Chile kicks off 2026 harvest festival season
From Palmilla to Talca, Chile’s harvest festivals returns until May, reinforcing wine tourism as a key late-summer draw.
Chile has officially launched its 2026 harvest festival season, with more than 40 wine and pisco celebrations scheduled to take place between February and May.
The programme began on 13–15 February in Palmilla and concludes on 29 May in Talca, offering a packed calendar of events that combine wine, gastronomy, music and local cultural traditions across the length of the country.
Stretching from Arica and Parinacota in the north to La Araucanía in the south, the festivals are designed as immersive wine tourism experiences aimed at couples, families and groups of friends looking to extend the summer season.
Over the past decade, Chile’s Fiestas de la Vendimia have grown into major tourism events, positioning wine as a gateway to understanding each valley’s identity, heritage and sense of place. Today, they are not only celebrations of the grape harvest but also drivers of regional travel and economic activity, helping to raise wine consumption.
Focus on wine tourism experiences
Alongside the launch of the season, AndesWines.com has introduced a personalised wine travel service offering tailor-made harvest and wine exploration experiences across the country.
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The programmes are coordinated by agronomist Maximiliano Morales and place particular emphasis on expatriates living in Chile and international visitors, while recognising that most festival attendees are domestic travellers.
Iconic celebrations from wine to pisco
Among the most emblematic events is the harvest festival in Pisco Elqui, in the Región de Coquimbo, which shines a spotlight on pisco, Chile’s most emblematic distilled spirit.
Chile’s pisco Denomination of Origin was established on 15 May 1931 through Decree with Force of Law No. 181 issued by the Ministry of Agriculture. It was the first denomination of origin in Latin America for a distilled spirit, restricting production exclusively to the regions of Región de Atacama and Región de Coquimbo. Regulations require pisco to be produced and bottled within this area, using authorised grape varieties and meeting strict technical standards for distillation and alcohol content.
Another highlight is the nostalgic “Wine Train” journey through the Valle del Aconcagua in the Valparaíso Region. Wineries including El Escorial, Sánchez de Loria and Peumayen come together to celebrate the local harvest along the route.
With a wide mix of traditional and innovative events across multiple valleys, Chile’s 2026 harvest festival season underlines the country’s ambition to strengthen wine tourism, preserve local heritage and build its international profile as a leading New World wine destination.
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