GCF acquires Viña Las Niñas in Chile

Les Grands Chais de France (GCF) has acquired Viña Las Niñas in the Apalta region of Chile as part of its international expansion programme.

The company, which already owns 68 properties in France and recently extended its footprint in Europe with the purchase of Castillo de Aresan in Spain and Danubiana in Hungary, has revealed that the Las Niñas acquisition is part of its plan to own wine estates in premium wine regions around the world.

The winery, Viña Las Niñas in the Apalta region of the Colchagua Valley, was founded in 1997 by three French families who named each of their vineyards after their daughters and wives – las niñas meaning ‘the girls’ and npw includes 40ha of vineyards.

Speaking to db, GCF managing director UK and Ireland Mark Kears said: “As with our properties in France, we view this next stage in Chile as a collaboration supported by the considerable wine making resources that GCF has to offer. This significant investment in Chile marks the start of the international phase of GCF’s journey.”

Kears added: “This is a very exciting time in GCF’s international development, with Chile now becoming a significant focus within our portfolio and development.”

The vineyards, which are located at an average height of 170m and mostly planted with red varieties, have been organically certified since 2017 and by 2018 the estate was awarded the Sustainable Wine of Chile certification.