In 1883, a ship docked on the coast of Chile after a long but largely uneventful journey across the Atlantic. On board this ship was a wealthy Chilean couple: Melchor de Concha y Toro, a businessman and politician, and his wife, Emiliana. They brought with them a small parcel of seeds they hoped to plant in the Maipo Valley region of Chile, and a Frenchman named Monsieur Labouchere who had valuable knowledge on their upcoming “project”.
The seeds were to be planted and grown into grapes … and not just any old grapes, but some of the greatest wine grapes from the Bordeaux region of France. Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Carmenere, while well established and deeply rooted in both the French countryside and the French wine-making tradition, were relative unknowns in Chile at the time.
Over time, the Concha y Toro winery grew in reputation and production. Today, they are responsible for the largest production of wine in Latin America, with crops ranging over 5 distinct mountainous valleys. They employ nearly 3,600 people and have their headquarters in the capital city of Santiago.
But this growth came with a price: a legend of a supernatural thief and rumors of a wine cellar inhabited by the devil himself.
Eight years before Melchor and Emiliana returned from a journey to France with their seeds and their vision for endless fields of new Chilean grape vines, they constructed this mansion in Pirque, a small community on the outskirts of Santiago. Built in a rural Chilean style with a few French accents and acres upon acres of gardens, the mansion remains a part of the Concha y Toro legacy to this day. It wasn’t until the late 1880s, when the first heavy barrels of wine were rolled into the mansion’s cellar, that some strange occurrences got the attention of the owner and some dark rumors began to frighten his employees.
At first, Melchor noticed a few barrels that weren’t exactly full … was a worker coming down to the cellar and taking a few sips each day? Surely that could be the only explanation. So he put a thick iron gate at the entrance to his cellar, thinking that would deter any would-be wine thieves. For a time it seemed to work, but then bottles began disappearing from the shelves overnight while the cellar was still locked. Who, or what, could be capable of such thievery? Only some mysterious supernatural force, surely! Before long the rumors spread, and every worker at Concha y Toro knew that the mansion was cursed by the “Casillero del Diablo” …
… “The Devil’s Cellar”.
Only now, over 120 years later, do we know the real truth … Melchor himself started the rumor of an otherworldly wine thief to keep his superstitious employees from pilfering the wine for themselves. If they knew, or at least believed, that some villainous evil spirit was appearing each night to wreak havoc on their boss’s store of bottles, they would keep a very careful distance from that haunted cellar. They did, and production boomed: Casillero del Diablo is now the most trusted and top-selling wine label in Latin America.
The Casillero del Diabo Sauvignon Blanc is a terrific value (as are all the wines under this label), yet despite being affordable they are also dependably high-quality and delicious. This Sauvignon Blanc has a distinctive green straw color in the glass, with aromas of fresh peaches, gooseberry, and lemon. The taste is a phenomenal example of this varietal, with citrus and sweet pit fruit flavors (peaches and apricots at the forefront). Overall, it is a very well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc, and has a crisp acidity and tartness that gives the wine a smooth and quick finish.
Recommended Food Pairings: Salmon Ceviche, Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell
Carmenere was taken from the French countryside of Bordeaux, where the varietal was almost completely failing, and planted instead in the mountainous and rocky countryside of Chile. There the grapes thrived, so well that the Carmenere varietal has been named the national grape of Chile.
The Casillero del Diablo Carmenere has intense color in the glass, with a blackish-red opacity giving way to soft red plum near the rim. Aromas are all over the place, with everything from wood and earthy gravel to pepper, fresh tobacco and crushed blackberries. In the mouth, this wine has an almost “chewy” characteristic, revealing mineral-laced flavors of cherries and blackberries and elderflowers followed by subtle notes of licorice and anise. A Carmenere can be an intense and nuanced red wine, but Concha y Toro makes it accessible and approachable for any wine-lover.
Recommended Food Pairings: Pastel de Choclo (meat and corn pie), or a spicy Moroccan lamb dish.
Rumors of evil spirits may have come from a vineyard owner who merely wanted to keep his crop secured … but there’s no denying that Casillero del Diablo has become a label that allows even those on a strict budget to enjoy some high-quality and delicious wines.
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