago from Sao Paolo, Stephanie from Vancouver and me.

I think I heard the devil speaking to me from behind those barrels. Seriously.

A scary place; an empty wine glass.

I almost forgot to show you—they really do grow grapes here.

After telling us about this beautiful old18-room vineyard house, explaining the long history and talking about its famous former inhabitants, we reach an anticlimactic moment when… our tour guide admits the house is a call center today! Strange.

Hasta luego, Concha y Toro. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around at the supermarket sometime soon…