Vineyards have been planted—or, in
many cases, replanted—to position the
right grapes in the right places. As for the
grapes themselves, the Cab/Chard com-
fort zone is being stretched by Sauvignon
Blanc, Pinot Noir, even Rhône varieties
and Malbec! Creative blending is taking
place at every price level, while signature
wines are angling to grab the attention
of sommeliers and connoisseurs. And
complementing experimentation in the
vineyards and labs, marketers are crafting
new projects that appeal to the modern
American consumer.
Moreover, the Chilean wine industry
has fostered a culture of cross-pollination
that promises to place this long, narrow
country firmly in the mainstream of the
U.S. wine market. And on the retail and
restaurant frontlines, the best news of all is
that this wave of innovation can translate
directly into selling points for the wines.
Leaving the Past
To put modern Chile in perspective,
it is instructive to take a quick look
back. Perhaps no U.S. importer is more
mindful of how far Chile has come than
Alex Guarachi, who founded TGIC in
1985
and helped write a new chapter for
Chilean wines by introducing Montes to
the U.S. Back in the 1980s, he recalls,
the nation’s reputation was based almost
C
all it the “I” word:
Innovation
.
Granted, the term is easy to fling
around—not unlike politicians use the word
change
.
But in the case
of Chilean wine, so much is happening in so many areas that it is
reasonable to say that innovation is the new normal.
Diversity, quality and novelty
keep the Chilean wine industry
moving forward
By W. R. Tish
Chile
Momentum
through Innovation
Founded just in 1998, Ventisquero is one of Chile’s most
progressive operations. Their vineyards in multiple regions
(
pictured here: Apalta in Colchagua Valley) are planted to
match specific grapes to specific site conditions. The winery,
located in a wetland zone in Maipo Valley, was one of 14
wineries to earn Chile’s “Certified Sustainable” seal.
Los Vascos, in Colchagua Valley, was purchased in 1988 by
Les Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite); the property
has been completely renovated, from restructuring and
expanding the vineyards and installing a new irrigation
system to equipping the winery with stainless steel vat room,
pneumatic presses and a new barrel room.
