Michelle Barclay (l) co-chair for day 9 and
Sergio Correa |
Life doesn’t get any better than this! After several days of early
bus rides and meetings with dignitaries, we began the morning at 10:00 a.m. with a tour of
the Tarapaca winery with internationally renowned, master wine maker, Sergio Correa.
Tarapaca has 600 hectares in grape production, about a fourth of total acreage. Land was
purchased from Pioneer Chile Ltda. in 1991. A state-of-the-art winery was constructed,
with its first crop harvested on this site in 1996. |
| Tarapaca’s wine cellar holds 12.5 million bottles of premium wines, aging anywhere from 3 months to 20 years, depending on the variety. Operations include modern bottle-filling and labeling operations, and a state-of-the-art testing laboratory to insure quality control. Before bottling, premium wines are aged in U.S. and French oak casks. American casks provide a robust, full flavor, while French casks provide more subtle, delicate flavors. | Co-Chair for Day 9, Stephanie Dickson |
The wine making process at
Tarapaca |
Tarapaca harvests grapes from March through April. Currently they are
harvesting white grapes at night to ensure maximum sugar content and flavor. In the
vineyards Tarapaca’s rocky soils stimulate grapes to ripen, because the rocks radiate
heat absorbed in the day during the night.
|
| We learned that viticulturists plant red roses at the end of rows to mark red grape varieties, and white roses to mark white grape varieties. As do many Chilean vineyards, Tarapaca specializes in red wines: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. The winery also produces Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from white varieties. | Classmates visit with the
agronomist from Tarapaca |
The pool and grounds at Tarapaca |
At lunch we had a chance to drink some of the wines under the spreading oak trees behind the villa. Later, class members were free to swim, play tennis, walk, read, relax or ride horses. |
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