The Maipo Valley is Chile’s oldest wine-producing region and, thanks to its favourable conditions, has long been the centre of the country's wine industry. With more than four centuries of winemaking history and 150 years of high-quality wine production, this region is responsible for the prestige of Chilean wines throughout the world.

Location
The wine-growing area of the Upper Maipo – where Cousiño Macul's vineyards are located - lies in the southeastern part of the Maipo River valley, in the area closest to the foothills of the Andes.

Because of its proximity to the mountains, the valley benefits from the "Andes effect”, in which cool air descends from the peaks in the afternoons, reducing temperatures and expanding the range of daily temperatures. This results in slow sugar development, contributing to the intensity of the grape colour, its aromatic profile, retention of natural acidity and the ripeness of its tannins.

The Maipo River also tempers the area's climate and constitutes the core of the Maipo irrigation system, providing the valleys with mineral-enriched waters.

Climate and Environmental Characteristics
The Maipo Valley’s sub-humid or temperate Mediterranean climate is considered very favourable for grapevine cultivation because the high number of sunny days give rise to a long growing season, ensuring that the grapes attain a good sugar level.

The valley is characterized by two very distinct seasons: winter and summer. The first (May through August) is cold and rainy, with average annual precipitation of 380ml and an average temperature of 9ºC.

During the vines’ vegetative cycle – between October and March – the average temperature is 17ºC.

The summers (September to April) are long, dry, hot, and very luminous, and the thermal difference between daytime and night-time temperatures reaches 20º (32ºC during the day and 12ºC at night).

The Maipo Valley, like most of the country, is occasionally affected by El Niño and La Niña currents, which produce great variations in the quantity of rainfall in short periods of time; the maximum is 800ml during the period of El Niño and a drought of just 70ml of rainfall with La Niña.

The humidity of the Upper Maipo area is relative and fluctuates between 60 y 65%.

Soils
Geologically, the soils in the Upper Maipo are young, heterogeneous and contain various kinds of rock. Topographically, three types of soils are found here: the Piedmont soils of the foothills of the Andes range, which are thin and rocky; the terraces, with deeper soils; and the flatland soils, produced by the dragging of fluvial waters and colluvial erosion (which forms small, lateral deposits of sediment).