Wines
VIK
Jamie Franklin
Cachapoal Valley, Chile
Featured:
Thursday, May 7, 2026: Trade Tasting
Saturday, May 9, 2026: Grand Tasting Reception
VIK Winery in Millahue, Chile, was named the world’s best vineyard in the 2025 edition of The World’s 50 Best Vineyards. Founded by Alexander and Carrie Vik, the winery’s innovative approach blends oenological research, contemporary architecture, art, and sustainability. Spanning 4,500 hectares with diverse soils and microclimates, VIK enables meticulous, low-intervention winemaking.
VIK’s acclaimed wines include Milla Cala, La Piu Belle Red, La Piu Belle Rose, Omega, and Stone Vik, with its signature wine, VIK, earning a perfect 100-point score from James Suckling. The winery’s award-winning architecture by Smiljan Radic integrates with the natural landscape.
Sustainability is central to VIK, with much of the estate preserved to support biodiversity. Innovations like Barroir, using native wood for barrels, allow VIK’s wines to express the region’s unique character. VIK’s achievements highlight its excellence, creativity, and environmental stewardship, positioning Chile as a leader in wine tourism.
Award-winning winemaker Cristian Vallejo, a native of Chile, has dedicated decades to working at some of the finest wineries around the globe, including Bordeaux’s legendary Château Margaux and renowned establishments in Napa, Italy, Spain, and Chile. He draws on a wealth of technical expertise, experience, creativity, and a deep passion for winemaking when crafting VIK’s exceptional wines.
Jamie Franklin took a circuitous road to the wine industry. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s in development administration and management, he spent most of the next 25 years in management positions within the international non-profit space, managing humanitarian demining programs in Africa and Southeast Asia, and ultimately overseeing a US non-profit and its business development with the US Government. Throughout this time, wine was an interest and a growing passion for Jamie. Embarking on his WSET Diploma studies ignited the desire to make wine his next career.