Cousiño Macul, Winery in Maipo Valley, Chile

Cousiño Macul is a winery in Macul, Santiago, with a cellar finished in 1872 by French engineers for Isidora Goyenechea. Its brick vaults were laid with mortar of lime, sand and egg white, and a double-walled natural ventilation system keeps the interior at 14–15 °C and 70–75% humidity.

Luis Cousiño bought the 1,000-hectare Hacienda Macul in 1856 to fulfil Matías Cousiño's wish to make his own wine. He and Isidora Goyenechea imported Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Pauillac, Sauvignon Vert and Gris from Martillac, and Riesling from Alsace. After Luis died in 1873, Isidora ran the business; the French-designed cellar was finished in 1872. The family's seventh generation still owns the winery.

The estate takes its name from the founding family and reflects French influence in its architecture and winemaking approach. Visitors can see these European traces in the buildings and in how wine is made here.

The Macul cellar, finished in 1872, keeps a near-constant 14–15 °C and 70–75% humidity through passive ventilation; the main air movement occurs around 5:00 a.m. The newer Buin winery, opened in 2005, holds about 6.5 million litres in stainless steel tanks and a room for 3,000 oak barrels. Visits cover both sites, so confirm which one your tour enters.

The valley climate with warm days and dry air creates special conditions for grape growing. These natural conditions allow for grapes with specific character traits to develop.