Viña El Principal

The winery

Viña El Principal was born in 1993 in Pirque, when Jorge Fontaine Aldunate, owner of the Hacienda El Principal, went into partnership with the French winemaker Jean Paul Valette, former owner of Château Pavie in Saint-Émilion. They chose 54 ha of the property to plant Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère, built the winery in early 1998 and in 1999 launched El Principal, the blend that gives the house its name. In 2005 it was bought by the German shipping entrepreneur Jochen Döhle; the Chilean Said Handal family came in with 50% in 2013 and since late 2018 has owned the whole operation. The name recalls Andetelmo, the Picunche chief known as “El Principal,” lord of these lands, who also appears on the wine's label.

Today the vineyard covers 90 ha on the Andean piedmont, between 750 and 930 m above sea level, divided into some 70 parcels. The oldest vines, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère planted between 1993 and 2000, grow on alluvial soils; in 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah were added on hills and slopes of colluvial soils. Harvest is by hand, usually between March and April, the tanks are filled by gravity and aging lasts between 14 and 22 months in French oak barrels, in a room below ground level. The house works with four names: El Principal, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend; Memorias, also Cabernet-based, with Petit Verdot, Syrah, Carménère and Cabernet Franc; Calicanto, a blend of French varieties; and Kiñe, a Verdejo launched in 2014, now joined by a rosé and a sparkling wine. They are sold in its online store, with bottles from CLP 20,990.

The winery receives visitors Monday to Saturday with a booking; it is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The Tour El Principal goes through the winery and the soil pit, where you see the vineyard's soil profile, and ends with four wines and cheeses. The Tour Sunset walks among the vines and continues at the lookout, at dusk, with charcuterie, music and three wines. The Tour Campestre adds a Chilean asado (barbecue) at the lookout, facing the Andes, to the visit. The last two may be canceled in bad weather. The winery suggests booking 48 hours ahead, through the form on its wine tourism page or at reservas@elprincipal.cl, and a booking is confirmed only when it replies by email; with less than 24 hours' notice, it's by phone only, at +56 9 6688 1210. It also hosts weddings, birthdays and corporate events. It lists no restaurant open to the public or accommodation.