About
In the Tamarugal Valley, Vino del Desierto works with a grape variety that nearly vanished. Viticulture in Tarapacá flourished for almost 500 years before collapsing around the 1940s. Isolated vines survived nearly 80 years in the desert until 2003, when researchers from Arturo Prat University began rescuing them. That effort yielded Tamarugal, the first 100% Chilean wine grape variety officially registered worldwide in 2016. The variety exhibits spectacular growth and high productivity. Yields are managed to prioritize quality fruit. The winery draws on ancient groundwater from the Pampa del Tamarugal, approximately 9,000 years old and naturally replenished by highland rainfall. Pressurized drip irrigation operates at 90% efficiency. The project involves small local farmers and consolidates an emerging wine tourism offering in northern Chile.
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Location
Tarapacá, Chile