Chile Flashcards
What beverage was made by the native Mapuche with Spanish grapevines?
Chicha (a cooked, partially fermented beverage)
Who issued an edict banning the plantings of new vineyards in their American colonies? When?
King Philip II of Spain. 1595.
The ban was widely ignored.
Who was Claude Gay?
A French-born naturalist working in Chile, he brought dozens of French grapevine cuttings to Chile in the 1830s
Who is sometimes referred to as the “father of Chilean wine”? What winery did he found and when?
Silvestre Ochagavía.
Viña Ochagavía. 1851.
Name 3 Chilean wineries that emerged in the late 1800s.
Cousiño Macul (1856)
Viña Errázuriz (1870)
Concha y Toro (1883)
Which wineries dominate the market in Chile?
Concha y Toro, Santa Rita, and San Pedro
Who is Augusto Pinochet and what effect did he have on the Chilean wine market?
Chilean dictator from 1973 - 1990. After production quota caps and anti-alcohol laws established by the previously socialist government had stymied growth Pinichet’s liberalisation of the free market helped re-establish Chile’s wine export market
What advancements in winemaking did Miguel Torres introduce to Chile?
Temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation vats, new barriques, pneumatic presses
VSP training
Who took over Los Vascos in Colchagua, Chile in 1988?
Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Lafite
When was Laposotolle founded? By whom?
1994
Marnier-Laposotolle
Who launched Viña Aquitania in 1990?
Bruno Prats (former owner of Cos d’Estournel) and Paul Pontallier (former managing director of Chateau Margaux)
Who collaborated on Almaviva?
Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro (1997)
Who founded Seña?
Robert Mondavi and Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz (1995)
Who started Aristos?
Where is it?
Louis-Michel Liger-Belair and Pedro Parra
Cachapoal Valley
What are the two most important mountain ranges in Chile?
The Andes and the Cordilleras de la Costs (Coastal Range)
What are the three zones of Chile?
Norte Chico, Zona Central, Zona Sur
What year was Chile’s DO system established?
1994
What geographical feature helped define the DO regions of Chile? What are the limitations of this division?
River running down from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean that divided Chile into E-W valleys.
As winemakers move closer to the Andean foothills or the Pacific ocean it is clear that terroir is best delineated by the Coast, the intermediate depression, and the Andes
What cold water current flows Northward up the Chilean coast?
The Humboldt current
What causes El Niño?
A warming and weakening of the Humboldt current dramatically increases rainfall, the effects can last for a year or longer
What is the predominant soil type of Chile’s coastal range?
How was the range formed geologically?
Granite w/ schist and slate
Accretion from the oceanic plate sliding beneath the the South American plate
What are the Región Vitícola of Chile?
Atacama, Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Valle Central, Sur, and Austral
Where and when was Carmenère first found and identified in Chile?
Viña Carmen in Maipo Valley
1994
What was Carmenère called before it was identified as a distinct variety?
Merlot Chileno
What does Carmenère take its name from?
From the word Carmine because its leave turn a deep red in Autumn
What is Carmenère a crossing of?
Cabernet Franc x Gros Cabernet (a crossing of Fer and Hondarribi Beltza)
Name 3 high end wines made from Carmenère
Errázuriz “Kai”
Concha y Toro “Carmín de Peumo”
Montes “Purple Angel”
Can país be varietally labelled in Chile?
NO
What is Pipeño in Chile?
Typically made from País grapes or often a field blend of white and red grapes from old vines (usually Criolla- dominant)
What is a Zaranda?
A bamboo mat that sits over the fermentation tank and used as a destemmer in Chile
What are Pipas?
Large pipe-shaped vats made from native raulí wood in Chile
What are tinajas?
Clay amphorae traditional to wine making in Chile
What French winemaker is famous for the “rediscovery” of País in Chile?
Louis-Antoine Luyt (mentored by Marcel Lapierre)
Who made the first ever sparkling rosè país?
Miguel Torres
What is Chile’s northern most winemaking region?
Atacama DO
What are the two important river valleys in Atacama for grape growing?
Huasco and Copaipó river valleys
How is a Chilean pisco sour different from a Peruvian one?
A Chilean pisco sour does not incorporate egg white and traditionally uses the Pica lemon from the Atacama dessert
What are the subregions of Coquimbo?
Valle de Elqui
Valle de Limarí
Valle de Choapa
What 3 new divisions for DOs in Chile were introduced in 2012?
Costa, Entre Cordilleras, and Andes
What are Elqui’s skies known for?
Some of the clearest skies in the world, unparalleled for star gazing
What town did Chile name in an effort to claim an appellation of origin for Pisco? Did it work?
Pisco Elqui
No
What grape varietals are emerging in Elqui?
Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc (on the coast), and Pedro Ximénez (in the mountains)
What grape is Limarí becoming known for? Why?
Chardonnay. Calcareous soils (chalk / limestone from shells and bones of sea creatures)
What are the subregions of Anconcagua?
Valle del Anconcagua
Valle de Casablanca
Valle de San Antonio
From what geographical feature does the Anconcagua region take its name?
The Anconcagua river, which in turn is named after Mt.Anconcagua (the highest peak in South America, lies in Argentina)
Who is the most important producer of the Aconcagua valley? When were they established?
Viña Errázuriz
1870
Who is the current owner of Viña Errázuriz?
Eduardo Chadwick
Where is Viñedo Chadwick?
Maipo
What makes Casablanca a “cool climate” region?
Where does it fall on the Winkler scale?
A break in the coastal range allows cooling Humboldt current winds in
Region I on the the Winkler scale
What winemaker is credited with discovering the potential of Casablanca for Chardonnay?
Pablo Morandé of Concha y Toro
1982
Which region of Chile requires most of its vines to be grafted onto rootstocks?
Casablanca. It’s sandy soils are a magnet for nematodes which kill vines as readily as phylloxera
Which Chilean wine region lies West of the coastal range?
Valle de San Antonio
What are the subzones of the Valle de San Antonio?
Valle de Leyda DO
Lo Abarca DO
Rosario (unofficial)
What is the most planted grape in the Valle de San Antonio / Valle de Leyda DO?
Sauvignon Blanc
What valleys make up the Zona Central of Chile?
Maipo
Rapel
Curicó
Maule
Which region of Chile does Santiago lie in?
Maipo Valley
What three regions is the Maipo unofficially divided into?
Alto Maipo, Medio Maipo, and Maipo costa / Maipo Bajo
Which two subregions are in the Maipo Andes?
Puente Alto and Pirque
Name 3 historic Maipo wineries?
Santa Carolina
Cousiño Macul
Concha y Toro
Name 3 wineries making Bordeaux style blends in Puente Alto
Don Melchor
Almaviva
Viñedo Chadwick
What is warmest region of the Zona Central in Chile?
Valle del Rapel
What DO within Cachapoal is known for Carmenére?
Peumo DO
Who is behind the project Clos des Fous?
Pedro Parra
Which region of Chile is home to more Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère than any other region in the country?
Colchagua DO
What is the most important subzone of Colchagua DO?
Apalta
What does Apalta mean in Mapuche?
Earthquake
Name two classic Chilean brands in Colchagua DO
Casa Silva and Cono Sur
Name two French brands in Chile’s Colchagua valley
Lapostolle
Los Vascos
Where did Miguel Torres launch his winery?
Curicó
In what DO is Viña Echeverría?
Curicó (they do not state the DO on their labels)
What is the most common vine training system in Chile?
VSP
Which valley of Chile has the most vine acreage?
Maule Valley
What is Vignadores de Carignan?
When was it formed?
An association in the Maule valley committed to the preservation of the regions old vine Carignan.
In 2010 after a devastating earthquake
What is the trademark for Vignadores de Carignan?
VIGNO
What are the requirements to use the VIGNO trademark?
Min 85% Carignan
Dry farmed
Head trained
At least 30yrs of age
Aged 2yrs prior to release
Must be grown in the West Maule valley
What regions makes up Chile’s Sur DO?
Valle del Itata DO
Valle del Bío Bío DO
Valle de Malleco DO
What is Itata’s most planted red variety?
País
What is Itata’s most planted white varietal?
Moscatel de Alejandría
What grapes is the Bío Bío valley known for?
Pinot Noir, País, Cinsault, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc
What is Chile’s Southern most winemaking region?
Austral DO
What Colchagua-based brand was the first to use Austral DO on a label?
Casa Silva
What are the highest elevation vineyards in Chile? How high?
Ayllu in the Atacama desert
3,500m (11,480ft) - higher than Altura Maxíma in Argentina
Where is Montes based?
Colchagua DO
What grapes is Montes Purple Angel?
Alpha M?
Carmenére
BDX blend from Apalta
