The winery is located near the municipality of Isla de Maipo (Talagante province) in the
Maipo Valley in
Chile. It was founded in 1874 by Francisco de Rojas y Salamanca under the name "Viña Rojas". In 1892 the estate was purchased by Manuel Zavala-Meléndez, who changed the name to "Viña Tarapacá" in honor of the Chilean province of the same name in the north. In 1992 it was taken over by the Chilean Match Company "Compania Chilena de Fosforos". The new owner made huge investments in vineyards and cellar technology. There is a close cooperation with the Californian winery
Beringer. Finally, in 1998 the company became part of the VSPT wine group. This second largest Chilean wine exporter owns vineyards in Chile and Argentina.
The old vineyards of the former family winery near Santiago were abandoned and new areas of 2,400 hectares were created in the
Maipo area with artificial
irrigation (drip irrigation) fed by the Maipo River. Of these, about 850 hectares are currently under vines. They are located in the middle of a former volcanic crater and are planted with the red wine varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Pinot Noir and Syrah, and the white wine varieties Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Viognier. The wines are produced in the Tara-Pakay, Zavala (former owner), Gran Reserva, Terroir, Tarapacá +Plus, Tarapacá Reserva and Tarapacá Varietal lines. The red wines are matured in French and American barriques for 40%, 60% without wood. The sparkling wines are produced using the Champagne method and
Méthode charmat (tank fermentation).
