Regional Information

The Colchagua Valley has an extension of approximately 500,000 hectares (1,235,000 acres) and is subdivided into 10 municipalities: Chimbarongo, Placilla, Chepica, Nancagua, Santa Cruz, Palmilla, Peralillo, Lolol, Pumanque, and San Fernando, the provincial capital. And because it is considered a natural extension of the valley, Marchigue has also been added as a Colchagua Valley appellation of origin. Mountain chains clearly define Colchagua’s borders with the provinces of Cachapoal to the north, Curicó to the south, Argentina to the east. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west. Colchagua is one of the three provinces that comprise Chile’s VI Region, "Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins."
According to the most recent national census, the total population of the province is approximately 205,000 residents, mostly of European-Spanish descent and predominately concentrated in rural areas.
The primary economic activity is agriculture, particularly vitiviniculture at the center of provincial development, with 23.000 hectares (56,800 acres) planted to wine grapes, making it Chile’s second largest appellation in terms of surface area planted, and the first in terms of fine French varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, and Syrah.

Other major agricultural activities include the production of fresh fruit, such as table grapes and plums. The primary annual crops are corn and wheat, and livestock is concentrated on lamb and South American camelids such as the Alpaca. Recent years have seen the development of wine tourism, which has stimulated substantial investment in infrastructure such as Hotels, Restaurants, a Wine Train, and guest reception centers in the wineries. Colchagua is one of the country’s fastest growing provinces and, at less than 3%, its unemployment rate is below the national average.