Chile in pictures

Last month, I was lucky enough to be invited to Chile with Concha y Toro to find out more about the brands within its portfolio. The adventure began in Pirque, at the house of the company’s founder, Don Melchor.

Legend has it that in the late nineteenth century, Don Melchor, noticed one day that some of his top wines had gone missing from his cellar. In a bid to keep the thieves at bay, he spread the rumour that his cellar was haunted by the devil, which led to the creation of the Casillero del Diablo brand in 1953.

Perhaps there was some truth in the story…

We were then given a tour of Don Melchor’s house and Victorian gardens by our indefatigable host, Barbara Venegas.

Next it was time for a tutored tasting with Carmenère fanatic Ignacio Recabarren, who is on a mission to get the world to appreciate the noble grape.

After lunch, we headed to Almaviva, a joint venture between Concha y Toro and first growth Château Mouton Rothschild, which set out in the mid-’90s with the aim of creating a New World first growth.

A scorcher of a day, this palm provided much needed shade

Concha y Toro UK’s head of communications, Ben Smith, does his best “I’m a little teapot” impression

Meaning “living soul’ in Spanish, Almaviva’s bodega is dotted with wooden Mapuche sculptures

… and the odd Samurai outfit

Durring a tutored tasting that included the estate’s first ever vintage – 1996 – winemaker Michel Friou spoke about how Chile had begun to embrace the freshness that cooler vintages brings to the wines.

The Almaviva label carries a Mapuche symbol

During a tasting at Quinta de Maipo in the Maipo Valley, winemaker and Syrah enthusiast Max Weinlaub expressed an ambition to make the Chilean equivalent of Australian icon wine Penfolds Grange.

Then it was on to Cono Sur in Chimbarongo, where we enjoyed chilled glasses of chirimoya juice on the patio.

Having fortified ourselves, we saddled up and rode around the expansive estate on two wheels.

During the tour, winemaker Adolfo Hurtado stopped to show us his fledgling Pinot Noir vines, telling us that he believes Chilean Pinot Noir offers more concentration and fruit expression than those from New Zealand.

We couldn’t resist the obligatory photo by Cono Sur’s giant bike

Sleeping Pinot Noir

Stopping during our tour to taste some of the wines, the aromatic varieties, including Riesling and Viognier, whetted our appetite or the barbecue to follow.

No visit to Cono Sur would be complete without saying hello to its fluffy flock of geese

Sunset over the Andes

The final leg of the trip involved a visit to Concha y Toro’s shiny new research centre in Talca, which the company has invested $5m in. The site includes an impressive nursery that focuses on the development of clones to provide better clonal material for grape growers and winemakers across Chile.