Chile has never been so hot

Chile has never been so hot

Chile has a long coastline, mountainous valleys and friendly hospitable people a lot like Vietnam, where Chilean wine is now highly popular.

Chile enjoys a long history and culture of wine making, going back to the conquistadores and missionaries who despite Spanish origins brought mostly the noble French grape varieties such as Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec and Carmeniere, which is often regarded as the emblematic grape of Chile.

Chile is also one of the few countries that is free of Phylloxera (insects which are very destructive to grape crops), so its grape vines are healthier and do not need to be grafted, which provides more character to the wine.

For most of Chile long winemaking history however, most of the wine produced was of low quality, as traditionally the producers have been more interested in quantity than quality. But then in the early 1980s a renaissance began most notably by Aurilio Montes and Douglas Murray, who believed they could develop a greater export market by focusing on producing top quality wines with excellent value pricing. They were right.

With the introduction of stainless steel fermentation tanks and the use of top quality oak barrels for ageing, better vineyard management, and hand sorting of the grapes they were able to produce wines that took the world by storm.

Subsequently, the overall export business grew very quickly and large amounts of better quality wines were produced. The number of wineries also grew from 12 in 1995 to over 70 in 2005. Chile is now one the largest exporter of wines in the world.

The climate can be described as midway between that of California and France, except the rain is usually only in winter and spring, which is ideal for the grapes. The important wine producing regions are the Casablanca Valley, the Central Valley of which there are subregions: the Colchagua Valley, the Maipo Valley, the Rapel Valley, the Curicó Valley and the Maule Valley. There are also sub vineyard regions like the slopes of Apalta in Colchagua with its half-moon shape and unique micro-climate, defined by the mountains and Tinguiririca river.

The best slopes in this valley, with a 45° average inclination and over 49° in the upper slopes, where the grapes for Montes Alpha M and Folly are grown and picked.

Having a south-west exposure allows exactly the right level of hours of sunlight (measured in degree days). The ocean breeze, only 80km away, provides a cooling effect, ideal for slow maturation of the grapes. The warm days but cool winds at night with their lowering temperatures create a micro-climate particularly suited for growing the best possible red grapes. The combination of climate, soil and drip irrigation make this one of the best vineyards in the world.

In the Tokyo Wine Tasting of 2006 Chilean wines won four of the top five rankings, and here in Vietnam, Montes is the number one wine imported from Chile.

Montes named Chilean Winery of Year

      In November 2006 the Chilean Wineries Association chose Montes as the Winery of the Year, a distinction presented at the launch of the Casas de Lo Matta Wine Gala 2006, in Vitacura, Santiago.

The Wine Gala is an annual event where more than 45 participating Chilean wineries come together. It is the first time the Winery of the Year award has been made and Montes has been rewarded for its outstanding contribution to the wine producing sector, especially in the development and production of premium and super premium Chilean wines and its commercial work in the different world markets. Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray and José Tomás Vidaurre founding partners of the winery, accepted the award.

Chef Don's Favorite Tipples

      l Montes Sauvignon Blanc

l Montes Cabernet Sauvignon/ Carmenere Limited APALTA

l Montes Alpha Chardonnay

l Montes Alpha Cabernet

l M, Folly and Purple Angel, if you can find them, are all amazing.

On Friday April 6 and Saturday April 7 you can taste Chilean food and the award wining wines of Aurilio Montes Sr as well as the great value Tantehue and Yali wines by Aurilio Montes Junior at Vine Annex. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door of the Annex, 45 Au Co. Call: 04 719 8000 for bookings.

 Donald Berger is the Managing Director of the Vine Group

 www.vine-group.com