The taste of the Atacama Desert - Ventisquero's unique Tara wines
Ventisquero was named ‘New World Winery of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast this year and no small part of that was down to the extraordinary Tara project it is operating in the Atacama desert. Here, where it hasn’t rained in 50 years, the challenges to Alejandro Galaz, the estate’s specialist oenologist for cool climate wines, are off the scale. Only 2% of the first plantings survived here, but the wines they produced were extraordinary – as are all the subsequent Tara wines. In a special visit to the vineyards Geoffrey Dean discovers how these unique soils produce minerality and saline characters in the wines that were tasted, naturally enough, in a large hole in the ground.
18th July 2025 by Geoffrey Dean ,
It is one of the more unique places to taste a range of wines...a three-metre deep pit in the middle of the Nicolasa vineyard at the southern end of the Atacama Desert. But then Ventisquero’s Tara Project is nothing if not highly unusual. Most bizarrely, the two vineyards – Nicolasa and Longomilla – which lie around 20km from the Pacific Ocean near the town of Huasco in Chile’s far north, have saline soil, and yet produce world-class wine. Fittingly, the project was named after the biggest salt lake in Chile, Tara.
Extraordinary tasting – Geoffrey Dean six foot under tasting the Tara wines
Pushing boundaries
In confounding viticulture’s received wisdom, Ventisquero Wine Estates has kept on pushing the boundaries of winemaking, a key reason why at this year’s Wine Enthusiast’s annual awards, they were crowned ‘New World Winery of the Year.’ Four other wineries were nominated but were pipped by Ventisquero - Kumeu River (New Zealand), Yangarra (Australia), Otronia (Argentina) and Sena (Chile).
Huge credit for the success of Tara must go to Alejandro Galaz, who has been making wine for Ventisquero since 2006 and is its specialist oenologist for cool climate wines. Tara is very much cool climate, although it has been a joint enterprise between him and Felipe Tosso, Ventisquero's head winemaker. I spent a fascinating day with Galaz in Huasco, driving up and back with him from La Serena, which is 260km to the south.
"This is the Atacama desert ... in the second year, all the vines died except 2-3% of them." Alejandro Galaz.
Galaz recalled both the dilemma he and Tosso faced at the start of the project, and how it was nearly abandoned after a year. Initially, they scratched their heads when it came to deciding what varieties to plant.
“This is the Atacama Desert where it hasn't rained for 50 years,” he chuckled. “Because of the ‘camanchaca’ - the thick fog that comes in off the ocean at 10am and 6pm every day - we realised this wasn’t the place for warm climate varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot or Carmenere but cool climate ones.”
The first vines were planted in the middle of 2007 after digging deep for soil analysis.
“It was white, and we looked at each other a little bit nervous. 90% of soils in Chile are alluvial, and granite mainly. We have some limestone soils here which is rare in Chile, but we couldn’t see the salt. So in the second year, all the vines died except 2-3% of them. Why those didn't die we didn’t know as the salt content was ten times what the literature says a vine can survive.”
The few wines that did survive, however, produced outstanding quality grapes.
“In the third year, we had the possibility to taste the wines and they were fantastic,” Galaz declared. “That flavour wasn't present in the central valley. The grapes were so good and different - that pushed us to carry on with the project. So we continued and finally got in touch with a consultant viticulturist who worked with table grapes. He said you have to make long irrigations of 18-20 hours to move the salt to between the rows, and you must do it every 9-10 days.”
Ever since, therefore, the vines have been irrigated every 9-10 days. This required a lot of water, and was only possible due to a reservoir Ventisquero created by the vineyard thanks to water rights from the Huasco River that came with the land purchase. Recently, the company has done trials with sprinklers that use one third of the water with better results. In the last five years, not a vine has been lost although a lot were in the early years, prompting replanting.
“When you smell and taste the Tara wines, you get the minerality coming from the limestone soil but you find a saltiness at the end of the aftertaste,” Galaz purred. “So the wines are unique. Nowhere else in Chile has this combination. The character of the Chardonnay was so strong that it made no sense to blend in any other varieties.”
Right varieties and rootstock are key
"Both vineyards have the same personality and exhibit the characters of the Atacama Desert - minerality and saltiness.”
Chardonnay is planted on both the Nicolasa and Longomilla vineyards, which are a few kilometres apart. While Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are found on both, Viognier is only on Nicolasa. Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Franc are only on Longomilla, which has less salt content. Before being put under vine, Longomilla was planted with vegetables and olive trees. “So the soil was much more ‘washed’ than Nicolasa,” Galaz explained. “Nicolasa was wild with no crops on it, meaning more salt and a higher salty taste.”
Despite the fact Chile has never had any cases of phylloxera, the vines were grafted onto American rootstock.
“Not as insurance against potential phylloxera in the future but because American rootstock like Richter 110 will explore much deeper, which is what we want,” Galaz added. “The Grenache was grafted five years ago onto a new Australian rootstock that’s resistant to salt. It’s doing well. Both vineyards have the same personality and exhibit the characters of the Atacama Desert - minerality and saltiness.”
No green harvest is effected as Galaz wants to maximise production, with the soil condition reducing yield naturally. Density has been restricted to no more than 4,000 vines per hectare, with the Syrah set at 3,000 and some whites at 2,667.
“If higher, plants will have less potential and possibility to explore the soil,” Galaz said. “With this soil, higher competition between vines we don’t think is good.” Around a kilo of fruit per vine is what he aims for.
Thanks to an omnipresent wind and the cold Humboldt current in the Pacific, daytime temperatures are no higher than 25°C in the growing season, while at night it falls to 8-9°C at Nicolasa and 10-12°C at Longimilla. Acid retention, therefore, is such that there is never any need for Galaz to add any tartaric acid. Not that anything but low intervention is part of his mantra (native yeasts, no fining, no filtration). Thanks to generally very low pHs of 3.1 to 3.15, just a little amount of sulphur dioxide is added prior to bottling, taking free SO2 levels to 20-23ppm and total SO2 to 70-75ppm.
How were the wines tasting?
Ventisquero Grey Glacier Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Valle de Atacama. 100% Longomilla vineyard but not part of the Tara Project (fermented with commercial yeasts in stainless steel 250l barrels and filtered). Low yields help give wonderful mineral, white stone intensity rather than the tropical fruit typical of the rest of Chile. Around 300 cases p.a. to the UK.
Ventisquero Kalfu Sumpai Sauvignon Blanc 2023, 13% abv. From Nicolasa vineyard (not part of Tara Project). A saltier finish than the first wine, but well balanced by minerality. Mouth-watering acidity (pH3.05) and very good length. Selling well to on-trade in US, UK, Brazil and Japan (fine match for latter’s food)
Ventisquero Tara Sauvignon Blanc 2023, DO Atacama, 13% abv. From vines planted on higher content of limestone soil than the Kalfu. Even saltier, with chalky, mineral notes as well as great intensity. and precision. Cloudy from extended lees contact.
Ventisquero Tara Chardonnay 2022, DO Atacama, 13% abv. Some batonnage but no malolactic fermentation. 50% in foudres, 50% in concrete eggs. Strong citrus notes with saline minerality and linear acidity. Precise focus with long clean finish.
Ventisquero Tara Viognier NV, DO Atacama, 13% abv. "A Solera kind of wine" in Galaz's words. "It has wine from the first vintage of 2011 until 2023. This is edition no 7." No Malolactic fermentation; initially aged in older oak and then in stainless steel barrels. Lees stirred every 2 months. A degree of oiliness helps give texture, with freshness from a low pH of 3.25. Layers of complexity, with apricot notes and some minerality. Very special.
Ventisquero Tara Garnacha 2022 DO Atacama, 13.5% abv. Very-low yield (100-150g per vine) gives extra concentration. Fermentation in open top vats; 18-20 months elevage in fifth use French barrels. Glorious expression of fruit, with chalky tannins. Freshness. Really good length.
Ventisquero Tara Cabernet Franc 2022, DO Atacama. 13.5% abv. "For us, some of the best Cab Franc comes from Chinon, which has the same soils as here," Galaz said. 100% elevage in untoasted foudres. Balsamic, herbal character with no jamminess. Fresh with fine, soft tannins. Superb.
Ventisquero Tara Pinot Noir 2022, DO Atacama, 13.5% abv. Seductive red fruit with cherry and raspberry notes (35% ex Nicolasa & 65% ex Longomilla). Meaty and olive hints. Aged 50% in concrete eggs and 50% in untoasted foudre, although Galaz revealed discussions ongoing whether to use up to 15% new oak. Fresh, savoury and long finish.
Ventisquero Tara Syrah 2021, DO Atacama, 13.5% abv. Northern Rhône in style. Chalky mid-palate with mouth-watering freshness. Tannin management beautifully judged. “All done in the vineyard - maybe I’m not necessary here,” Galaz quipped. “An opportunity for us winemakers to take out our egos and leave them behind. It makes you humble.” Such terroir expression.