The Desert Oenologist, the Salt & Limestone & the Camanchaca Hand
Ventisquero Tara is one of the most extraordinary wine projects on Earth — a winery operating in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, 20 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean, in a place where it has not rained in 50 years. Named after the biggest salt lake in Chile, the project was born when Alejandro Galaz — Ventisquero's specialist oenologist for cool climate wines — and head winemaker Felipe Tosso planted the first vines in 2007 on the second and third terraces of the Huasco River. The soils were white with powder that fizzed when lemon juice was dropped on it — active limestone — but hidden beneath was something the literature said no vine could survive: salt content ten times the tolerable limit. In the second year, all the vines died except 2-3%. The project was nearly abandoned. But the grapes from those few survivors were so extraordinary — so different from anything produced in Chile's Central Valley — that they persisted. Today, two vineyards — Nicolasa and Longomilla — span 10 hectares on the southern edge of the Atacama, producing unfiltered, unfined, native-yeast wines with a signature minerality from the limestone and a saline finish from the ancient ocean soils. The climate is paradoxically cool: the camanchaca — a thick fog that rolls in from the Pacific at 10am and 6pm every day — blankets the vines in moisture, while the Humboldt Current keeps daytime temperatures below 25°C and nights at 8-12°C. Ventisquero was named New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast, and Tim Atkin crowned Felipe Tosso Best Winemaker in Chile 2022. Luis Gutiérrez of Wine Advocate calls Tara "one of the craziest projects in Chile."
The Desert Pit, the Lemon Juice Test & the Galaz Hand
Alejandro Galaz has been making wine for Ventisquero since 2006 and is the estate's specialist oenologist for cool climate wines. Felipe Tosso, the head winemaker, joined Ventisquero in 2000 after working in Napa, Sonoma, Barossa, Bordeaux, Argentina, Spain, and Italy. Together, they conceived the Tara project — a joint enterprise that would push the boundaries of viticulture into one of the most hostile environments on Earth. The first vines were planted in the middle of 2007 after digging deep for soil analysis in the Huasco Valley, near the town of Huasco, roughly 260 kilometres north of La Serena and 350 kilometres north of Elqui — previously Chile's most northerly vineyard area.
The soil analysis revealed something unprecedented in Chile. 90% of Chile's vineyards are planted on alluvial and granite soils — but here, the powder was white. To prove it was active limestone, they dropped lemon juice on it and watched it fizz. But what they could not see was another compound hidden in these ancient soils: salt. Millions of years ago, these soils were under the Pacific Ocean. The seashells have long since dissolved, but the salt remains — ten times the level that viticultural literature says a vine can survive. In the second year, all the vines died except 2-3%. The project was nearly abandoned. But in the third year, they tasted the wines from the few survivors — and they were fantastic. That flavour, that minerality, that saline character was present nowhere else in Chile. The grapes were so good and so different that it pushed them to carry on.
They consulted a viticulturist who worked with table grapes, who advised them to use long irrigations of 18-20 hours every 9-10 days to move the salt between the rows, giving the roots 7-8 days to work before the salt returned. This was only possible because Ventisquero had created a reservoir using water rights from the Huasco River that came with the land purchase. Recently, they have trialled sprinklers that use one third of the water with better results. In the last five years, not a single vine has been lost. The vines are grafted onto American rootstock like Richter 110 — not for phylloxera insurance, but because it explores much deeper into the soil. The Grenache was recently grafted onto a new Australian rootstock resistant to salt. The project that was nearly abandoned after one year has become one of the most celebrated in the New World.
"This is the Atacama Desert where it hasn't rained for 50 years. 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."
— Alejandro Galaz, Ventisquero Tara
The Atacama Desert, the Huasco River & the Saline Hand
The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth — a vast, lunar landscape in northern Chile where some weather stations have never recorded rainfall. It is 350 kilometres north of Elqui, 60 kilometres from the Andes, and 18-20 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean with its cold Humboldt Current. It is a place of extremes: scorching sun, freezing nights, and a silence so profound it has been used to test Mars rovers. And yet, in this desert, two vineyards — Nicolasa and Longomilla — produce some of the most distinctive wines in the world.
The vineyards lie on the second and third terraces of the Huasco River, which brings pure, clean water from the Andes. The soils are a paradox: limestone and saline — active limestone that fizzes with acid, and ancient ocean salt that nearly killed the first plantings. The Nicolasa vineyard was wild, with no previous crops, meaning more salt and a higher salty taste in the wine. The Longomilla vineyard had previously been planted with vegetables and olive trees, so the soil was more "washed" and has less salt content. Both vineyards share the same personality: minerality and saltiness — the signature of the Atacama Desert in liquid form. The climate is surprisingly cool: the camanchaca — a thick fog that rolls in from the Pacific at 10am and 6pm daily — provides humidity to the dry environment, while the Humboldt Current keeps daytime temperatures below 25°C and nights at 8-12°C. An omnipresent wind adds to the stress. Acid retention is so natural that no tartaric acid is ever added.
The vintage variation is virtually non-existent. Year after year, the harvest dates are more or less the same — early March — and the climate is so consistent that no chemicals or pesticides are needed in the vineyard. Yields are naturally low due to the soil conditions: around 1 kilogram of fruit per vine, with vine density restricted to no more than 4,000 per hectare — higher density would create competition that the saline soil cannot support. No green harvest is performed; the soil reduces yield naturally. The vines are irrigated every 9-10 days with long, deep waterings to push the salt away from the roots. It is a viticulture of constant negotiation with the desert — a battle against salt that has been transformed into a partnership with place.
The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth — a vast, barren landscape in northern Chile where some weather stations have never recorded a single drop of rain. It is a place of extremes: scorching sun, freezing nights, and a silence so profound that NASA uses it to test Mars rovers. And yet, 20 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean, in the Huasco Valley, two vineyards produce world-class wine. The desert is not a handicap; it is the project's defining characteristic. The lack of rainfall, the cool Humboldt Current, the daily camanchaca fog, and the ancient limestone and saline soils create a terroir that is unique not just in Chile but in the entire world. For Ventisquero Tara, the Atacama is not a place to conquer; it is a place to listen to.
Nicolasa and Longomilla are the two vineyards of the Tara project, located a few kilometres apart in the Huasco Valley. Nicolasa was wild land with no previous crops, meaning higher salt content and a more pronounced saline character in the wine. Longomilla had been planted with vegetables and olive trees, so the soil was more "washed" and produces wines with less saltiness. Both vineyards share the same limestone base and the same cool desert climate, but each has its own distinct personality. Chardonnay is planted on both, as are Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Viognier is only on Nicolasa. Syrah, Grenache, and Cabernet Franc are only on Longomilla. Together, they form a two-vineyard estate of 10 hectares that is the only commercial winery in the Atacama Desert — the northernmost winery in Chile.
The soils at Tara are unlike any other in Chile. While 90% of Chilean vineyards are on alluvial and granite soils, Tara's vineyards are on limestone and saline soils — a combination that is rare in the country and extraordinary in the context of viticulture. The limestone is active: it fizzes when lemon juice is dropped on it, providing a mineral backbone that gives the wines their chalky, structured character. The salt is ancient: millions of years ago, these soils were under the Pacific Ocean, and the dissolved seashells have left behind a saline residue that is ten times what vines can normally tolerate. This salt is not a defect; it is a signature. It gives the wines a saline finish, a tingling sensation on the palate, and a savoury complexity that is impossible to replicate anywhere else. For Galaz and Tosso, the limestone and salt are not obstacles; they are the soul of the project.
The camanchaca is a thick fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean at 10am and 6pm every day, blanketing the vineyards in moisture and providing the only humidity in this desert environment. It is the camanchaca that allows the vines to survive — the leaves absorb the moisture, and the fog moderates the temperature. Combined with the cold Humboldt Current, which keeps daytime temperatures below 25°C and nights at 8-12°C, the camanchaca creates a cool-climate microclimate in the middle of the world's driest desert. The wind is omnipresent, adding stress and reducing disease pressure. The result is a growing season that is long, cool, and consistent — with vintage variation so minimal that harvest dates are virtually the same every year. No chemicals or pesticides are needed. For Tara, the camanchaca is not just weather; it is the breath of the desert.
The Native Yeast, the Unfiltered Cloud & the Minimal Hand
Alejandro Galaz's winemaking philosophy is defined by a single principle: get out of the way and let the desert speak. "This is a project where the winemakers are a little more in the back stage," he says, "because the character of the place doesn't allow us to influence the wine too much. We want them to be made themselves." The wines are unfiltered, unfined, and produced with native yeast — no commercial inoculation, no enzymes, no nutrients. The only addition is a minimal amount of sulfites just before bottling — taking free SO2 levels to 20-23ppm and total SO2 to 70-75ppm. Thanks to generally very low pHs of 3.1 to 3.15, the wines need almost no protection.
The winemaking is deliberately low-intervention and tailored to each variety. The Chardonnay receives some batonnage but no malolactic fermentation, and is aged 50% in foudres and 50% in concrete eggs — preserving its linear acidity and saline minerality. The Viognier is a solera-style wine, with wine from the first vintage of 2011 until 2023 blended together — initially aged in older oak, then in stainless steel barrels, with lees stirred every two months. The Pinot Noir is aged 50% in concrete eggs and 50% in untoasted foudre — a decision to avoid new oak and let the fruit and terroir speak. The Syrah is fermented in open-top vats and aged for 18-20 months in fifth-use French barrels — old enough to add no wood flavour, but enough to provide structure. The Garnacha is treated similarly, with very low yields (100-150g per vine) giving extraordinary concentration. The Cabernet Franc is aged 100% in untoasted foudres — a nod to Chinon, which Galaz says has the same soils as Tara.
The wines are bottled by hand, unfiltered and unfined. Even the wax covering the cork is done manually. Each bottle is numbered, and volumes are very low — no more than a few thousand bottles for each cuvée. The wines are cloudy from extended lees contact, vibrant with natural acidity, and unmistakably saline. Galaz's mantra is low intervention: native yeasts, no fining, no filtration, no acid adjustment, no manipulation. The desert does the work. The winemaker's job is to watch, taste, and step back. "All done in the vineyard," Galaz quips about the Syrah. "Maybe I'm not necessary here. An opportunity for us winemakers to take out our egos and leave them behind. It makes you humble."
The Native Yeast & Unfiltered Covenant
The guiding principle of Galaz's cellar is that the best wine is the one that needs the least intervention. The native yeasts capture the microbial fingerprint of the Atacama Desert — the wild yeasts that live on the skins of grapes grown in saline limestone soils, in the air of the Huasco Valley, and in the cool fog of the camanchaca. The absence of fining and filtration keeps the wine's natural texture, lees-derived complexity, and cloudy, living character intact. The extended lees contact — particularly for the Chardonnay and Viognier — adds depth, richness, and a savoury, almost umami quality that is impossible to achieve with sterile, filtered wines. The minimal sulfur — added only before bottling — provides just enough protection without masking the terroir. The concrete eggs provide natural temperature regulation and gentle oxygen exchange. The untoasted foudres add structure without wood aroma. And the old barrels — fifth-use French oak — provide a neutral, stable environment for long ageing. The cellar is a quiet, cool space where a desert oenologist lets the salt, the limestone, and the camanchaca do the talking.
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc & the Desert Hand
The Ventisquero Tara portfolio is small, focused, and entirely handmade — unfiltered, unfined, native-yeast wines from two vineyards in the Atacama Desert, each one a distinct expression of limestone, salt, and camanchaca. The Chardonnay is the flagship white — a cloudy, leesy, saline wine that has been called one of the best in South America. The Pinot Noir is the elegant red — seductive, meaty, and fresh. The Syrah is the savoury one — Northern Rhône in style, with chalky tannins and mouth-watering freshness. The Sauvignon Blanc is the precise one — grassy, mineral, and intensely saline. The Viognier is the solera — a multi-vintage blend of extraordinary complexity. The Garnacha is the concentrated one — from vines yielding just 100-150g each. And the Cabernet Franc is the herbal one — balsamic, fresh, and superb. All are made with native yeasts, minimal sulfur, no fining, no filtration, and no acid adjustment — wines that are honest, vibrant, and deeply expressive of the driest place on Earth.
The New World Winery of the Year, the Desert Revolution & the Saline Hand
Ventisquero Tara is not merely a winery; it is a miracle realised — the story of how two winemakers planted vines in the driest place on Earth, where the salt content was ten times what any vine could survive, where only 2-3% of the first plantings lived, and where it has not rained in 50 years — and produced some of the most distinctive, most celebrated wines in the New World. In an era when Chilean wine was defined by the Central Valley, the Maipo, and the Colchagua, Alejandro Galaz and Felipe Tosso demonstrated that the most profound wines sometimes come from a 3-metre-deep pit in a desert vineyard, from limestone soils that fizz with lemon juice, from native yeast fermentations in concrete eggs and untoasted foudres, and from a place where the camanchaca fog rolls in twice a day to keep the vines alive. It is largely thanks to projects like Tara that the Atacama Desert, the Huasco Valley, and extreme northern Chilean viticulture now have a place in the global wine conversation. The same desert that should have killed the vines has become, through their work, a source of some of the most honest, vibrant, and deeply place-driven wines on Earth.
The legacy of Ventisquero Tara is the legacy of the humble hand in extreme viticulture. Galaz and Tosso are not typical Chilean winemakers: they are men who tasted the first wines from 2-3% surviving vines and knew they had found something unique, who irrigated for 18-20 hours every 9-10 days to push salt away from roots, who age their Pinot Noir in concrete eggs and untoasted foudres to avoid masking the terroir, who make a solera Viognier spanning 2011 to 2023, and who believe that the best wine is the one that makes the winemaker unnecessary. They do not chase volume. They do not chase scores. They make wines that are unfiltered, unfined, hand-bottled, hand-waxed, and numbered — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Garnacha, and Cabernet Franc — and they make them with the same patience and humility that defined their first lemon-juice test in the white powder of the Atacama. The native yeast is not a compromise; it is a philosophical stance that allows the desert to speak without a commercial mask.
The future of the project is tied to the future of extreme viticulture, sustainable water use, and the preservation of the Huasco River's pure Andean water — to the growing recognition that the best wines come not from the most fertile valleys but from the most committed guardians of impossible places. As the Chardonnay continues to set the benchmark for saline, mineral white wine in South America — 96 points from Tim Atkin, 94+ from Wine Advocate — as the Pinot Noir proves that the Atacama can produce reds of world-class elegance and savoury complexity, and as the Syrah demonstrates that even the driest desert can yield a wine with the chalky mid-palate and mouth-watering freshness of the Northern Rhône, Alejandro Galaz and Felipe Tosso remain what they have always intended to be: desert oenologists who became farmers — men who trusted the limestone, the salt, and the camanchaca fog, and who built something enduring in the white powder of the Atacama. The miracle is not finished. It is just beginning to vine.
"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."
— Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate