In the early 1900S Carl John Kingston, packed up his bags to make the months-long journey from Michigan to Chile
Early 1900s
In 1906, Carl John Kingston left his home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan looking for gold in Chile. While he and his wife Caroline never found his motherlode, their search did yield a cattle ranch in the western hills of Casablanca just 12 miles from the Pacific. Five generations and more than a century later, their descendants are showing the same pioneering spirit as they explore new frontiers in Chilean winemaking.
LATE 1930s TO EARLY 1960s
After attending college in the United States, CJ and Caroline’s oldest son, John, returned to Chile to manage the farm. As family lore goes, John graduated from Harvard on Wednesday, married Janet Wilson on Thursday, and set sail for Chile on Friday. They settled in Casablanca next to the old corral, and raised five children on the farm in the 40s and 50s.
“We are one of a handful of Chilean vineyards leveraging California viticulture and winemaking expertise to uncover the potential of our Chilean terroir”
IN THE 1990s
With the 1990s came another generation of Kingstons and new possibilities for the farm. While in graduate school at Stanford University, Courtney Kingston wrote a business plan that had little to do with cattle and traditional farming: to organically farm a vineyard in the far western hills of Casablanca.
Today
Today Kingston is one of a handful of Chilean vineyards leveraging artisan winemaking and sustainable viticulture to share the best of coastal Chile. Master of Wine and renowned international wine critic Tim Atkin recognized Kingston as a First Growth, a standout for consistent quality. Forbes Magazine honored Kingston Family Vineyards as a 2021 Small Giant, a short list of small businesses celebrating greatness over growth.
