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CHILE CARMENERE CONFERANCE – On the Edge of Grapeness
“standfirst”>At a recent conference in Santiago it was decided that Carmenère should be a differentiator rather than a flagship grape variety for Chile. Robyn Lewis was there
10 years ago, while OJ Simpson was trying on gloves that appeared rather too small for him in the American courts and Nick Leeson was busy losing US$1.4bn for Barings bank, the news occupying the wine trade was the discovery that Chilean Merlot was in fact Chilean Carmenère.
Now into a new millennium it seems the Chilean entrepreneurial spirit has turned a potential disaster into an opportunity and the country has turned its fame for decent Merlot into a reputation for – at the better end – juicy, fruity, soft, easy-drinking Carmenère. However, there is a danger that the tendency of the grape to also produce rather green and stalky wines if not handled properly has prevented the industry from really capitalising on what some see as its Unique Selling Point. But seeing as very few consumers are aware of what Carmenère tastes like, or even that it exists, and that there is still relatively little Carmenère planted in Chile in comparison to Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, then pushing the varietal as Chile’s signature grape might seem like less of an opportunity and more like commercial suicide.
Predictably, opinions on the matter are divided and so the generic body, Wines of Chile (WOC), and the government-funded Pro Chile organised a seminar in Santiago last month to open a discussion on the matter – should Carmenère be promoted as Chile’s differentiator, they asked? And if so, how?
The panel formed to speak at the seminar comprised industry leaders from Chile, the US and the UK – WOC’s targeted key markets. First up was Hugo Lavados, director of Pro Chile, who celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Carmenère strain in Chile and noted the significance of the occasion. “This is an important seminar, in which we can look at what has been achieved in the last 10 years and we can look to the future to see if this varietal really can become emblematic for the country,” he commented. “We are practically the only country in the world with important acreage of this Bordeaux variety and, with the importance of bottled wine exports to the country, we need to enhance demand, consumer understanding and the image of Chile and Chilean wines.”
This was very much supported by Ricardo Letelier, managing director of WOC, who emphasised the need for any push on Carmenère to fit into the WOC global marketing strategy as a whole. He also emphasised the benefits Carmenère could bring to the premium wine campaign that the body has adopted.
It was the viticulturists’ turn next as Eduardo Silva took to the stage. He talked to those winemakers and viticulturalists among the 200 or so delegates about the finer points of growing the grape. “We have an important challenge in Chile to now
look for new regions and to do soil studies and climatic analysis and to better our viticultural practices,” he explained. “Carmenère is a highly difficult variety to manage and we will need people in the vineyards to be highly trained. But if all this happens, then the criticisms about the grape – the long ripening times, excessive vegetation growth, the sensitivity to water stress – then these can be managed. Chile has the climates, the terroir, the opportunity and the resources to do well with Carmenère in my opinion,” said Silva.
From the UK perspective both Michael Cox, director of WOC in the UK, and Allan Cheesman, trade consultant, had been asked to speak. Cox began by asking the audience if they thought Carmenère should be the diva or the chorus girl on the Chilean stage? “Carmenère is Chile’s challenge,” he said. “When we think or talk about signature grapes we talk about Zinfandel in California, Malbec in Argentina and Pinotage in South Africa, but how many of these does the consumer actually recognise? That is the concern.”
Cox suggested that if Chile really wants to put Carmenère on the map then what is needed are icon wines made from Carmenère or with Carmenère in the blend. Also required would be enthusiasts of the grape that would evangelise about it, as well as more visibility and support from the gatekeepers of the wine world – press, trade and buyers. “If you look at something like Zinfandel, there are websites and clubs devoted to it,” he told the delegates. “ZAP for instance (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) has 310 members and 6,500 advocates, all called ‘Zinners’. It seems to me that to raise the profile of Carmenère we are going to have to achieve a similar kind of fan base.”
Daring to be different
To conclude, Cox suggested that while, in his opinion, Carmenère does have the potential to command a price premium, there would have to be some experimentation and innovation from the Chilean industry to get there. “Think about the possibility of Carmenère and curry, now Britain’s favourite food; use the back labels of Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons to suggest ‘If you like this, why not try Carmenère’; and think about using it in blends with well-known varietals so people get used to it, as the Australians have done with the Semillon/Chardonnay blends. Dare to be different,” he advised.
Allan Cheesman was there in his capacity as a UK consultant to give the view from a “gatekeeper”. His main point was that Carmenère offered Chile a genuine range extension opportunity, which in the light of range reductions in the major retailers was a valuable tool. “You need a promotional campaign to promote Carmenère; you need the big brands to introduce a Carmenère into their ranges; and you need top-end icon wines. Research has shown that most consumers spend just 38 seconds dwell-time in the wine aisle, you have just that time to help and educate them. Chile delivers commendable quality, diversity and range, and Carmenère should be part of that.”
The Pinot effect
Heading up WOC in the US is Bruce Schneider, senior managing director of PR firm RF Binder Partners, who was asked to give the US perspective on the varietal. Using clips from the film Sideways, Schneider demonstrated the “extreme fanaticism that some people have for varietals” and pointed to the backlash against Merlot in the US since the film’s release (“I’m not drinking any ******* Merlot!” exclaims the protagonist at one point).
“What does this tell us about the US as a market for wine?” he asked. “Firstly, that in the US wine is becoming more mainstream; secondly that it is becoming a more culturally accepted beverage; and thirdly that current trends show that more wine than beer is now consumed. The US market is also hugely varietally led – more than 68% of all wines sold are varietal and this should provide a good opportunity to push Carmenère,” he suggested. “It is a differentiator varietal rather than a flagship one [which would be Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, he suggested] and should be marketed as such. In this way it will reinforce the quality and unique attributes of Chile,” he said.
Michael Green, a consultant for Gourmet magazine in the US was up next. He questioned what it was that made one product successful over another – for example, what makes a book a Harry Potter or why one film, like Sideways – would have more influence than another? “What all these things have in common,” he told the audience, “is a buzz factor. And in order to create a buzz factor you need to capture the ‘connectors’ in society, those are people who have significant influence on their large social circles. Mavens (a Yiddish expression meaning expert or geek) should also be targeted and any consumers who talk about wines to their friends. This will generate that buzz and push the grape. Use premium tasting events, wine dinners and high-spec food and drink festivals such as the Aspen Food Classic to really target these people,” he advised.
Green illustrated his point with the examples of Albariño in the US, and Zinfandel and the Thanksgiving effect. “One article in the New York Times about which wine was the best with cheese catapulted Albariño – which was declared the winner – into double-digit market growth. Likewise, in November, when the press is tackling Thanksgiving, Zinfandel is always matched with the turkey dinner. This is the kind of coverage that has a massive effect on sales, on recognition and on influencing people – and exactly the kind of coverage you should aim for with Carmenère.”
Pasta with pesto
To round off proceedings, Hector Veraga, Chile’s Master Sommelier, took the audience through Carmenère and food matching – though sadly Thanksgiving dinners were not mentioned. Running through the basic principles of food and wine matching, Veraga picked full-flavoured fish such as salmon, Chinese-style stir-fried vegetables, pasta with pesto, blackberry desserts and brie as just some of the better potential Carmenère partners.
The conclusion drawn, it seems, is that while Carmenère makes up a vital part of the Chilean offer, it cannot replace the classic varietals that consumers recognise and love. Will that have changed in another 10 years’ time? We’ll have to wait and see.
© db September 2005