Viña Tarapacá

The 12th ANNUAL WINES OF CHILE AWARDS (AWoCA) took place, with a panel comprised of Brazilian experts and with the best Chilean brands. This was the first time that the competition – regarded as the most important and influential in Chilean winemaking– was held outside Chile. The winners of each category were revealed during a Gala dinner, in São Paulo last Tuesday 2nd of December.

Viña Tarapacá was founded in 1874, in the feet of Andes range. Since then we've been making wines that are a reflection of our over-a-hundred-year-old tradition and contemporary elegance. In 1876, just two years after its foundation, Viña Tarapacá obtained its first international award at the Centennial International Exhibition, Philadelphia, United States.

Viña Tarapacá is part of the VSPT Wine Group, which has wineries in Chile and Argentina. Each one of them has highly prestigious brands in markets abroad. VSPT Wine Group is Chile's second largest wine exporter and the first within national fine wines market.

Viña Tarapacá is internationally renowned as one of the Chilean wineries with the greatest history and tradition. All throughout its history, Viña Tarapacá has followed a successful path that has led it to become an iconic Chilean viticulture brand, and to have its wines placed in more than 60 countries.

Our vineyards are located in Maipo Valley, the most traditional valley in Chile, which also has the best qualities for the premium wines production. A unique ecosystem to develop excellence wines, where a careful grape selection from the right terroir for each variety, promotes the obtaining of high quality, complex and balanced wines.

One of the most famous the Chilean wine regions is Maipo Valley, origin of some of the more emblematic Cabernet Sauvignon of Chile. Other regions that in the last years have acquired international recognition are Casablanca and Leyda Valleys, with great coastal influence and ideal for stocks like Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, giving as a result fine and crispy wines.

Also new zones, like Elqui and Limarí Valleys in the north of the country, have been incorporated in the North zone, with surprising results.

Our wines begin with the most appropriate soil selection that will match the needs of each varietal to best respect its characteristics. The vineyards are properly managed with techniques that include determining the correct crop load per vine, irrigation methods, trellising style, and vigor management, etc. This care and dedication continues in the winery, with the enthusiasm and devotion of our winemakers in every step of the vinification process, from reception to fermentation and aging, in order to produce high quality, complex, and well-balanced wines.

Tarapacá wines display their maximum potential, not only in Isla de Maipo vineyards, within Maipo Valley, but also in other valleys because our winemaking team continuously seeks out new lands in distant valleys where the different varieties best express their natural characteristics. Our winemaking philosophy is aimed at making wines that faithfully reflect Chile's tremendous soil and climate conditions for grape growing.

Our Viña Tarapacá winemaking team is committed to take the maximum advantage of the soil conditions, topography, and climate from each one of the different vineyard blocks for the greatest expression of the grapes, which are planted where they would develop themselves better.

Viña Tarapacá is highly committed to the quality of its wines. This commitment is put into practice not only in winemaking activities, but also in other areas such as environmental sustainability and initiatives and practices aimed at caring for the environment, that have been certified by independent organizations.

Some of our certifications are Integrated Management System certification by Bureau Veritas Quality Management ISO 9001, Environmental Management ISO 14001 and Labor Safety OHSAS 18001. We also have certificates from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the International Food and Standard (IFS), both with the highest levels.

During 2008 we started the process to neutralize our warming emissions, offsetting the resulting emissions of maritime transport by investing in renewable energy projects.