New Concha y Toro Tour Marques with class, extra tasting y food

A famous label, seen at the source. Concha y Toro’s Marques tour gives you a polished introduction to Chilean wine, with pretty estate gardens, a 26-grape Variety Garden, the old Casillero del Diablo cellar, and a second tasting of premium wines with cheese. I especially like the beautiful grounds and the chance to taste four Super Premium Marques de Casa Concha wines in a quieter session. My main concern is the transport: hotel pickups can stretch the outing from four hours to six or seven, and communication with the driver may be weak.

The winery itself earns the praise. Guides such as Miguel and Leo have been singled out for lively explanations, while sommeliers including Leonardo have made the wine-and-cheese portion the best part of the day for many people. Still, I would book this for the estate and the premium tasting, not for a small-group, village-winery feel.

Key points to know before booking

• The premium tasting is the reason to choose this tour: Four Marques de Casa Concha wines are served with fine cheeses after the main winery visit.
• The estate offers more than a tasting room: You walk through gardens, see the former summer residence, visit the Old Pirque vineyard, and reach a lookout over the Maipo Valley.
• Casillero del Diablo gets special attention: The tour includes its underground cellar and a sensory experience tied to Concha y Toro’s famous wine legend.
• Transport is the weak link: Hotel pickup and drop-off are convenient, but citywide pickups can add hours and drivers may not speak English.
• Expect a large winery operation: The grounds are attractive and the staff can be excellent, but the main visit may include several groups at once.
• Plan around food and timing: The included cheese platter comes with the premium tasting, but no full meal is included, and some people have finished the outing hungry.

What the Marques tour actually offers

For $114.90 per person, this is not simply a ride to a vineyard for three quick pours. It combines transportation from the Santiago metro area, a guided visit to one of Chile’s best-known wine producers, three initial wine samples, and a separate premium tasting with cheese.

The published duration is about four hours. In practice, you should treat that as the winery program, not a firm door-to-door promise. Hotel pickups across Santiago can take time, and several people have spent six or seven hours from pickup to return. The winery is in the Maipo Valley, outside the city, so the transfer is a real part of the day.

I see the value most clearly if you already want to visit Concha y Toro and prefer a higher wine tier. The premium section adds something beyond the basic estate tour. If your goal is to visit several smaller wineries, eat lunch among the vines, or compare different producers in one day, another excursion may suit you better.

The tour accepts a maximum of 15 people per booking, although the winery portion can feel much larger because the estate runs several groups at once. You get a professional guide through the arranged visit, but the transportation provider is MTO Tour Chile, and the quality of the transfer service has been uneven.

From Santiago to the Maipo Valley

Pickup is offered in the morning or afternoon, with collection from accommodations in the Santiago metro area. A climate-controlled van is provided, which matters during Chile’s warmer months, particularly when you are moving between the city and open garden areas.

The good news is convenience. You do not need to arrange a separate taxi, navigate public transport, or find the winery on your own. Hotel drop-off is also included at the end.

The less cheerful news is the routing. The van may collect several people around Santiago before heading south, and the return can also involve multiple stops. Some people have reported nearly two hours spent in the vehicle each way. Others had delayed pickups, confusing instructions, or a late arrival at the winery.

I would confirm the exact pickup time and language before the day of the tour. Do not assume that the person driving the van will provide a running commentary. Several drivers spoke little or no English, and one account described communication mainly through a phone translation app. That may be fine for a simple transfer, but it is not the same as having a guide explain Chilean wine country as you drive.

The van experience also deserves realistic expectations. One report described cramped seating and poor visibility for passengers in the middle, while another found the ride perfectly comfortable and praised the driver for helping with a later restaurant transfer. The service can be good, but it is not the most dependable part of the package.

Gardens, the old house, and the 26-grape Variety Garden

The winery visit begins outdoors, with a walk through the gardens and park toward the former summer residence of the Concha y Toro family. The house is viewed from outside, but the setting gives the visit a sense of place before the tasting begins.

I like this opening because it makes the winery more than a production facility. You see the grounds associated with the family and the brand, then move into the story of how different grapes contribute to Chilean wine. The gardens are well kept, and they provide good opportunities for photos.

The Variety Garden is one of the more useful stops. It contains 26 grape varieties in one compact area, allowing you to compare the leaves and grapes in a way that is difficult to do in a bottle shop or tasting room. If you are new to wine, this helps connect names such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Carmenère with actual plants.

The walk is generally taken at a manageable pace, though the estate is spread out enough that you will spend time on your feet. A person with limited mobility has completed the route successfully, but the experience is not presented as a seated tour. If walking is difficult, mention it when booking and be ready for outdoor paths and movement between stops.

The main drawback is the group structure. The grounds are attractive, but you may be sharing them with several other groups. This is a major commercial winery, not a tiny family operation where the winemaker strolls out to greet you.

Old Pirque and the Maipo Valley lookout

The Old Pirque vineyard is included for its setting and its view. From the terraces, you can look across the Maipo Valley and take photographs. This is one of the tour’s strongest visual moments, especially if you want a break from cellar rooms and tasting counters.

The stop also gives you a better sense of the relationship between vineyard and bottle. Concha y Toro is a major producer, but the vineyard setting reminds you that the wines still begin with specific growing areas, grape varieties, and cultivation choices.

Your time here may depend on the guide and the schedule. Some tours move briskly because the winery must keep several groups on a timetable. I would bring a phone or camera, but I would not count on an extended, quiet wander through the vines.

The view is included as part of the guided program, not as a separate free-time stop. That distinction matters. If you want hours among the rows with a picnic or a long lunch, this package is not designed for that.

Inside Casillero del Diablo’s cellar

The cellar visit focuses on Casillero del Diablo, Concha y Toro’s globally recognized brand. You visit the underground cellar and take part in a Casillero del Diablo sensory experience, including the century-old cellar associated with the brand’s famous legend.

This is the most theatrical part of the visit. The cellar gives the tour a strong story element, and the combination of dim storage spaces, wine lore, and guided explanation helps explain why Casillero del Diablo became such a powerful name outside Chile.

The tour also includes the Alto Aging Cellar. These cellar stops are informative, though they are part of a carefully managed commercial attraction. I would expect an organized presentation rather than a behind-the-scenes look at every stage of production.

Several people have praised the winery guides for being warm, funny, and clear. One especially positive account credited the cellar guide with making the visit engaging. That human touch matters here because the building and barrels alone do not explain how the wines are made.

The first tasting usually takes place around the estate portion of the tour. You receive three wines, with explanations that may be fairly brief because the group is moving through the program. You also receive an engraved glass as a gift, a nice practical souvenir rather than a trinket that will sit forgotten in a drawer.

The four-wine Marques de Casa Concha tasting

This is the part that justifies the premium price for many people. After the main tour and initial three-wine tasting, you move into a separate session featuring four Super Premium Marques de Casa Concha wines with fine cheeses.

The setting is more focused than the first tasting. A sommelier leads the session and explains the wines and pairings. Leonardo has been praised for making this portion feel like a short lesson rather than a line of samples. Other strong guides, including Miguel and Leo, have also been credited with answering questions and keeping the atmosphere lively.

I like the structure. The first three samples introduce you to the winery and its better-known production. The premium session then gives you a reason to compare higher-level bottles side by side. Cheese adds texture and contrast, and it also makes the alcohol easier to handle than a sequence of empty-stomach pours.

The exact wording of the package includes a few overlapping tasting counts. The itinerary describes three wines followed by four premium Marques wines, while the inclusions list four premium glasses and six glasses of Marques de Casa Concha wines. Confirm the current pour list if the number of glasses matters to you. The dependable point is that the experience includes an initial tasting, four premium wines, and a cheese platter.

Children are not allowed in the premium tasting. The minimum drinking age is 18, and the child rate applies only when a child shares with two paying adults. If you are booking for a family, check how the non-drinking member will be handled before paying.

You should also eat before departure. The cheese platter is welcome, but it is not lunch. The tour does not include a full meal, and the schedule may leave little time to buy food at the winery. Several people found themselves waiting until after returning to Santiago for a proper meal.

Timing problems you should take seriously

The advertised four hours can be misleading if you are planning other activities. A pickup listed for the afternoon may include a long collection route, a wait before the winery tour, and a slow return through Santiago.

One particularly frustrating pattern is arriving at the estate before your scheduled winery entrance, then waiting in the shop, restaurant area, or parking zone. The winery controls access tightly, so you may not be free to wander wherever you want while waiting.

Language and scheduling errors have also affected the experience. Some people booked an English tour but were placed in a Portuguese-speaking group. Others received a late pickup message, only to discover that the winery tour had not actually been delayed. One group missed part of the walking visit after arriving late.

I would avoid booking this on a day when you have a flight, a timed museum entry, or a restaurant reservation soon after the scheduled return. Give yourself a generous cushion. If the transfer runs smoothly, you may finish earlier, but the practical planning assumption should be six hours or more from hotel pickup to hotel drop-off.

The provider requires at least two people per booking and limits each booking to 15 people. Confirmation is issued when you book. Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the start time, but changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted. If the minimum number is not reached and the experience is canceled, you should be offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Is $114.90 a fair price?

The price is reasonable only if you value the complete package. You are paying for round-trip hotel transport, a guide, the estate visit, Casillero del Diablo cellar access, three initial tastings, the premium four-wine session, cheese, and an engraved glass.

Compared with a basic winery tour, the Marques option offers more serious wine tasting. The four premium pours and sommelier-led pairing are the key additions. If you enjoy Concha y Toro wines or want to sample a higher-priced line without buying several bottles, that can make the fee worthwhile.

The value drops if the transportation becomes a half-day ordeal. You could spend much of the day in a van and still have a fairly structured winery visit. You are also visiting only one producer, so the price should be compared with full-day outings that include several vineyards and lunch.

At the winery shop, prices may be attractive for selected bottles. Some visitors found certain wines cheaper than supermarkets in Santiago, and specialty sparkling wine may be easier to find there than in the United Kingdom. I would treat shopping as a pleasant extra, not the main reason to book.

Who should book this experience?

I would recommend it to wine drinkers who want a polished introduction to Chile’s largest and most recognizable wine brands. It also suits you if you care about gardens, architecture, cellar stories, and a guided tasting rather than an unstructured afternoon.

It is a good fit for couples and friends who will appreciate the premium wine-and-cheese session. People with limited mobility may manage the route at its steady pace, though you should expect walking and outdoor surfaces.

I would be cautious if you dislike group tours, need precise timing, or want a small producer with personal attention. I would also think twice if you are hungry early in the day, since the cheese is the only included food.

The strongest part is the Concha y Toro program itself. The weakest part is the outsourced transport and scheduling. The difference between an excellent afternoon and a frustrating one may come down to the driver, pickup plan, and language match.

Should you book the Marques tour?

Book it if the idea of visiting Concha y Toro appeals to you and the premium Marques de Casa Concha tasting is the main goal. The grounds are attractive, the Casillero del Diablo cellar adds character, and the sommelier-led wine-and-cheese session can be genuinely enjoyable.

Skip it if you want several vineyards, lunch, or a quiet boutique experience. If you do book, eat beforehand, confirm the language and pickup time, keep your evening open, and allow six or seven hours rather than trusting the four-hour estimate. With those expectations, you can focus on what this tour does best: showing you a famous Chilean wine estate and giving you a well-organized taste of its better bottles.

FAQ

Where does the tour take place?

The tour visits Concha y Toro Winery in Chile’s Maipo Valley, outside Santiago.

How long does the experience last?

The winery program lasts about two hours, while the advertised total tour duration is approximately four hours. Hotel pickups and drop-offs can make the actual day six or seven hours.

Is hotel transportation included?

Yes. Pickup and drop-off are included for accommodations in the Santiago metro area.

Are morning and afternoon departures available?

Yes. You can choose between morning and afternoon departure options.

How many wines are included?

The itinerary includes three initial wine tastings followed by four premium wines. The inclusions also list four premium glasses and six Marques de Casa Concha glasses, so you should confirm the exact current pour list if this is important.

Is cheese included?

Yes. The premium Marques de Casa Concha tasting includes one cheese platter.

Are children allowed?

Children may participate under the stated child-rate conditions, but children are not allowed in the exclusive premium tasting. The minimum drinking age is 18.

Is an engraved glass included?

Yes. An engraved glass is listed as a gift with the initial wine tasting.

How many people can join a booking?

A minimum of two people is required per booking, and each booking can include a maximum of 15 people. The winery may have additional groups during the visit.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the experience are not accepted for a refund.