Hurtado planting ambitious new estate for Cono Sur

Adolfo Hurtado, chief winemaker and general manager of Cono Sur, has revealed plans for a new wine estate in a previously unplanted region of Chile.

Speaking at the London International Wine Fair at ExCel this week, Hurtado (left) told the drinks business: “The estate is 8km northwest of Santiago, in the foothills of the Andes mountains in the Aconcagua Valley.

“We’re planting at 1,200m, so it will be one of the highest altitude vineyards in Chile, and we will be experimenting with a lot of different grape varieties: Mourvedre, Carignan, Grenache, Tempranillo and Malbec.

“It’s in an area where nobody has planted before, so it will be exciting to see what happens.”

Hurtado admitted that times are tough for the Chilean wine industry at the moment. “It’s a challenging time for Chile, with the earthquake and the lack of wine in both 2010 and 2011, we’re experiencing a grape shortage, but the quality of the wine being made is great," he said.

“My aim is to prove that Chile has got to a quality level now that can command higher prices.”

Hurtado was at the fair to premiere a pair of new wines: Late Harvest Riesling, a sweet wine from Bio Bio, and an 100% Pinot Noir sparkling rosé from Bio Bio.

Hurtado spoke out about his passion for Pinot Noir, and why he thinks Chile makes better Pinot than New Zealand. “I will go to my grave thinking Chile makes better Pinot Noir than New Zealand," he said. "I enjoy the challenge of developing a variety that’s not immediately related with Chile.”

So where does Hurtado think the future lies for Chilean wine? “The future for Chile is diversity. We’ve got incredibly varied terroirs from north to south and east to west, and an abundance of different grape varieties, coupled with a lot of exciting up-and-coming regions like Limari and Bio Bio.

“And there are still new areas to discover – we’re expecting a bright future.”

To see the full video interview with Adolfo Hurtado, click here

Lucy Shaw 20.05.2011