Our Vineyards

In the part of the Huasco Valley, a part of the Atacama wine-growing region, where the Longomilla and Nicolasa vineyards are situated, the dense fog known as “camanchaca” blankets the land each day. This fog comes in from the Pacific Ocean. Moisture from this daily fog provides the vine leaves with a small but important increase in humidity.

We began planting in the Atacama Desert in the early 2000s with the Tara Project. Today, these wines are distributed in 30 countries and have been featured in more than 50 Michelin-Starred restaurants around the world.

In the Huasco Valley, one of the most distinctive areas of the Atacama wine-growing region, lie the Longomilla and Nicolasa vineyards. Each day, the desert is enveloped by the dense coastal fog known as camanchaca, carried in from the Pacific Ocean. This natural phenomenon delivers a delicate but vital source of moisture, gently hydrating the vine leaves and allowing life to flourish in one of the driest places on Earth.

The valley is located 60 miles north-west of Chile’s capital, Santiago. It is oriented east-west and benefits from the cooling effects of the Humboldt Current, flowing up the west coast of Chile from the Antarctic. Cooling afternoon breezes blow from the ocean towards the mountains in the east, filling the vacuum created by warm air rising in the east.

Considered to be one of Chile’s most prestigious wine-producing regions, the Pirque region of Maipo Valley produces some of the country’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Our vines are located 1,500-2,000 feet above sea level and experience nighttime temperatures as much as 35F (20C) lower than during the day. The result is a ripening period that allows grapes to develop complex fruit flavors while retaining acidity.

The name “Apalta” means “poor soils.” In this region, our Carménère and Syrah grow in soils of red clay and granitic composition on south-west facing slopes of more than 30 degrees.

In these geographic conditions, the stressed vines are forced to seek out meager nutrients, particularly as our Carménère is planted at nearly 1,600 feet in elevation.

This extreme viticulture concentrates flavors and encourages crisp acidity, making wines of this region highly sought-after.

Learn more about our Pangea, Obliqua and Vertice wines from this region below.

In 2018, VWE set out on a bold new frontier: exploring the southernmost vineyard in the world, located in Patagonia at parallel 46.3°. After battling the fierce Patagonian winds, the first wine from this extreme vineyard “Kosten” was born. Only 300 bottles were allocated and released exclusively in the U.S. to top chefs and sommeliers.

This is extreme viticulture, where only a truly daring spirit can thrive. In this remote corner of Chile Chico, the wild inhabitants face “Kosten,” the powerful wind that shapes mountains and ripples the turquoise waters of Lake General Carrera. More than a force of nature, it is a protagonist, the greatest challenge to agriculture in the region.