Seeing is believing

A personal view from Michael Cox, UK director of Wines of Chile.

Do you know how sometimes, when you have an image vividly in your mind and you are trying to convey this to someone else, you end up faltering and saying “actually, you needed to have been there!”

Chile is one of those countries that most have heard of but few have visited. And no matter how hard one tries to do it justice, the full beauty and uniqueness of Chile can only really be fully appreciated at first hand.

When I first started talking to the Chileans about the opening of the Wines of Chile UK office back in 2003 I had to admit that I had never been to Chile – indeed I had not ventured anywhere on the South American continent. So I approached my first visit with some anticipation and a fair degree of ignorance. As the plane crossed the mighty Andes mountains and descended over the Aconcagua Valley towards Santiago my mouth was metaphorically agape and it remained that way for the duration of my stay.

In fact, that sense of awe and amazement has increased, not diminished, with every subsequent visit to this most geographically extraordinary of countries. And it is not just the natural beauty and benevolent climate that warms and stimulates the soul; it is the sheer dynamism of modern Chile that impresses too.  Santiago, with its spectacular snow-capped backdrop, is a huge and bustling metropolis and its skyline is increasingly dotted with signs of a strong and vibrant economy with a stable democracy. The Costanera Tower complex in downtown Las Condes is a good example: although still under construction, it will be the tallest building in the southern hemisphere – quite a project for an earthquake zone!

Chile’s new-found energy and confidence is never more evident than in the vineyards and wineries, and while wine has been a part of the agricultural landscape for over 450 years, one senses that it is only very recently that the Chileans have started mining the rich seam of opportunity that their climate and terroirs offer them.
In the six years that I have been travelling to Chile I never cease to be enthralled by the uniqueness of the geography, and the positive effects it can have on the quality and diversity of the wines.  Nor do I tire of meeting friendly, hospitable winemakers who beam with wide-eyed excitement when the talk is of new vineyard locations, or innovative wine styles. One feels that the vinous world is their oyster.

And there’s the rub… I am one of the fortunate minority for whom Chile conjures up so many and varied mental and physical images that are vivid because they have been experienced in real life.  Although on the increase, tourism in Chile is in its relative infancy, certainly in comparison with other long-haul destinations. Chile’s ability to attract the wine tourist is not helped by it being the only major wine-producing country in the world that does not have a direct flight from the UK – and that is a “wine fact!”  

The more consumers know about the countries and the people that make wine, the more likely are their positive feelings towards that wine.  Wine comes from real places and is made by real people, and the impression one has about places and people can be affected by knowledge and experience – or of course, by the lack of it. So image and the perception of quality, heritage, prestige, and tradition are often dependent on background information and, in many cases, personal experiences.
Brochures, photographs, maps, videos and even back labels are all ways to communicate information about wine and all its complexities, but as every wine lover will know, there is something rather special about drinking wine when the palate’s senses can mingle with the brain’s memories of the wine’s provenance.

A modern Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, may well be referred to as ‘from a cool climate region’, and that the grapes benefit from the ‘refreshing effect of cooler coastal locations’. The marketing guff can really come to life if one has actually been there, and a trip to the Casablanca Valley on a typical summer’s day provides ample evidence this.

I well recall leaving my Santiago hotel on a blissfully warm and sunny day in January, dressed in shirtsleeves, for the 60km journey west towards the coast and the colourful and vibrant port of Valparaiso. No sooner had we crossed the coastal range of mountains (actually via a road tunnel) and entered the Casablanca Valley, I wished I had brought a sweater. The temperature had dropped several degrees and the brilliant blue sky was obscured by a cool, clammy coastal fog – one that swirls around the vineyards until midday when the grapes can strip off and get in some sunbathing.  

And that’s the beauty of being a Chilean grape. Grapes are a bit like you and me. We like to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces – it gives us energy and a sense of well-being, but we don’t like to swelter. If the temperature becomes too extreme we become listless and irritable, especially if the nights are too hot as well. The inevitable proximity of the cold Pacific Ocean and the high snow-capped Andes range gives Chilean grapes (and the human visitor) the perfect blend of warmth and coolness at all the right times of day – it’s no wonder they are so healthy and happy!

Drinking Chilean wine has always been a pleasurable experience. Our challenge at Wines of Chile is to heighten that experience yet further so that people really sense that they have “been there”.

Michael Cox, 07.09.09