Sommelier Tomas Tapia shares his Chilean Christmas traditions

Like Singapore, Christmas in Curicó, Chile, where sommelier Tomas Tapia of Chilean-South Pacific fine-dining restaurant Araya grew up, is often hot, with temperatures hovering around 30 deg C. 

Yet, his favourite festive memory is one of waiting for snow. “When I was six, my brother Mattias told me once it snowed in Chile before I was born. It is impossible because it’s summer during Christmas. So, I was waiting to see snow every Christmas,” he grins. “Now, I always tell my daughter the story, and we laugh so hard!”

The soft-spoken 34-year-old Chilean now celebrates Navidad in equatorial Singapore with a small, close-knit Chilean community of four families. “In Chile, Christmas is the most important celebration of the year, where the whole family — grandparents, uncles, cousins — gathers. All the kids don’t have their extended family here, so we kind of make one big family.”

Everyone cooks, including Tapia himself. Unlike other countries, lamb is the traditional centrepiece of the Christmas dinner table in Chile, instead of turkey or ham. Some families might serve barbecued ribs, but Tapia prefers an oven-roasted lamb leg with peppermint dressing and a table filled with sides.

“That’s the most important part,” he laughs. “There’s potato gratin, celery salad, and Chilean salad.” The sumptuous feast is usually accompanied by a traditional cola de mono, or monkey’s tail, a sweet drink made with aguardiente, milk and cinnamon.

Winning the Michelin Guide Sommelier Award 2024 is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Tapia’s year. Araya also received its first star this year, less than a year since it started. He says: “Of course, we started drinking champagne at 10am, and we didn’t stop until midnight! After service, chefs from other restaurants came by to say ‘Cheers’!” 

On the impact of receiving the accolade: “Nowadays, I’m receiving more emails asking for advice. It’s significant (to me) because it made me realise I’m now experienced enough to guide someone else. I looked for mentorship when I started, and now I can share the lessons I’ve learnt from my mistakes.”

Next year, expect to explore a greater breadth of Latin American wines. Araya is preparing to expand its wine curation to include Peru and Uruguay, focusing on smaller vineyards no larger than three or four hectares.

“My mission in Singapore is to showcase how diverse our wines are. Many people associate Chile or Argentina with low-quality, cheap wines, but we produce many styles. There are so many grape varieties and producers to uncover, like Susana Balbo, who was recently inducted into Decanter’s Hall of Fame.”