Palo Alto

From thorny trees to wine - Palo Alto

The thorny trees that grow on the hills of the Maule Valley are called Palo Alto in the region. For 22 years, Héctor Urzúa, the winemaker at Palo Alto, searched for the best spots of land to grow his wines on. Here he finally found what he was looking for, on the barren, stony soils on which the striking trees grow. The vines are put under stress by the harsh environmental conditions, producing delicious, unique wines.

The Maule Valley, Chile's wine repository

The Maule Valley is located about 260 km south of Chile's capital Santiago and is the largest wine growing region in the country. The winemaking tradition dates back to the 16th century, where it was started by the Spanish conquistadors. Red grape varieties account for three quarters of the viticulture. The most important are:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Carménère

In addition, there are internationally known white wine varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

The valley is overall very dry, depending on the location, the climatic influence changes from maritime due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean to continental near the Andes. Due to the dryness, artificial irrigation is used more often in the summer. Temperatures vary greatly between day and night, which results in additional stress for the grapes. The soils are rich in clay and dominated by volcanic rock.

Commitment of Palo Alto

Palo Alto launched its "Enjoy Wine, go solar" campaign in 2017. In the course of this, a school in the village of Lo Figueroa was equipped with solar panels and pumps, so that it is now possible for its approximately 200 students to have access to hot water and clean energy. For this, the brand was awarded the "Best green launch of the year" in the same year.

Enjoy a piece of the Maule Valley's austere, special character with Palo Alto's crisp Sauvignon Blanc, or velvety Reserva I. Cheers