De Martino | Maipo Valley
De Martino winery was founded in 1934 by Pietro De Martino, who arrived in Chile from Italy in search of a place to satisfy his passion for winemaking. Looking for the perfect site, he found Isla de Maipo in the Maipo Valley, just 50 km from Santiago between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The village earned its name because it had been surrounded by a number of branches of the Maipo River until the early 20th century. A powerful earthquake and changes in climate have since dried up all but one large branch of the river. The vineyards now stand on one of the former branches of the river, which lends the soil characteristics that are unique in the valley and particularly good for grape production.
The property has grown tremendously since Don Pietro founded it so many years ago. It now has 300 organically-managed hectares planted to vine and still maintains its sense of being a family winery. The third and fourth generations of the De Martino family now work in the winery every day. Today, more than 80 years after it began, the winery maintains its dynamism, family tradition, and the adventurous, pioneering spirit of the De Martino family.
De Martino are self-styled specialists in the Carmenère, being the first Chilean winery to export a wine labelled with this grape variety. They have since challenged themselves to produce world class examples, realised in wines such as Altas de Piedras.