Chilean earthquake strikes our wine producing friends
Monday 1 March
You probably turned on your TV yesterday and saw the aftermath of the massive earthquake in Chile: houses no more than piles of rubble and bridges nose-diving into the ravines they once crossed.
Haiti seemed like a distant place to me but knowing people in Chile and its wine regions, having been there just three months ago, this natural disaster seems very close to home. I met Pedro Parra, a terroir specialist who lives in Bio Bio, which was at the centre of the quake and I hope he is safe and well. I am awaiting a reply from him via twitter.
When fires, floods, earthquakes hit countries with wine regions, the wine press can struggle to find information but Wines of Chile were on the ball with a statement and immediate plans to set up a relief fund.
In a statement they said: “At this early stage, it has been difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage to Chile’s wine regions and winery infrastructure, but I have had contact with a number of friends in Chile who report that there is significant damage in the southern wine areas closest to the epicentre, notably Bío Bío, Cauquenes, and other parts of Maule, and Curicó.
“Even wineries as far north as Colchagua have been affected, with structural damage, road collapses, and power and communication problems.
“In due course Wines of Chile will find a way to ensure that the UK wine trade can send funds to help families in need as Chile find its proud feet again.”
My pesos are on their way.
If you want to donate more generally, here are the details of the Chilean Earthquake Appeal. A wine trade fund will follow.
BBVA Bank
142 Brompton Road, London, SW3 1HY
Account Nº 01010982
Sort Code: 23-47-36
(if needed) IBAN: GB46BBVA23473601010982
Your £5m chance to get Naked
Thursday 18 February
Are you a winemaker who wants to go it alone but can’t convince the bank manager to give you a loan?
Here’s your chance.
The innovative people at online wine retailer Naked Wine have announced they will stump up £5 million to talented winemakers looking to set up in business. They’ve already supported Chilean couple Felipe Garcia and Constanza Schwarder (pictured) and want to help others. What a cracking idea.
Rowan Gormley, director of Naked Wines, said, “We’re looking to commission experienced, proven winemakers, who are looking to go it alone, to create stunning new wines for UK wine drinkers.
“We will cover production costs, pay a salary, guarantee an order, market the wines, pay a profit per bottle sold. In other words, provide all the tools an independent winemaker needs to create their own wine, under their own label, without the risks usually associated with being self-employed in the wine world.
Interested winemakers can find out more about the project, and apply for a piece of the action here
If you still haven’t signed up to Save the Wine column, please help the campaign. We’re only nine off 1000. Tim’s shopping list column comes out this weekend, and I’m encouraging as many people as possible to write to Stephen Pritchard, readers’ editor at The Observer reader@observer.co.uk and the editor John Mulholland john.mulholland@observer.co.uk to complain. Snail mail address is The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Please use ‘Save the Wine column’ as your email subject or letter heading.
Where’s all the Sauvignon?
Wednesday 6 January
Crikey, who’d have thought it would be so difficult to get a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand?
I am currently searching for a South African, Chilean and Loire Sauvignon for a Master of Wine tasting practice with Lynnette Hudson, winemaker at Pegasus Bay. But it is proving rather difficult. I called respected merchant Vino Fino in Christchurch and they could only help me out with the Sancerre - but it will cost me $52 (£23) for the privilege. When you’re such a strong Sauvignon player, the assistant told me, you can’t sell Sauvignons from the rest of the world. I guess it’s the same in most wine-producing countries. New Zealand’s wines are of an enviable standard but it’s a shame people aren’t able to try styles beyond their borders.
I was clearly spoiled for choice in London where the local independent merchant would always have something from Leyda, Stellenbosch and Touraine on the shelves. Unfortunately you don’t realise how lucky you are until you move away.
Now I am horribly aware that trying to do tasting practice for the MW in the UK is a) less hassle and b) cheaper than doing it elsewhere - although living costs and exorbitant travel fares add up (£4.10 for a single on the tube is a joke, Boris).
So, if anyone from the UK is coming over to Auckland, could you stick a bottle of Rueda/Argentine Torrontes/anything from South Africa in your luggage for me?
The future for Chile
Wednesday 2 December
After a week in Chile, it’s time for a bit of reflection on the latest developments.
First of all, it is clear that the current appellations are unhelpful and need revising. Wines of Chile is already looking into this. The appellations like Limari and Colchagua are actually administrative regions - not wine areas.
It’s likely we’ll end up with something along the lines of coastal, central and mountain Colchagua/Limari etc to better reflect the style of wine that you can expect in the bottle. At the coast, grapes might ripen two or three weeks later than their central counterparts. You’ll also find cool climate grapes including Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc on the coastal sites while later ripening varieties (mainly reds) will be found in central and mountainside vineyards.
What else? Chile has huge diversity of soils and terroirs. I went to Chile feeling quite sceptical about its diversity and ability to make a wide range of styles but happily, I was wrong. The wineries I visited are doing lots of pioneering work in virgin territory, planting in cooler and more appropriate sites.
Sophisticated electromagnetic surveys and extensive soil mapping (I don’t want to see another trench anytime soon!) means vineyards are now being planted in better sites and with the correct varieties rather than sticking vines in willy-nilly.
There’s also lots of work on developing clones. Inferior clones are being ripped out and replaced and so we ought to see better wines emerging.
I think we sometimes forget how young Chile is. It really is just starting to discover its best sites and in the next five years I think we’ll start to see more elegant and fresher wines. There’ll still be plenty of cheap Merlot and Cabernet for the mass market but this week has shown there is clearly some classy stuff just beginning – and at much cheaper prices than you’d get from Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
Limari producer goes upward and seaward
Monday 30 November
The message from Chilean wine producers throughout my trip has been: head for the hills or the coast – or both.
New vineyard plantations have slowly been moving from the valley floors to the hills or toward the sea for at least six years but the pace seems to have upped in the last year.
If you’ve been reading my previous blogs, you’ll have read that Montes, Ventisquero and Falernia are heading upwards or seawards to find cooler climes. And they’ve all been digging trenches in the vineyards to map the soils before planting.
At Tabali in Limari (500km north of Santiago), they’ve just made the first vintage from a new vineyard in the Fray Jorge national park a stone’s throw away from the ocean. The guys are getting mighty excited about it because they’ve discovered limestone soils, which has been elusive in Chile thus far. The vineyard is enormous and incredibly isolated (giving us time for a cheeky nap in the mini bus en route) but the first harvest of Sauvignon Blanc we tasted was incredible. We all agreed it was almost Loire-like with incredible salty/chalky minerality. The Wine Society have already snapped it up and you really need to try this to see that Chile can do cool climate, mineral whites. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to taste the Pinot Noir or Chardonnay as they’re not yet ready but I’ll be making it a priority.
Surprise surprise they’ve also just bought a vineyard in the mountains, which they’ll plant next year. Everyone is jumping on this bandwagon. It’s up at 2000 metres and the warmer temperatures plus increased UV light on the slopes means they’ll be putting in Carignan, Malbec and Garnacha among other things.
