Botalcura

The word Botalcura means “large stone” in Mapundungun, the language of southern Chile’s indigenous Mapuche people. Symbolically, the image of something as hard and solid as rock speaks of the power of the gods and capable of withstanding time. Both of these ideas come together in the wines of Botalcura Winery. The indomitable yet generous power of nature, the source of the intense and concentrated vines that produces very high quality wines, combines with the certainty of transcending time, of making time an ally that will bear out the excellence of Botalcura Wines.

Viña Botalcura is the result of the passion of two men—one Chilean, one French, and both passionate about the small town of Botalcura and the wines they can make there.

Chilean businessman Juan Fernando Waidele met French winemaker Philippe Debrus in 2000, and their fate was sealed. Waidele was seduced by the enchanting Maule Valley countryside and Debrus longed to return to the hands-on style of winemaking he learned as a young winemaker in France. They began their project in 2000 and vinified their first wine in 2002.

Botalcura is a small village in southern Chile, 3 hours south of Santiago
and half an hour northeast of the city of Talca, set among rolling hills that the generous climate paints with a broad range of ever-changing colors throughout the year. Seduced by the rugged charm of the countryside, home to the elusive quail, we are inspired to build a future here. The simplicity of the village, which is scarcely more than a row of houses along one side of a dirt road, fills us with enthusiasm for sharing our dream of forming an exceptional winery with the local inhabitants. The purity of the environment reinforces our desire to give life to Botalcura Winery.

We built our winery in western Chile, near the Coastal Mountains, in the town of Botalcura, and have since become an essential part of the community where the El Delirio and La Porfia vineyards are planted. Our Reserve and Grand Reserve wines are named for these vineyards that were christened by the venerated residents of this land of promise.

Our winery was designed to reflect our desire to maintain the delicate harmony of the natural environment and the original buildings of the surrounding area. When we first came to Botalcura, we were struck by the beauty and imposing character of the local architecture that gracefully blends the richness and simplicity of the old colonial style buildings influenced by the ancient Spanish customs and we sought to reproduce these very concepts when we built our winery.

Botalcura Winery cares about sustainable development and is therefore founded upon three equally important essential components that must be taken into account to achieve a better future:

SOCIETY + ECONOMY + ENVIRONMENT = SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Botalcura Winery protects the community and nature and is also a competitive business.

Botalcura Winery is convinced that development must be fair and equitable and therefore allow people to satisfy their needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to do likewise. Obviously our children and grandchildren cannot do this if we consume all of the planet’s resources and leave them a polluted environment. The final goal is to have a better quality of life and a clean planet.

Certifications: HACCP/SGS - ISO 14,000
Carbon footprint: In process.