Pilar Miranda - Garage Wine Co.

Garage Wine is a project that I have long admired since first tasting the wines over 20 years ago, and it is headed by the talented triumvirate of husband and wife team Pilar Miranda and Derek Mossman Knapp, alongside the highly respected agronomist Álvaro Peña. Whilst choosing the best winemaker is never an easy decision given the increasing depth of talent in Chile, I had little hesitation this year after tasting through the quite remarkable portfolio with Derek. This is a project that continues to go from strength to strength, as demonstrated by the superb scores that these wines achieved.

The winemaking star of the show is Pilar Miranda, who quietly goes about crafting these wines with amazing dexterity and deftness of touch. As the name suggests, the winemaking was born in a garage with fruit sourced from small producers in Maule. The focus is firmly placed on grapes from dry-farmed old vines, using traditional farming techniques, including horses. Garage functions very much on a human scale, which allows them complete control over every process involved. One of the things that I most admire is the environmental and social sympathy that Derek and Pilar practice and the community spirit that they foster. They were very much ahead of the game when they started over 20 years ago, in recuperating the undervalued treasure trove of old vines that Chile possesses, and have pioneered the revival of these beautiful vineyards that for too long lay forgotten and neglected.

They now produce wines in several of Chile’s wine regions, including Maule, Itata, and Maipo. The portfolio covers many grape varieties, yet the star of the show for me is the Cru Truquilemu Carignan, which is undoubtedly one of Chile’s finest wines and has rightly been crowned as the best red wine in this year’s guide. These are wines that have a lightness of touch, yet with profound concentration and always a core of pure, energetic fruit. Garage Wine is truly a Chilean cult classic. Bravo, Pilar and team!

Best Winemaker | Pilar Miranda - Garage Wine Co.

97 points Cru Truquilemu
2019

96 points Las Higueras Vineyard Lot 112
2019

95 points Renacido Vineyard - Parcel Selection
2020

95 points Sauzal Vineyard Lot 105
2019

95 points Truquilemu Vineyard Lot 107 - Parcel Selection
2019

94 points Revival
2022

94 points Soothsayers Single Ferment Series
2021

94 points Passagiero Escondido
2021

94 points Bagual Vineyard Lot 129
2021

94 points Pirque Vineyard Lot 110
2019

94 points Reelegido Vineyard Lot 111
2019

94 points Pereira Vineyard Lot 118
2020

94 points Isidora Vineyard F5 - Parcel Selection
2022

93 points Old Vine Pale Rosé Lot 123
2022