Viña Apaltagua

The winery

The Apaltagua story begins in 1995, when the American businessman Edward Tutunjian, on vacation in Chile, bought his first vineyard, La Pancora, in the Curicó Valley. He then added the Huaquén estate, in Curepto, and the winery and vineyards of Apalta, in Colchagua, which gave the winery its name; later came land in Pirque, in the Maipo, where the company preserves the old Hacienda San Juan de Pirque, and estates in Palmilla and in Manantiales, in the San Antonio Valley. It remains a Tutunjian family company, which signs its labels as Tutunjian Family Wines, and in 2026 it refreshed its image with the slogan “Somos Apalta y punto” (“We are Apalta, period”).

In Apalta the winery works some 60 hectares, the source of its best-known reds: Envero Gran Reserva Carménère, with a small share of Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grial, the house's icon Carménère, hand-picked and aged for a year in new barrels. Both come from Carménère vines that the official website described as around sixty years old. The catalog, drawn from the various valleys where the family has vineyards, also includes Signature, the Tutunjian brand, the Colección line with grapes such as Carignan, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir, the Envero Reserva Privada and Reserva lines, and sparkling wines such as Costero.

The winery is in Millahue de Apalta, about seven kilometers from the Apalta junction on Ruta 90, and is easy to recognize by its large curved brick building, with a garden and palm trees facing the hills. Its wine shop opens daily and doubles as a tasting bar, with a counter and outdoor tables under the trees. Tastings are booked ahead by email and range from three Reserva and Gran Reserva wines to versions with cheese and charcuterie or with the icon wine; depending on the season they may add a stroll through the vineyard and the variety garden, or the barrel room.