Grapes have been cultivated in the area of Macul since 1564, when the king of Spain granted the Hacienda Macul to Juan Jufré, a Spanish "conquistador", who cultivated wheat, barley and vinifera grapes on this estate.

In 1856, the Macul estate was purchased by Matías Cousiño with the sole purpose of producing wines. By this time, Matías Cousiño had established himself as a visionary and pioneering entrepreneur within a country beginning to shape itself following its recent independence from Spain the early 19th century. His endeavors took him through a wide range of industrial projects. In the north of Chile he developed what was to be one of the most successful and richest silver mines of Chile. Later he constructed the first copper smelting plant. Then he embarked on the ambitious project of building the railroad between Copiapó and Caldera in order to transport minerals to the shipping port on the coast. He later expanded into coal mining in the southern region of the country.

While in the midst of remaking the Macul estate, Matías Cousiño died in 1863, leaving his only son, Luis, accompanied by his wife, Isidora Goyenechea, to follow in his footsteps. In order to carry out his father's vision, Luis had travelled to Europe in 1860, just prior to the phylloxera devastation, to purchase original French rootstock; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Pauillac and Margaux, Sauvignon from Martillac in Graves, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy.

Luis Cousiño died unexpectedly at the early age of 38 while travelling overseas. His widow Isidora Goyenechea took the helm of all her husband's business ventures and consolidated the winemaking activities. In 1885 she hired renowned French oenologist Pierre Godefroy Durand to adapt the French vines to the Macul soil and climate. Pierre's son, Raúl Durand, followed suit at the Macul estate to continue his father's work.

It is fair to say that the Cousiño family played a leading role in setting the high standards of Chile's current wine industry. The Cousiño Macul winery, now in the hands of the sixth generation of Cousiños, will undoubtedly continue to write the history of this nation's proud winemaking tradition. It is not surprising that the well-known wine expert and writer Hugh Johnson described Cousiño Macul as "The first growth of Chile."