19th century . The Concha y Toro Vineyard was founded by Don
Melchor de Santiago Concha y Toro, ex-Minister of Finance, and his wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883. 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 Vina 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. 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. 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.
20th century: expansion The vineyard was incorporated as a stock company in 1923 and shares continue to be sold in the
Santiago Stock Exchange.
21st century: globalization 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. 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. 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. ==Grape varieties==