Chile Flashcards
When was Chilean independence?
1818 - Bernardo O’Higgins (Irish born Spaniard)
Who is Claudio Gay?
Imported plantings from France - repository for pre-phylloxera vines 1830
What is Vina Ochagavia?
Founded 1851 - Chile’s first ‘modern’ winery - French cuttings - Santiago
19th century Chilean vintner common thread?
All made money in the mining industry and created wineries as symbol of culture and sophistication
What are the 5 geographical sectors of Chile?
Norte Grande, Norte Chico, Zona Central, Zona Sur, Zona Austral
Best recent vintages for Chile?
Worst?
’19, ’18, ’15, '14 (frost in esp. Casablanca) - yields down, quality ok '13
’17 fires + smoke taint, heat
’16 rain - very wet
‘10 - earthquake in Maule & Curico
Recent wildfire vintage in Chile?
2017 - Maule hit hardest
What is the minimum ABV permitted for any wine in Chile?
11.5%
What is the average width of Chile?
110 miles
What is the altitude range of the Chilean vineyard?
200-7,200 ft
List the 6 regional DO’s of Chile from North to South
Atacama, Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Valle Central, Sur, Austral
When was Chilean wine law established?
1995
What are the minimum abv requirements for Chilean wines?
Reserva/Reserva Especial?
Reserva Privada/Gran Reserva?
11.5%,
12%,
12.5%
Which Chilean label terms indicate some amount of oak aging?
Reserva Especial (12%),
Gran Reserva (12.5%)
Which Chilean label terms do not indicate oak?
Reserva (12%),
Reserva Privada (12.5%)
Who are the BIG 3 producers of Chilean Wine?
Concha y Toro (Maipo), Santa Rita (Maipo), San Pedro (Curico)
What is MOVI?
Independent Vintners association - small producers (Garage Wine Co., Montescano, Von Siebenthal, Kingston)
What is VIGNO?
Carignan growers association - 30 yr old, dry farmed, head trained vines from Maule - ‘secano interior’
- RULES -
must be 85% carginan
aged for 2 years
High elevation (Andes) DO zones of Colchagua for premium wine production
Apalta (Entre Cordilleras),
Los Lingues,
San Fernando,
Chimbarongo
What are the sub-zones of San Antonio DO in Chile?
Leyda and Lo Abarca (right on coast)
Claro, Tutuven, and Loncomilla Valleys are located in:
Maule
What 2 wines placed ahead of Ch. Lafite and Ch. Margaux in the 2004 Berlin tasting?
Vinedo Chadwick (Maipo)
Sena (Aconcagua) - Errazuriz
Limari is suitable for PN and CH; major DO and town name?
Gap in the coast range, cool region, Ovalle
What is required to join the Vignadores de Carignan (VIGNO)?
Wines must be composed of 85% carignan, dry-farmed, head trained vines, minimum 30 years old, from Maule (Western Maule - secano interior)
Which Chilean label designations require some amount of oak aging?
Reserva Especial and Gran Reserva
Costa DO area of Aconcagua
Quillota
Andes DOs of Maipo
Santiago,
Pirque (Harras de Pirque),
Puente Alto,
Buin
Carmenere parentage
Cabernet Franc x Gros Cabernet (Fer x Hondurrabi Beltza)
BASQUE origin
From the 1500’s to 1881 the contested border between the Chilean settlers and the native Mapuche was located where?
The Bio Bio River
Chile’s climate is most comparable to what other wine famous wine region?
California - East Pacific Cold Ocean - inversion layer, warmer inland, cooler near coast and at elevation
What is the Denominacion de Origen structure of Chile?
Regions > Subregions > Zones > Areas
What % of grapes are required for the label terms: costa, entre cordilleras, andes
85%
Where were the first vines planted in Chile?
mid 1560s vines in Santiago - in Itata and Maule in the 1500s - Pais brought from Canary Islands? Mexico? (missionaries)
The Nahuelbuta Mountain range affects what region?
Bio Bio
Major climate factors of Chile?
cold Humbolt current flowing north, high-pressure system Pacific Anticyclone = warm, dry days during growing season with cool nights and morning fog, and a short, wet winter
What effect do El Nino and La Nina have on vintages?
El Nino - warm ocean surface temperatures, rains;
La Nina - cool, dry conditions
Which regions make up the Valle Central?
Maipo,
Rapel (Cachapoal, Colchagua),
Curico,
Maule
Best sites in Chile for Cabernet Sauvignon?
Puente Alto,
Pirque,
Totihue (Andes - Maipo)
Good examples of Chilean merlot?
Montes (Colchagua), Casa Lapostolle (Cuvee Alexander Apalta), Veramonte (Casablanca), Carmen (Gran Reserva Apalta), Casa Silva (Colchagua)
Hot spots for Chilean Chardonnay
LIMARI, Casablanca, San Antonio, Bio Bio, Malleco
What were the two main historical influences on Chile’s modern wine scene?
1979 - Miguel Torres establishes his winery in Curico. Introduces stainless steel fermenters, reductive white wine vinification, temperature control, cellar hygiene, gentle, pneumatic pressing;
1990 - military regime ends, foreign investors and winemakers enter in
Who makes Clos Apalta?
Casa Lapostolle - Colchagua - grapes are hand de-stemmed
Who makes Manse de Velasco?
Torres - old vine cabernet from Curico
Odfjell
Blends from Central Valley, Maipo, Maule, Casablanca
Altair
Blends from Cachapoal
Casas del Bosque wines
Syrah, PN, CH, SB from Casablanca;
reds from Rapel
What wine put Elqui Valley on the map?
Vina Falernia ‘Alta Tierra’ Syrah 2002 (won the 2005 wine competition in Santiago)
What are the main features of the Elqui Valley?
Fringe of the Atacama desert, arid, clear skies, dramatic, high-walled valley
Most promising project in Elqui?
Vinedos de Alcohuaz - ‘Tococo’ syrah, GS(malbec+petit sirah)
What are the defining features of the Limari DO?
Some calcareous soils for quality chardonnay, morning fog “Camanchaca” (similar to Napa), protection of Coastal Range
Key producers of Limari
Tabali (San Pedro) ’Talinay’ CH and SB,
Maycas del Limari (Concha y Toro) ‘Quebrada Seca’,
De Martino,
Torres
Key producers of Aconcagua Valley
Errazuriz ‘Don Maximiano’ (CS, merlot, syrah, carmenere) also PN, CH, Syrah,
‘Sena,’ (split with Mondavi in 2004);
Von Siebenthal,
Montes PN and Syrah,
Clos des Fous ‘Arenaria’ Costa PN
What are the biggest viticultural risks in Casablanca?
Frost and Nematodes (in sandier soils, prey esp. on CH and PN)
What are the main soils of Casablanca?
decomposed red granite, clay, and sand
What is the climate of Casablanca?
long growing season : cooling ocean breezes, humid and maritime with morning fog, but good sun exposure
Key producers of Casablanca
Cono Sur, Casas del Bosque, Kingston, Ritual, Veramonte, (Primus) Montsecano,
What is the specialty of Valle de San Antonio?
Sauvignon Blanc
What are the DO sub zones of San Antonio?
Leyda and Lo Abarca (+ Cartagena outside zone)
Who are the key producers of San Antonio?
Vina Leyda,
Garces Silva (Amayna),
Matetic (Rosario sector),
Casa Marin
Who is the flagship producer of Lo Abarca DO?
Casa Marin
Good examples of Carmenere (Colchagua)?
Louis Felipe Edwards, Casa Silva ‘Los Lingues’, Montes ‘Purple Angel’, Viu Manent ‘El Incidente’, Antiyal ‘Vinedo Escorial’ (Maipo), Concha y Toro ‘Carmin del Peumo’ (Cachapoal), Errazuriz ‘Kai’
Colchagua producers
Montes,
Los Vascos,
Casa Silva,
Lapostolle
Los Lingues, Marchihue, and Lolol are DO areas of?
Colchagua
Who makes ‘Altura’?
Casa Silva (Colchagua - CS, Carm)
Who makes Casa Real?
Santa Rita (Maipo - CS)
Who makes Don Maximiano?
Errazuriz (Aconcagua - BDX blend)
What is the main river flowing through Colchagua and its major wine town?
The Tinguiririca; Santa Cruz
Which wine region in Chile is most geared towards tourism?
Colchagua - the “Napa Valley’ of Chile - region forms a “U” shape surrounding Cachapoal
What is the soil type of Puente Alto?
alluvial gravel and stones under mixed loam
- elegant wines, ex.: Vinedo Chadwick, Almaviva, Don Melchor
Peumo DO is located where?
Cachapoal
Don Melchor blend
CS, Merlot, CF, PV
Almaviva blend
CS, Carmenere … small doses of CF, merlot, PV
Vinhedo Chadwick blend
CS (may have carm or PV)
What is the most planted grape in the Limari Valley?
Chardonnay
Lontue and Teno Valleys are located in …?
Curico
Regional temperatures begin to drop in what Chilean region?
Curico
Altair and Anakena are producers in which region?
Cachapoal - warmer than Maipo and Colchagua
Old vines and quality carmenere, merlot, and syrah vineyards can be found in what area of Cachapoal?
Peumo - Entre Cordilleras (Central Depression)
T or F - Cachapoal does not feature any Costa DO areas?
True! - it is landlocked and surrounded by the U-shaped Colchagua
Which famous DO area lies on the south face of the hills between Peumo and Colchagua?
Apalta
Carmenere thrives in what type of soil?
Alluvial, somewhat fertile soils, long, even growing season - Peumo - (Concha y Toro ‘Terrunyo’ Carmenere) foothills of the Andes
Best recent vintages for Chile?
’15,
’14,
’07,
‘05 - excellent
Key producers of Colchagua
Clos Apalta, Los Vascos, Montes, Luis Felipe Edwards, Emiliana, Casa Silva, Koyle, Neyen, Viu Manent
Los Lingues, Marchihue, and Lolol are DO areas of?
Colchagua - Andes, Cordilleras, Costa
What are the subregions of Curico?
Lontue & Teno (Rivers)
Marchigue, Lolol, and San Fernando are DO areas of?
Colchagua
Key producers of Curico
Miguel Torres,
San Pedro Echeverria
What are the soil types of Maule?
Granite - and closer to the valley floor of the Maule River - gravel, red clay, loam
What are the DO zones of Maule?
Claro, Loncomilla, Tutuven
T or F - Dry farming in Maule is much easier due to increased rainfall relative to the rest of the Valle Central
True!
What are the rules of VIGNO?
85% carignan, 30-yr old rootstock, dry farmed, from secano interior, 2 years aging
What is Pipeno?
Classic style of wine made in the Sur regions (Maule, Itata, Bio Bio) that was made by hand crushing/destemming through a ‘zarande’, naturally fermented in open top wooden vats, and stored in ‘pipas’ made of ‘rauli’ (red wood) for neighbors to come and fill up their own bottles
Good examples of Pipeno?
Cacique Maravilla (Bio Bio),
LA Luyt (Bio Bio),
A Los Vinateros Bravos (Itata),
Garage Wine Co. (Maule)
Key producers of Maule?
J. Bouchon, Garage Wine Co., Undurraga, Terranoble, Gillmore, Calina (Kendall Jackson), Odfjell (Maipo), De Martino (Maipo)
What is the speciality of Maule?
Old-vine carignan, some from 70+ year-old vines (planted in the 1950s to boost the acidity and structure of pais)
What is the specialty of Itata?
Old-vine cinsaut - recommended by the French to add character and color to pais - for whites, Muscat
Itata Valley is marked by the convergence of which two rivers?
Itata and Nuble
What happens to the Coastal Range in Itata?
It dips down at Concepcion (major port city 40 miles SW of the vineyards) - opening the vineyard up to more rainfall and cloud cover, and cooling Pacific influence
Key producers of Itata
Pedro Parra, Clos des Fous, De Martino, Roberto Henriquez, A los Vinateros Bravos, Miguel Torres
Bio Bio Valley shows promise for what varieties?
Aromatic whites - riesling, viognier, gewurtztraminer, muscat
Plantings in Bio Bio are dominated by
PN, Pais, CH, SB
Key producers of Bio Bio
Cacique Maravilla, Cono Sur, Veranda, Agustinos, Garage Wine Co., Clos des Fous, Louis Antoine Luyt, Estacion Yumbel
Where are the worlds Southermost vineyards?
Central Otago (NZ),
Sarmiento in Chubut (AR),
Coyhaique in Malleco (CH)
Vineyards in Malleco are planted mostly to
PN and CH
Vineyards (very few ha) in Malleco are clustered in which DO area
Traiguen (Cordilleras) - just south of Bio Bio Valley
Key producers of Malleco
Sol del Sol, Vina Aquitania, Bodega Volcanes, Baettig, William Fevre, De Martino
What are positive factors of growing vineyards at higher latitudes?
More hours of sunlight and high diurnal temperature variation to slow ripening. Fortunately the soils in Malleco are free draining volcanic sand mixed with clay, so heavier rainfall causes less issues
What mountain range influences Bio Bio and Malleco?
Nahuelbuta mountains
Who was the first winery to use the Austral DO on their label?
Casa Silva
Subsidiaries of Concha y Toro
Cono Sur,
Emiliana Organico,
Vina Maipo,
Alma Viva (w/ Mouton)
What is the Camanchaca?
Dense morning fog that affects the Atacama
What is the term for head-trained vine in Chile?
Cabeza
Most recent earthquake vintage in Chile?
2012 - esp. in Elqui (Coquimbo)
When was Chilean wine law implemented?
1995 - 75%
Who is Pedro Parra?
The terroir doctor - Clos des Fous
First French investment in Chile?
Rothschilld - Los Vascos - 1988
Carmin de Peumo?
Concha y Toro (Carmenere from Cachapoal)
Purple Angel ?
Carmenere - Montes (Alpha is Cab)
Parents of Carmenere?
Cabernet Franc x Gros Cabernet (Fer x Hondurrabi Beltza) BASQUE origin
Valle Central
Maipo,
Rapel,
Curico,
Maule
W-E Rapel Valley
Colchagua - Cachapoal
3 main grapes used in the production of Pisco
PG, Torrontel, Moscatel
Name one Pisco Producer
Capel, Kappa, Control C
Name a producer of Aconcagua?
Errazuriz, Von Siebenthal
Who produces KAI?
Premium Carmenere from Errazuriz
Vina Aquitania is a partnership including which Bordeaux Chateau?
Ch. Margaux (Mentzelopoulos) and Cos d’Estournel
3 requirements of VIGNO
Producer association Old-Vine carignan, DRY FARMED, 30+ years, mandatory 2 years in barrel and bottle
Phillippe Garcia?
Driving force behind MOVI
Winner of 2004 Berlin Tasting?
Vinhedo Chadwick 2000, 2nd - Erraz Sena
Almaviva is a partnership of
Baron Phillippe and Concha y Toro
Major River of Colchagua
Tinguirirca
What event caused recommended replanting to:
Carignan in Maule
Cinsaut and Moscatel in Itata
1939 earthquake in southern Chile
Most planted grape in Itata
Pais - cabeza (head trained)
