Antakari Syrah 2022

One of only two wineries in the remarkable Elqui Valley, Viña Falernia was built in the 1990s by Italian cousins Aldo Olivier Gramola and Giorgio Flessati. They won a Trophy for Syrah in their first vintage, astounding critics and putting the valley firmly on the wine map. The region lies next to the Atacama Desert, an unlikely spot to grow top-quality wine grapes. But thanks to its high-altitude vineyards, the climate is ideal: a cool downdraught from the Andes and the Pacific’s Humboldt Current ensure moderate temperatures by day and chilly nights, while snowmelt from the Andes provides the irrigation water. Deep and juicy with aromatic blackberries and spice, this red works with sausages, lamb or veggie lasagne. Open early and decant.