Viña Portal del Alto

The winery

Portal del Alto was born in 1971 at the hands of Alejandro Hernández Muñoz, an agronomist and Bordeaux-trained winemaker who for decades taught viticulturists and winemakers at the Universidad Católica; according to the winery, he also presided over the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) between 1994 and 1997. The brand was previously based in Alto Jahuel, in Buin. In 2019 he and winemaker Carolina Arnello began this project in San Juan de Pirque, which today presents itself as Bodega Alejandro Hernández - Portal del Alto Pirque.

The winery stands at 800 m above sea level, on the south bank of the Maipo River and surrounded by the foothills of the Andes; beside it are vines planted in 1988 on a slope of loam soil. The other vineyard, La Ilusión, is far from here: in the municipality of Retiro, near Parral, in the south of the Maule, planted in 2002 with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah on thin clay soils. That vineyard gives the Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère and the Syrah Tardío, a sweet late-harvest red aged more than 12 months in barrel. Selección Especial Alejandro Hernández and Nexus Four Reds are blends that bring together grapes from Pirque and Retiro, and Alcar de Terravid spends 22 months in barrel.

Visits are arranged in advance by WhatsApp or email: the tour covers the winery, explains how the wine is made and aged and ends with a tasting of Gran Reserva wines. The winery publishes no price, duration or schedule, so ask when you request an appointment. In Pirque it also has a wine shop, and its website takes orders by form, in cases of 6 bottles with delivery in the Metropolitan Region; shipments to other regions are arranged by email. A practical note: Google Maps still shows the brand in Alto Jahuel, about 23 km away; the address the winery publishes today is Camino Las Palomas, Parcela 24C, in San Juan de Pirque.