Bold idea: Growing grapes in the driest desert in the world

In the heart of Chile's Atacama desert - the driest place in the world - Hector Espindola is doing an unexpected job, running a grape farm.

At an altitude of nearly 2,500 meters above sea level, his small farm named Bosque Viejo grows many different types of grapes, the most special of which is muscat grapes - one of the oldest grape families. world, and criollo - a famous grape adapted to harsh living conditions.

Mr. Espindola's vines are shaded by quince, pear and fig trees, and enjoy spring water from melting Andes ice.

Hector Espindola inside a grape farm in the Atacama desert, Chile.

Mr. Espindola, 71, built his farm on a quiet patch of land in Toconao, the northernmost tip of Chile - about 1,500km from the country's major wine-growing centers. His products also have many contributions, making this the longest country in the world making it one of the top 10 wine producers in the world.

However, growing grapes in the desert is not an easy job. Mr. Espindola had to manage to help the Bosque Viejo farm withstand fluctuations in day and night temperatures, peak solar radiation and severe frosts.

"You have to be dedicated to your work. I water the plants at night. at 3 a.m.," he said, stroking the withered and dark brown vines two months after his harvest. , 11 o'clock at night. You have to be careful because it's hot here, the climate is no joke. Sometimes the weather turns windy, the harvest fails. Sometimes the frost comes early. It's complicated in general."

Mr. Espindola sends his produce to the Ayllu cooperative, which since 2017 has been receiving grapes harvested from 18 small farms around Toconao. In 2021, this cooperative receives 16 tons of grapes, enough to produce 12,000 bottles of wine.

The 2022 harvest is more optimistic, with more than 20 tonnes of grapes - enough to produce 15,000 bottles of wine. However, if compared with Chile's annual wine production, this figure is less than 1%.

Most of the cooperative contributors are members of indigenous communities, formerly small-scale, individual producers.

One of them, Cecilia Cruz (67 years old), grows syrah and pinot grapes at an altitude of about 3,600 meters outside the village of Socaire - the highest grape farm in Chile. "I feel special to have this vineyard here and produce wine at this height," she said. She also revealed a bigger goal, which is to build a "future" for her three sons starting with grapes.

For Ayllu vitiologist Fabian Munoz (24 years old), the task now is to create a wine that combines sandstone characteristics. He said: "How to do so that when consumers taste Ayllu grapes, they will say, 'Wow! I'm tasting the Atacama Desert".

Meanwhile, Carolina Vicencio, an expert in winemaking chemistry, said the high altitude, low barometric pressure and extreme temperature fluctuations make the grape skins thicker than other types of pine. usually different. "This creates more tannin molecules in the skins, which gives a certain bitterness in the wine. The salinity of the soil is also higher, making wines from the Atacama Desert unique," she explains. .