Concha y Toro

Concha y Toro House, in Pirque.

The Concha y Toro Vineyard was founded by Don Melchor de Santiago Concha y Toro, VII Marquess of Casa Concha and ex-Minister of Finance, and his wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883.[5] To start the winery, he brought grape varieties from the Bordeaux region in France: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Carménère.

Concha y Toro's connections to Chilean nobility and aristocracy are not merely historical. Currently the Viña Concha y Toro continues in the sphere of the Marquesado de Casa Concha, and is additionally controlled by the Guilisasti and Larraín families. The directors currently include the present Marquess of Casa Concha, Chilean diplomat and ambassador Mariano Fontecilla de Santiago-Concha, great-grandson of the founder.[6] In 1999, the company's president Alfonso Larraín Santa María claimed the title of Marquess of Larraín in Spain. His mother, the current Marchioness, gave Larraín the power to claim the title.[7]

Vineyards and factories of Concha y Toro in Pirque, Santiago Metropolitan Region, are connected by roads with names such as Marqués de Casa Concha or Conde de la Conquista, titles connected to the history of the company.

The vineyard was incorporated as a stock company in 1923 and shares continue to be sold in the Santiago Stock Exchange.[5] Concha y Toro began exporting wine in March 1933 to the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In 1950, the winery began to acquire more vineyards and also began the process of adapting its business to new markets and meeting a higher demand.

In 1966, the Casillero del Diablo brand, the company's hallmark, was inaugurated, and in 1987 the company's first ultra-premium wine, Don Melchor, was launched.[5] In the late 1960s the company began to expand: Viña Maipo was acquired in 1968; Viña Cono Sur created in 1993; Trivento Bodegas in Argentina founded in 1996; a joint venture with Château Mouton Rothschild for the production of Viña Almaviva began in 1997, among others.[5]

In 1971, Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle became chairman of the board, who succeeded in expanding the company. In 1987, after partnering with U.S. importer Banfi Vintners, the company started to incorporate more advanced technology in all of its production stages. It also started using small French oak barriques. In 1994, shares of Viña Concha started trading on the New York Stock Exchange,[5] until his cessation in 2018.[8]

At the beginning of the 21st century, the company internationalized operations: in 2001 opened a trade, logistics and distribution office in United Kingdom, and then offices in other 11 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, United States, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, South Africa and Sweden, which would join the existing offices in Chile and Argentina.[9] In 2010 a sponsorship agreement was signed with the English club Manchester United F.C. In this respect, Manchester United 2020 sponsorship director, Sean Jefferson, said: "Manchester United's relationship with Casillero del Diablo has been one of the most extensive and successful partnerships we ever had. The synergy between the two brands have led to a natural alliance", especially due to equivalence of their symbols and distinctive seals.[4]

In 2011 Concha y Toro bought in United States Fetzer Vineyards, for a value of US$238 million.[10] The transaction included the buy of various Fetzer subsidiaries vineyards, such as Bonterra Vineyards, Five River Wines, Bel Arbor Winery, Jekel Vineyards, and Little Black Dress Wines, which became property of Concha y Toro.[11]

More recently Concha y Toro has advertising campaigns in Discovery Channel, and subsidiary Trivento Vineyards is sponsorship in the Major League Soccer, and has reached sponsorship agreements with football club Inter Miami CF.[12]