As part of the annual visit by British Master of Wine Alistair Cooper—focused on tasting new vintages of Chilean wines for the 2026 edition of the Alistair Cooper MW by Catad’Or guide—the critic, together with the publication’s team, visited Viña Don Melchor.

The day began at the Don Melchor Vineyard, located in the renowned Puente Alto Denomination of Origin. There, they were welcomed by Enrique Tirado, CEO and Technical Director of Viña Don Melchor, who presented in detail the terroir that gives rise to Don Melchor, one of the world’s most renowned Cabernet Sauvignons.

The tour continued with a visit to the soil pit located in Parcel #01, where Enrique explained the soil profile of this exceptional site: a mosaic of Andean origin that defines the identity of the vineyard.

Later, the group visited the Solar Vineyard, an innovative project planted in 2018, created to study planting orientation and density, as well as cluster sun exposure within this appellation.

The visit then continued in Pirque, home to Casa Don Melchor, where the group tasted a vertical of four vintages of Don Melchor, along with the new “Las Parcelas” series from Viña Don Melchor. On this occasion, they tasted the two wines that currently make up the collection: DM/01, vintage 2022, and DM/05, vintage 2023.

The visit provided an opportunity to showcase firsthand the progress of the Don Melchor Vineyard and the innovations within Viña Don Melchor’s portfolio, contributing new insights for the upcoming 2026 edition of the Alistair Cooper MW by Catad’Or guide.