Can Sauvignon Blanc, a cool to moderate climate grape variety, do well in the driest desert on Earth?
Cool Climate Desert?
I’ve talked about wines of Northern Chile and reviewed wines from the Atacama desert before if you’d like to learn more. Plus I’ve talked about wine tourism in the Elqui Valley (at the border of Atacama), around Copiapó/Huasco (southern Atacama) and Iquique (northern Atacama). Besides wine, it’s one of the most beautiful places on Earth and warrants visiting for that reason alone.
So how can wines grow in the desert? It’s because Chile’s Atacama desert is special in so many ways. Like the geography of the country itself, it is long and skinny. It spans roughly 1,000 km and like most of Chile it is squeezed in between the Pacific Ocean and Andes mountains, which help to keep everything cooler. Unlike other deserts like the Sahara with an average annual temperature at 30 C (86 F) with highs up to 50 C (120+ F), the Atacama desert only averages 18 C (63 F). Proximity to the coast and higher elevations can also help growers moderate the temperatures. However, Atacama is the oldest and driest desert of the world, so of course irrigation is needed.
Unfortunately, most of the wines from the Atacama desert are not available around the world or even in Santiago. Most of the grapes grown there have been for exported table grapes or Pisco while wine production is small and for locals and tourist consumption.
The main commercial producer that has invested in winemaking there is Ventiquero, who export their Tara Atacama wines all across the US and Europe. Their Tara line is sourced from the Huasco Valley in the southern part of the Atacama desert, where they make Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. However, the average price for these wines is $40.
Savvy consumers who want a taste of the Atacama desert at a lower price* should know that Ventiquero’s mid-level Grey Glacier line, which at Chilean wine prices means it costs $15-20, also includes wine sourced from their vineyards in Huasco, Atacama. However, it’s only their Sauvignon Blanc in this line that’s from Huasco. That’s what I’m reviewing today.
*Buena Esperanza is a new producer making wine from the Huasco Valley at affordable prices, but I’m not sure if they export yet.
Tasting Notes
2023 Ventisquero Grey Sauvignon Blanc Huasco Atacama
Nose of citrus and somewhat riper fruit than say San Antonio/Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc and milder green notes which tastes more like baked green vegetables and herbs as opposed to raw green vegetables like bell-pepper, grass and jalapeno which SB can sometimes have. Although it’s still zesty, it’s also a bit lower acid, bigger bodied and riper on the palate than average Chilean SB. There’s also more salinic minerality than Casablanca/Leyda SB, which the label says is due to the calcareous soil. Overall, it makes sense given that this grows in the Atacama desert, but it maintains the acidity because it’s only 20 something km from the coast. 91