The Colchagua Valley is located 120 kilometres south of Santiago. The agricultural and wine-growing vocation of the valley begins in the 17th century, when the King of Spain destined these fertile lands to haciendas for its most distinguished officers, resulting in the construction of marvellous mansions that remain to this day. This valley was the first, in 1996 to develop the idea of the Wine Route to promote wine tourism. It is a narrow valley that extends from the foot of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. The vineyards are located on the mountain slopes accompanied by warm microclimates but bathed in abundant water from the Tinguiririca and Colchagua rivers, which provides excellent red strains where Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Carmenère and Malbec stand out. Currently this valley has 20,000 cultivated hectares.