Chile Flashcards
What is the rule for Chile wine law?
(vintage, variety, DO labelling)
75%
Most of the wineries follow the 85% rule in order to export wine to the EU
What are the sub regions of the Itata Valley?
- Coelemu
- Portezuelo
- Quillon
- Chillan
Name the sub DOs of Coquimbo north to south
- Elqui
- Limari
- Choapa
What are the sub-DOs of the Maule Valley of Chile?
- Loncomilla Valley
- Tutuven
- Claro Valley
What river influences the vineyards of Clos Apalta?
Tinguiririca
What is the northernmost winegrowing region in Chile?
Atacama
What are the 2 DO subregions of Chile’s Curico Valley?
- Lantue
- Teno
Who produces Clos Apalta?
Casa Lapostolle
What are the 3 districts of Chile’s Southern VR?
- Itata Valley
- Bio Bio Valley
- Malleco Valley
Who produces ‘Alpha M’ and ‘Purple Angel’?
Vina Montes
What are the 4 regions of Chile’s Central Valley DO from north to south?
- Maipo
- Rapel
- Curico
- Maule
Chilean wines labeled Reserva Privada and Gran Reserva must have a min abv of what?
12.5%
What are the most planted grapes in Casablanca and San Antonio Valley?
- sauv blanc
- pinot noir
- chardonnay
The Maipo Valley in Chile is known for what variety?
Cab Sauv
Chilean wines labeled Reserva and Reserva Especial must have a min abv of what?
12%
In what district is Leyda Valley found?
San Antonio Valley, Aconcagua VR
What is Chile’s oldest and most established wine growing region?
Central Valley DO
What climatic feature cools vines in Chile’s Central Valley DO?
Humboldt Current
What is the soil type in the Limari Valley?
cool limestone
What type of soils are found in Maipo DO?
warm, well drained alluvial
What is the primary soil type in Aconcagua?
Alluvial
When was Chilean wine law established?
1995
Where is Vina Vik located?
Cachapoal, Rapel Valley
The Colchagua and Cachapoal Valleys are located in which DO?
Rapel Valley
What is MOVI?
Assoc. of small, quality minded producers in Chile
What are Chile’s 6 Viticultural Regions (VR) from north to south?
- Atacama
- Coquimbo
- Aconcagua
- Valle Central
- Sur
- Austral
What are the 3 DO subzones of Aconcagua?
- Aconcagua Valley
- Casablanca Valley
- San Antonio Valley
List 3 well known producers in Chile’s Maipo Valley
- Conch y Toro
- Santa Rita
- Santa Carolina
- Almaviva
- Cousino Macul
-Carmen - Haras de Pirque
- Ventisquero
- Odfjell
- De Martino
- Antiyal
What is the climate of Chile’s northern growing region?
dry and desert like
Grapes grown in Chile’s northern region were historically used for what?
Pisco
What is furrow irrigation?
Ancient Inca technique of directing snowmelt through carved channels
What Chilean wine label term indicates mandatory oak aging?
- Reserva Especial
- Gran Reserva
Where is Los Vascos located?
Colchagua Valley DO
Casa Tamaya and Tabali are located in what DO?
Limari DO
What are the 3 new zone designations in Chile and what is the minimum percentage required for using these labels?
- Costa
- Entre Cordilleras
- Andes
85%
Matetic, Vina Leyda, and Casa Marin are located in what DO?
San Antonio Valley DO
What are the qualifications to label a wine ‘vigno’ in Chile?
- 85% carignan (maule fruit)
- old vine, head trained, dry farmed
- vines must be at least 30 years old
- the remainder of the fruit (15%) must be old vine, head-trained, dry farmed Maule fruit
- aged 2 years prior to release
What are the 3 DO subzones of Coquimbo?
- Elqui
- Limari
- Choapa
What is pajarete?
traditional, passito style sweet wine made from dried pisco grapes
What DO lies at the convergence if the Andes and Coastal Mountains in Chile?
Choapa Valley
What Chilean wine beat Lafite and Margaux in the 2004 Berlin tasting?
Errazuriz ‘Sena’
What are the 2 DO subzones of Atacama?
- Copiapo Valley DO
- Huasca Valley DO
Which producer has the largest vineyard holdings in Chile?
Concha Y Toro with over 9000 hectares of vineyards
True or False: the pais grape cannot be listed on the label of a DO wine in Chile?
True
What is the most planted grape variety in Chile?
Cab Sauv
What are the parents of Carmenere?
Cabernet Franc and Gros Cabernet
Name 3 synonyms for Pais
Mission
Listan Prieto
Criolla Chica
Name two prominent wineries in Chile founded founded by an international winemaker
Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Lafite in 1988, to take over the Colchagua estate of Los Vascos.
Lapostolle, also in Colchagua, was founded in 1994 by the namesake owners of (Grand) Marnier-Lapostolle. In Maipo Valley,
Bruno Prats (former owner of Château Cos d’Estournel) and Paul Pontallier (current managing director of Château Margaux) launched Viña Aquitania in 1990.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild arrived in 1997 to create Almaviva in conjunction with Concha y Toro.
Robert Mondavi joined with Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz to found Seña in 1995.
What is Chile’s most planted white grape?
Sauvignon Blanc
What is the name of the dense and cool morning fog that creeps into the coasts of Chile?
Camanchaca
The Nahuelbuta Mountains have a strong influence over the climate of where?
Bio Bio valley
What is the most important yet unofficial zone within the Colchagua DO?
Apalta Valley
Who makes Casa Real?
Sant Rita
What DO of Chile has the most acreage under vine
Rapel Valley
What percentage of grapes grown in Chile are red?
75%
What are the top 5 most grown red grapes in Chile?
- cab sauv
- merlot
- carmenere
- syrah
- pais
Why is carmenere more successful in Chile than in Bordeaux?
- difficult to graft so it stopped being propagated in Bordeaux
- needs a dry spring
- needs clay soil, but requires longer, warmer ripening season (one month more than merlot)
Why does harvest time for carmenere need to be so precise?
carmenere loses acidity rapidly as it ripens, but it needs to be ripe enough to temper the pyrazine quality
Why is pyrazine character so prominent in carmenere?
- inherited pyrazine qualities from both parents
- Chile irrigates heavily, which encourages vegetation growth as opposed to fruit ripening
What Bordeaux winemaking technique is almost never used when making carmenere?
Cold Maceration
- extended pre-fermentation skin contact exacerbates bitterness and pyrazine quality
How can reduction in carmenere be combatted in the winery?
- racking
- micro oxygenation
Errazuriz ‘Kai’ and Concha y Toro ‘Carmin de Peumo’ are single varietal bottles of what grape?
carmenere
What is pipeno?
Light, slightly fizzy, often chilled and easy drinking (usually pais based) wine
What producer made the first sparkling rose made of Pais?
Miguel Torres (NV Estelado)
List 2 producers spearheading quality pais bottlings in Chile
- Miguel Torres
- J Bouchon
- Louis Antoine Luyt
- Gonzalez Bastias
How much rain does the Atacama region get per year?
15 mm (less than one inch)