The history of two passions in a prestigious winegrowing area situated in the Maipo Valley, Viña Hara de Pirque's property gently ascends the lower slopes of a spur of the Andes Mountains. Between 1992 and 1998, 140 hectares of vineyards were planted in these foothills. Haras de Pirque’s name honours the country’s oldest thoroughbred breeding stud, founded in 1892.
Located in the Upper Maipo Valley in Chile, the Haras de Pirque winery was established in 1892. However, the place was only used as a racing stable at that time. It was not until 1991 that winemaking began in this region by Eduardo Matte and the Antinori Family. Vines were planted at the vineyards a year later in 1992. To date, the wines of this label exclusively use the fruits grown in the company’s own estate.
Today, Haras de Pirque is known for making one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere wines in Chile, as well as the world.
The Region
The property is located in Pirque, central area of the country, one of the most prestigious and recognized areas of the Maipo Valley for the planting of vineyards, at the foot of the Andes Mountains. The Maipo Alto area is between 500 and 800 meters above sea level, an area with a temperate thermal expansion with native vegetation of myrtle and boldos that on certain occasions give the wines balsamic characteristics.
Thus the wines produced in this area contain a high concentration of tannins, great structure and intense colour.
The Terroir
The vineyards are located south of the Maipo River, between 550 and 660 meters above sea level, in the northern foothills of the Andes. The climate is semi-arid Mediterranean, highly influenced by the proximity of the mountain range and the Pacific Ocean anticyclone that rises through the open valley, thus providing specific characteristics to this enclave that allow the interaction of unique climatic factors. Rains have a marked seasonality and are mainly concentrated between the months of June and August. The position of the vineyards and the prominence of the land determine a difference of over 20°C in temperature between day and night. The great temperature swings favor a slow ripening and, as a consequence, excellent quality of the grapes. The soil in which the vineyards are planted is of alluvial origin: its formation is caused by the volcanic eruption in the area, which explains why there is a great variability in the soil textures and structures, clay being the most predominant.
Vineyard Management
All the vines are conducted in vertical trellis (Vertical Shoot Position or VSP), a system that provides a better distribution of foliage and load, good ventilation, sunlight reception and the right comfort needed to carry out various operations during the growing season. After the harvest, which in Haras de Pirque generally ends in mid-May, the pruning period starts to obtain the proper distribution of the clusters on the vine. Along with efficient irrigation technology and appropriate use of organic fertilizers, the canopy management starts in October to ensure the optimal quality during harvest. In order to enhance the attention to even the smallest details, in Haras the Pirque the harvest is conducted by hand. That means that the grapes arrive in the cellar in perfect condition in order to be immediately processed, preserving all their quality potential.
Organic Farming
In 2006, the property started to develop the organic management of Maipo-Andes vineyards, which was completed in 2016. Today all the grapes and wines from Pirque are organic, certified by the CERES institute, which means that in their production process only environmentally-friendly products are being used. The soil management is carried out exclusively by machine without the use of herbicides, while fertilization is made with natural compounds such as compost. In turn, the wines are fermented partially with natural yeasts selected from the vineyard, making sure that the characteristics of its surroundings are reflected in the wines.