Viña Haras de Pirque

The winery

Haras de Pirque takes its name from the thoroughbred horse stud founded in 1892, the oldest in Chile according to the winery, which notes that a racetrack still borders its vineyards. The winery is built in the shape of a horseshoe, at the base of a slope, to move grapes and musts by gravity. Piero Antinori got to know the estate in the early 2000s, and the first vintage of Albis, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère named after his daughter Albiera, was the 2001. According to Wine Spectator, the partnership with the Matte family was formed in 2003, and in July 2017 Marchesi Antinori took 100% control of the winery.

The estate lies south of the Maipo River, on the lower slopes of the Andean foothills, with clay soils in the lower part and rocky soils higher up. The winery reports 110 ha, 90 of them planted with red varieties, and elevations that its own pages put between 550 and 750 m. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Carménère lead the way. The transition to organic viticulture began in 2006 and was completed in 2016, and today the winery declares all its reds certified by the CERES Institute; the whites come from the coast, the Albaclara Sauvignon Blanc from Leyda and the Chardonnay from Casablanca. The range is topped by Pitío, whose first vintage is the 2022, a Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc named after the Chilean woodpecker; it is followed by Albis, Galantas (Cabernet Franc), Ecràl (Carménère) and Hussonet (Cabernet Sauvignon). The wines are sold at the winery's wine shop and in the online store, with bottles from CLP 12,000 and free shipping from six bottles, only within the Metropolitan Region.

The winery is about 45 minutes from Santiago and is visited by booking. The experiences range from a tour with three wines and bites to tastings with Albis, a private session of five wines led by a sommelier, a blending workshop for groups, a walk through vineyards and hills, and an afternoon with a tasting and dinner at the restaurant. Most are offered Monday to Saturday; the blending workshop, Monday to Friday, and the sunset experience on Saturdays and, from June to September, also on Wednesdays. Under-18s enter without paying a ticket and do not drink. A side entrance with ramps reaches the restaurant area and must be requested in advance, but the winery warns that its tours are not set up for people with reduced mobility. The restaurant, designed by Enrique Concha, has a terrace overlooking the valley and operates by reservation; the winery also hosts private events, quoted by direct contact.