CHILE – HUASCO VALLEY
The Tara estate is located in the North of Chile in an extreme area considered as one of the driest place on earth : the Atacama desert. Tara produces the only commercial wines from this place, making wines further north than any other winery in Chile. In this area the vintage variation is virtually non-existent. Year after year, the harvest dates are more or less the same with the grapes being picked in early March. In this part of the Huasco Valley where the 2 vineyards Longomilla and Nicolasa are situated, the dense fog known as “camanchaca” blankets the land each day. This fog comes in from the Pacific Ocean, just 15-20 km to the west. In this desert climate, the moisture from this daily fog provides the vine leaves with a small but important increase in humidity.
This very special climate combined with the chalky and saline soil and low alcohol content (13%) gives birth to wines full of character where the grape variety faces the strong influence of the terroir. 4 different monovarietal cuvées are now produced at the TARA winery : Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot noir.
The wines are pressed by feet and bottled by hand. Even the wax covering the cork is done manually. They are bottled unfiltered and unfined and there are no additions to these wines. Just a small amount of sulfur is added to maintain the wines freshness. Due to the very consistent and reliable climate, there is no need for chemicals or pesticides in the vineyard. The volumes are very low year after year with no more than a few thousand bottles produced for each cuvée. All numbered.
Ventisquero/Tara has been the first winery in Chile to obtain in 2012 the “Certified Sustainable Wine of Chile” status, Chile’s first ever certification exclusively for the wine industry.
Felipe Tosso, the head winemaker, came to Ventisquero Tara in 2000 after having visited and worked in the most important regions of the wine industry, including Napa and Sonoma in the USA, Barossa in Australia and some of the most emblematic wine-producing regions of Argentina, France (Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, Château La Mondotte…), Spain and Italy.
The wine critics don’t stop praising the quality of Tara wines. Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate) “Tara is one of the craziest projects in Chile, as it planted vines in the south of the Atacama desert in the Huasco Valley. The wines are wild and characterful, very original”. While Tim Atkin (MW) has awarded Felipe Tosso as “Best 2022 winemaker in Chile“. All their tasting notes are available on request.
Here is a great video about this unique vineyard/area : Youtube
You will find on the estate’s website all the information concerning the vinification, the philosophy and the wines of Tara Wines here
