Chile. Flashcards
Who was Francisco de Carabantes?
A Spanish missionary who imported vine cutting from the Canary Islands into Peru in the 1540s - the likely introduction of Pais, from Peru to Chile.
Why were religious orders important for the spread of the vine in 1500s South America?
Religious orders were generally exempt on the trade embargoes and bans on production placed on the developing wine industry by the Spanish crown. They needed sacramental wine, right?
Who was Bernardo O’Higgins?
An Irish-born Spaniard and Chilean leader against the Spanish crown - declared independence from Spain in 1818.
What is Chile’s oldest operating winery? Where was it located?
Vina Olchagavia - founded in 1851
Santiago
Who is Silvestre Olchagavia?
A wealthy industrialist; founder of Chile’s first modern winery and now oldest operating winery - considered to be the father of Chilean wine. His winery model was replicated, influencing generations of wineries to come.
What 3 companies dominate 85% of Chilean local consumption?
Concho y Toro
Santa Rita
San Pedro
What is MOVI?
Movimiento de Vinateros Independientes; “an association of small quality minded Chilean producers who come together to make wine personally, on a smaller scale”
Founded in 2009 by 12 wineries. Less of an indication of style, but instead of winery size and scale. The owner and the winemaker is usually one and the same - and they usually have day jobs at the large firms and are pouring wines of their own personal small projects.
What year did Phylloxera hit Chile?
Trick question! It never has
What did Chile’s period of temperance look like? When did it occur?
The first temperance law was passed in 1938, which put quotas on production and limited planting rights. In effect, prices were high but quality was low. Export demand decreased while Chilean ag products were experiencing unprecedented growth. The law ended with the military coup and death of the Socialist president in 1973.
Who was Augusto Pinochet and what were his effects on the Chilean wine industry?
Pinochet was the dictator after Salvador Allende’s death in 1973 - his brand of capitalism liberalized the Chilean export market.
What happened in 1979 that influenced modern Chile’s wine industry?
Miguel Torres founded a Chilean project in Curico and introduced modern technologies like pneumatic presses, stainless steel, temperature control, and new barriques. Vines were newly trellised or retrained in VSP style. New tech and increased attention to hygiene put Chile’s wine production more in line with modern taste.
What property did Domaines Barons de Lafite-Rothschild take over and in what year? Where?
1988; Colchagua estate of Los Vascos
Lapostolle was founded when and by whom?
1994 by the Grand Marnier-Lapostolle family
Almaviva was founded when and by whom?
1997; a joint project between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concho y Toro
What is the name of the Chilean joint venture by Paul Pontellier and Bruno Prats? What year was it founded and what wineries were each associated with?
Paul Pontellier - Chateau Margaux
Bruno Prats - former owner of Chateau Cos d’Estournel
Founded Vina Aquitania in 1990
Sena is a joint project between what two owners of what wineries? What year was it founded?
Robert Mondavi
Eduardo Chadwick of Vina Errazuriz
Founded in 1995
Marcelo Papa is the winemaker for what Chilean wine outfit?
Concho y Toro
Fransisco Baettig is the winemaker for what Chilean wine outfit?
Vina Errazuriz
Felipe Muller is the winemaker for what Chilean wine outfit?
Tabali
Rodrigo Soto is the winemaker for what Chilean wine outfit?
Veramonte
What geological feature separates Chile from Argentina? From Peru?
The Andes separate Chile from Argentina
The Atacama Desert separates Chile from Peru
What five geographical sectors is Chile divided between? In which sector will you find the majority of viticulture?
Norte Grande Norte Chico Zona Central Zona Sur Zona Austral *most viticulture occurs in a 1 to 3 hour drive of Santiago in Zona Central
What two mountain ranges run the length of Chile? What role do these mountains play for Chile?
The Andes
The Cordilleras de la Costa
- The Coastal Range acts as a rain shadow and buffers the coastal influence. The tallest peak at around 3100 ft with many less imposing peaks.
- The Andes block any weather influence coming from the east
Altogether, the mountains cover 80% of the landmass.
What year did Chile’s DO system appear and how were the boundaries named and formed?
1994; the DOs are named after the river pathways trickling down from the Andes and out to the sea - the DOs borders follow an east-west trajectory while adopting the conventional political, communal and provincial borders along the river’s path
What is the name of the current affecting Chile’s western coast? What affect does this current have?
The Humboldt Current: cools the air passing over it, limits precipitation, and creates an invasion layer (as evidenced in the smog over Santiago). It moderates the climate up and down the coast, keeping it cooler than the inland valleys and also limiting the diurnal shift.
What is El Nino? What effect does it have on Chile and Peru?
A weather pattern caused by the weakening and warming of the Humboldt Current. It happens irregularly, every few years. It warms the coast of Chile and Peru, devastating fish populations and increasing rainfall dramatically in the arid parts of Chile and Peru.
What two tectonic plates outline Chile’s western border?
The Nazca Plate and the South American plate.
Describe the geological differences between the Coastal Range and the Andes.
Coastal Range: the soils lay atop much older parent rock than the Andes- weathered granite and metamorphics from Pangea’s time. The age of the soils varies - Leyda might be 100 million years vs. 300 million years in the south near Bio Bio
Andes: a volcanic arc on the ring of fire - prone to earthquakes; the crust is lighter and much less dense. Much of the origins are magmatic - lots of basalt and andesite
Law #_____ lays down the rules for Chile’s production, processing and trade for all types of alcoholic beverages. What year was this law passed?
1985 #18,455
How does Chilean law define wine?
The product of fermentation of fresh must obtained from Vitis Vinifera grapes, reaching at least 11.5% ABV
What are Chilean wine law’s four tiers?
Region Viticola Subregion Zone Area *similar to South Africa's system
What are Chile’s 6 Region Viticola’s?
Atacama Coquimbo Aconcagua Valle Central Sur Austral
What three new designations were implemented for existing DOs in Chile with degree #464 in 2012?
The three divisions are based on proximity to the coast or to the mountains (three columns):
1) Costa
2) Entre Cordilleras
3) Andes
What is Chile’s most planted grape?
Cabernet Sauvignon
List Chile’s 5 most planted red grapes, beginning with the most planted to less planted.
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Carmenere Syrah Pais
Who is Jean-Michel Boursiquot and what was his major accomplishment?
A French ampelographer, who after visiting Vina Carmen in 1994, identified “Merlot Chiceno” as Bordeaux’s long lost carmenere
Merlot and Carmenere have a long history of co-plantings. How did the two differ?
Carmenere ripens a full month later than Merlot, its clusters are tighter and its leaves turn a deep red in the fall. It is notoriously difficult to graft - which is why it disappeared from Bordeaux. Both Merlot and Carmenere like humid, clay soils - but Carmenere needs hotter sites and the promise of dry weather through mid-May to ripen successfully.
Who are Carmenere’s parents?
Cabernet Franc x Gros Cabernet
What is Gros Cabernet?
A “grandson” of Cabernet Franc; an offspring of Hondurrabi Beltza and Fer. This is one of the parents of Carmenere
Why is Carmenere so goddam green?
Carmenere inherited a propensity for pyrazinic qualities from both of its parents - Gros Cabernet and Cabernet Franc. It naturally contains higher levels of 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine.
What is the actual chemical name for ‘pyrazine’?
3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine
High-end Chilean wine “Kai” is made by who?
Errazuriz
High-end Chilean wine “Carmin de Pueno” is made by who?
Concho y Toro
What is a Vina Pipeno in Chile?
A ‘pipa’ was the barrels Chileans kept in their cellar for personal consumption or for carting town to town to sell to locals. The term Pipeno references a wine made in the traditional Chilean style with old-school varietals - it might be rustic, and its also popular with the natural wine crowds. This is Chile’s table wine - its fresh, drinkable, best served chilled
What 5 grapes is Chilean Pisco distilled from?
1) Moscatel (Muscat de Alexandria)
2) Moscatel Rosado
3) Moscatel de Austria (Torrontes de Sanjuinino)
4) Torrontel (Moscatel Amarillo, a progeny of Pais x Muscat de Alexandria)
5) Pedro Jimenez
How does a Peruvian Pisco Sour differ from a Chilean Pisco Sour?
The Chilean version omits the egg white and bitters - so just pisco, lemon, and sugar. Pica is the preferred limon - native to the Atacama area, it is thin skinned and sweeter
What 3 wine growing areas lie within Coquimbo? What part of Chile does the Coquimbo region lie within?
Elqui Valley
Limari Valley
Choapa Valley
The Coquimbo region lies within Norte Chico, the arid area below the Atacama.
What are the 3 areas of the Valle de Elqui?
La Serena (coastal)
Vicuna (Andes)
Paiguano (Andes)
*there is no Cordilleras area - the mountains nearly converge as the Andes reach to the coast
Chile is divided into 15 administrative regions. 9 contain viticulture - which are they?
Atacama Coquimbo Valparaiso Santiago O'Higgins Maule Bio Bio La Araucania Los Lagos
What 2 northernmost DOs of Chile are much more important for table grapes, pisco distillate, and olives than for wine?
Valle del Huasco
Valle de Copiapo
Who makes Alta Tierra and in what DO is it located? What grape(s) is it based on.
Elqui Valley DO
Made by Vina Falernia, the first producer to explore this DO’s potential in the 1990s, when the area was more into Pisco than wine. This wine is a reference point for Elqui Valley Syrah.
What is the main grape of the Valle de Limari? What does this grape thrive here and what is unique about this valley?
Chardonnay
- one of the few spots in Chile for terra rossa (like that of Coonawarra): red clay atop limestone
- cooler climate thanks to coastal influence (not elevation). One of the few places in Chile where the valley is wide open to the coast via gaps in the mountains
What two DOs within Aconcagua Region lie outside of the 3 major subregions?
Marga Marga
Zapallar
What are the 3 major subregions of the Aconcagua Region?
Valle del Aconcagua
Valle de Casablanca
Valle de San Antonio
