Chile heralds new wave trends

Chile has transformed its wine industry in the last 25 years, from a predominantly domestic producer to a dynamic producer exporting around 70% of its wines. Here db rounds up the new trends identified as coming from Chile, as identified by Peter Richards MW and Concha y Toro winemaker, Marcelo Papa at a recent Wines of Chile briefing.

Sparkling

Chile may not be the most obvious country for sparkling, representing just a drop in the ocean at 0.5% of its volumes – but according to Richards and Marcelo Papa, drinkers in Chile are increasingly sitting up and taking notice of the category, and so are producers.  There is the big price premium to take into account – case prices for sparkling are priced at $37 per case compared to $28 per case for still wines – and there has been significant growth. Volumes have risen 13.5% year on year, with values up 10%, compared to 5% on still volumes and a 1% fall in values. “It is worth noting as a trend,” Peter Richards said.

Papa agreed the potential for fizz was “just waking up”.

“For years it was dominated by basic styles, now it is more of a challenge for consumers. It is pushing the limits and people are trying crazy things,” he noted.

He also highlighted that whereas previously sparkling came primarily from one central area, using any varieties, increasingly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a few select others, including moscato, which was being reinterpreted in a drier style. The south of the country also had great potential for sparkling he noted.

A key export markets for Chilean sparkling included Japan, he said.

Deep South

Peter Richards MW with winemakers Itata (courtesy Alvaro arriagada)

Some of Chile’s oldest vines come from the Deep South, from the cool climate around Itata to Bio Bio, and Chile appears to be rediscovering its roots. These can offer a point of difference as well as the potential for quality wines, according to Richards. There is also a wave of younger winemakers coming through looking at more crisp, aromatic styles, and some of the larger producers, including Lapostolle and Concha Y Toro, are embracing the challenges presented by the South.

“There is a readiness of big established producers to be humble and adopt new trends, by making wines in the south with a refreshing style,” Richards said.

Although “it makes sense to grow wines there”, he notes the biggest threat comes from the planting of pines, which offer a ready source of easy income that may be more attractive to smallholders that the hard slog associated with cultivating and harvesting old bush vines.

Limarí

Limarí is another key area to watch according to Richards, but there was a “bipolar attitude” to it, with a mixture of cheap and cheerful wines as well as “some exciting stuff” further south, where the planting is more limited. Set on the fridge of the desert but cooled by the winds of the Pacific, the region’s unique gives “vivid character to the fruit and to the wine,” he said.

Papa notes that it is a great place to grow Chardonnay – its most widely planted grape – as well as Pinot Noir, giving wines with a strong character and bright acidity.

“However it needs to improve,” he argued. “We need to get more precision on oak as well as the time of picking.”

But with water is the most pressing issue in the area, it is likely to limit the “explosion” of Limari’s Chardonnay. CYT says it is adapting the number of hectares it can realistically grow within current water levels. “Last year we had lots of snow and rain, but we need to think about the real number of hectares we grow and we can’t put more on or it will suffer,” he said.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the “barometer of the aspiration of and shortcomings Chile’s wine industry”, according to Richards, who noted that “Chileans can be risk-averse, but to make good Pinot Noir, you need a healthy attitude to risk.”

Since 2004, the hectarage devoted to Pinot Noir has grown by 2/3^rds, and around 80% of the vineyards are under 15 years.

“It is a fascinating area and we are beginning to see the first of some world class Chilean Pinot Noirs,” he added.

Marcelo Papa admitted the grape had got off to a bad start, being grown in the wrong places and with little idea of how best to finish it and vinify it – but this has shifted and there is considerable potential now, so long as winemakers know when to pick and what to do with it.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon has “wildly under-performed” in Chile, despite being its commercial heartland accounting for one in every three wines, according to Richards. “For ages, people assumed it was fine – and winemakers felt safe, which is a dangerous place to be.”

The challenge now is to rediscover the style of the 1950s that has been lost as winemakers made ever more alcoholic and sweet wines during the 90s, he noted. This involves harvesting grapes earlier, ensuring the viticulture is tweaked accordingly by preparing the vines better and managing the canopy to remove leaves and working with drip irrigation. You also have to “accept the risk that involves,” Papa added.

Papa said CYT realized this process back in 2009 and is already harvesting a month to six weeks earlier in Maipo. “It is important if you want cassis rather than green flavours that the grapes are made ready, and better vignified,” he said. “But we need to convince commercial people and other markets to accept the spicy, scented, herbal character – the US market just wants a ripe, sweet flavours, so we need to choose where we market it.”

Vigno

The new wave is particularly evident through the work of Vigno – Vignadores de Carignan – the shared trademark, quasi-appelation that concentrates on dry-farmed old vine Carignan from the Maule Valley.

According to Richards, the movement, which adheres to strict rules, marks a “quantum leap” forward, not least in a country where there is a lack of collaborative spirit.

“It aims to unify producers and expresses a unique sense of place that together, they can do something meaningful,” he said.

Currently, Vigno consists of around only 722 hectares, but the majority are smaller producers (with the exception of CYT, who joined last year, and LaPostelle) and they are seeing the price of their wines steadily increase.

The variety has, for years, been reserved for blends, adding power and robustness, Papa points out, but due to its low acidity, it was usually over-extracted.

“Today in Vigno, everyone has their own style, but we are all moving to a more elegant style, picking when not overripe,” he said. Carbonic macerations is also helping to give a lighter style and there has been a move towards greater use of used barrels to age the wine.