Nativa began in 1995 as a part of Viña Carmen and four years later, in 1999, Nativa produced the first Chilean wine made with certified organic grapes. Today the Nativa wines are made from grapes grown in both sustainably managed and certified organic vineyard The Terra range adheres to the Sustainability Code by Wines of Chile. This code monitors sustainable practices in the vineyard, winery and offices as well aiming to improve social conditions of their employees through various community projects.

Vineyards

The grapes for the Nativa Terra Range are sourced from small (less than 5 hectares) long term growers, farming sustainably. The Terra range has moved away from being certified organic due to the difficulties in sourcing organically grown grapes (especially the Sauvignon Blanc, compounded by severe frosts in 2013 and a small 2014 harvest). Despite this, Nativa are still making the Terra range following organic practices. In fact, none of the wines have had any vineyard treatment- not even water – because 90% of them are dry farmed.

Vintage Information

A rainy winter at the start of the 2014/2015 season helped to accumulate enough water for the entire growing season. January was very cloudy, but February was partially clear and a bit warmer than usual, which allowed harvest to begin at the end of the month with good, crisp, and aromatic skins with the correct sugar and acidity levels. The fruit presented good quality and concentration.

Vinification

Cold maceration took place for 7 days at 4-5°C to extract aroma and colour. The grapes were then fermented at 25°C in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation occurred in French oak barrels (60%) and tanks (40%). Sixty percent of the blend spent a further 8-10 months in barrel and 2 months in bottle before release.