Melchor de Santiago Concha y Toro was a prominent 19th century businessman and Chilean senator who represented Santiago. In 1875, he began constructing a summer residence he called Casona. A few years later while traveling in France he collected some vine cuttings. In 1882, when he planted them in the fertile soil of the Maipo Valley next to this home, he became the founder of a vineyard that bears his name: Concha y Toro. Today the company is Latin America’s largest wine producer.
