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THE
LAND OF THE WINE
---The Introduction of Chilean Wine
Edit：薛飞 |
Perhaps the best definition of the nature and meaning
of wine is the one given by the oldest of all books: The
Bible. This book, considered divinely-inspired by much
of the human race, refers to wine as “the fruit of the
vine and the work of man”, highlighting the essential
relationship that should exist between what nature gives
away and what man has to achieve through much effort.
Based on this idea we refer, since long ago, to Chile
as “the land of wine”.
Chile’s condition of “land of wine” is evident from the
very beginning of the production chain, because of the
excellent characteristics for vine growing. In Chile it
is easy to find sectors where soil and weather conditions
are ideal for reaching the final goal that every viticulturist
wishes to achieve: maximum excellence in the quality of
the grapes, expressed in the wine that will be obtained
from them.
The vine, grape vine or vine-stock is a creeping, climbing
liana that produces the fruit called grape. From a botanical
point of view, it belongs to the Vitaceae family and to
the species of “Vitisvinifera”. Apparently, it originated
in Asia Minor and it flourishes successfully in temperate
climates -also called Mediterranean- but not in just any
other climate. It can grow in the tropics for example,
but does not yield fruit in the quantity and quality required
for making good wine.
In general terms, we can say that vines need certain well-defined
environmental or, more exactly, ecological conditions
in order to prosper, which we will briefly discuss below.
The environment is basically defined by two main factors:
soil and climate. The soil, important though it is , can
be managed by man to a certain extent through irrigation
and drainage, fertilizers and supplements, and other special
processes. The climate is a completely different matter,
since it is impossible to influence it because it is defined
by nature. In the face of strong winds, spring frosts,
torrential rain in summer or hail (a phenomenon that occurs
very rarely in Chile), only very secondary measures can
be applied, which can do no more than palliate their effects.
The different cultivated varieties of vine do not respond
in the same way to environmental temperatures. During
the plant’s active phase, from the time the shoots appear
in spring to the fall of leaves in autumn, the total number
of hours with temperatures between 68° and 90° F defines
the development and behaviour of the plants. However,
they all need to have environmental temperatures that
are absolutely frost-free once the green shoots have started
to appear, that is in spring and, of course, in summer.
Besides they all require well-defined winters, which should
have enough cold days (hours with temperatures between
14 and 41° F) during the dormant phase to provide the
plants the rest they need during that season.
Finally, to obtain first quality grapes it is a great
advantage to have wide temperature differences between
day and night (preferably) around 68°F) during the period
when the cluster is ripening, which is what happens in
almost all the wine-producing regions of Chile.
The above paragraphs describe some of the technical factors
that should be taken into consideration in vine growing;
some of them are difficult to determine but nowadays they
may be obtained with further precision due to technological
improvements. Nevertheless, there still are –and will
probably always be- factors for which it will be necessary
rely on the winemaker’s good instinct.
Based on the above, one night think that, regarding to
the weather, there are as many alternatives as there are
locations that are definable, or which can be differentiated
from one another, and which of course offer suitable conditions
for the cultivation of grapevines. However, it should
be borne in mind that there are basic climatic guidelines,
or a common environment, that can determine wide regions
or even whole countries, and give the wines they obtain
a characteristic seal, at least in their general aspects.
Based on this, everywhere in the world certain climates
have been defined within specific schemes, what has given
rise to the “Appellation of Origin” classification system.
In other words, technology had to give way to the dictates
of nature, but man has been the one who has gone through
the trouble of finding the most appropriate varieties
for the prevailing climate in each suitable place in the
world. Only after the proper treatment, nature produces
the best wines.
The “Appellation of Origin” system protects the various
types of wine that are produced around the world. Some
of the most famous examples are the wines coming from
Champagne, Barsac, Oporto and Jerez, which are only allowed
to carry the name that defines their type if their grapes
come from the specified geographical area, and if the
wine-growing, vinification and processing methods used
are the appropriate ones.
In Chile, the appellation system for wines requires mainly
that they should be made from certain varieties of grape
and that their origin corresponds to that of the viticultural
regions specified. Other requirements refer to the vintage
year, the place of bottling, and the wine blends, if any,
that are included.
(From 《Chilean Wines For The 21st Century》)
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| History
Behind the Chilean Wine |
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| The Chilean Mosaic |
Chilean wine country is
a mosaic of flavours and styles as varied as the
geography, climate and the people themselves. Building
on the unprecedented success of the big-fruit big-four
varietals, more than a decade ago Chile undertook
a diverse enterprise of hillside plantings, drip
irrigation, vineyard planting closer to the Pacific
coast, higher into the Andes and deeper into the
south in the region of the Araucania.
The world has begun to take notice of these innovating
winemakers who have planted Pinot Noir, Viognier,
Syrah, Zinfandel, Mouvedre, Sangiovese, Gewurtz
and Riesling in a myriad of locations that will
only add to the complexity of flavours in the Chilean
mosaic of tomorrow. Avid consumers today know the
names Casablanca, Maipo and Colchagua, but these
are just the beginnings of a host of fun-to-pronounce
appellations as unique as the hands that are defining
them.It is this mosaic of wineries that comprises
Wines of Chile, ranging from boutique-oriented cellars
producing a few thousand bottles to multi-appellation
publicly-traded companies. It is this friendly co-habitation
of Davids & Goliaths that stretches the breadth
of character and richness of Chilean |
| Natural Isle Organic |
Healthy vineyards don’t
need chemical pest control-- a bold statement, but
one that has been proven time and again in practice.
Good vine and canopy management allows the sun and
circulating air to keep bunches dry and free from
fungus and insect infestations. Drip-irrigation
reduces weeds between rows. The proper balance between
plant and soil and the human hand ensures a healthy
eco-system.
Effectively an island with its geographic borders
(the Andes, the Pacific, the Atacama, and the Antarctic),
Chile’s agricultural lands remain free of pests
that plague other areas. Add hot, dry summers and
phylloxera-free vineyards and it’s easy to see why
organic viticulture is becoming more prevalent in
Chile than anywhere else.
As the list of certified organic vineyards grows,
in fact far more are employing the techniques without
intention of certification. Their interest is in
the wine. Today’s New World wine producers seek
more expression of fruit and terroir. One of the
best ways to do that is to avoid chemical interference. |
| The Grapes of Mass |
In the mid 1500’s winemaking
begins in Chile with the arrival of Spanish missionaries.
With them they brought the País, pah-ees, (known
as "Mission" in California), for celebrating
the church sacraments. País proved to be especially
resilient. To this day one finds many hectares,
head pruned in the Spanish style in the hills of
the Maule Valley. Some of the first organic wines
to be produced in Chile were made with the descendants
of these early vines that effectively managed to
hold on untouched by irrigation or viticulture treatment
of any kind over the centuries.
The style of wine centuries ago would obviously
have little to do with wines of today, but interestingly
the custom of winemaking spread so quickly south
some 500 kms with Francisco de Carabantes to Concepción
by 1850 and north 400 kms to Copiapó with Francisco
de Aguirre soon after. Today these areas in fact
delimit the modern appellation system : the Bío
Bío Valley in the south and the Limarí Valley in
the north. |
| Gay’s first . . . |
It was in the 1830's when
naturalist and scientist: Claudio Gay brought the
first vitis vinifera to Chile. Some 60 varieties
were brought from France to the Quinta Normal--
part of the nascent University of Chile.
In the 1850's, industrialists of the booming Chilean
economy like Silvestre Ochagavía would begin to
introduce French vines commercially, initially in
the Maipo Valley. Several of Chile's more traditional
vineyards began here and continue to produce wine
here today. Some of these areas are now becoming
part of a growing capital city: Santiago.
The introduction of Cabernet, Cot / Malbec, Carmenére
(at that time one of the principal grapes of the
right bank in Bordeaux) Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc,
Semillón, Riesling, and others would now begin in
earnest, principally fuelled by the those with large
fortunes who were travelling to and sending their
children for schooling in Europe. With the vines
came European experts (principally French owing
to the relatively recent independence from Spain)
to tend the vines, make wines, and to build veritable
palaces and design the gardens around them. The
trans-Atlantic trade of vines and plants was heightened
in part due to the European fascination with the
exotic plant species of Chile—which they in turn
began introducing in Europe. It is important to
note that this period occurs just prior to when
Phylloxera began to wreak havoc in North America
and Europe. This, the greatest of all vineyard pests
would never arrive on Chile’s shores and the plantings
of this epoch would enjoy their own private evolution
for the better part of a century before in the 1980's
technologies and modern clones would again be imported.
During the time of phylloxera in Europe many in
the industry lost their livelihood and a significant
brain drain resulted toward the few parts of the
world where the vid was not affected. Thus before
the Chilean industry would be secluded from the
world wine business during two world wars and political
policies less than appropriate for the industry,
it would first enjoy a veritable injection of old
world know-how and expertise. |
| Untenable Intervention |
| The early twentieth century
is a story of seclusion and distance from the world
for Chile. Despite its turn-of-the-century success
in wine, two world wars and decades of state protectionism
forced the country down a solitary path that technologically
isolated it from the world for nearly 50 years.
The mid-20th century Agrarian Land Reform took its
toll on Chile’s wine industry, and the country’s
relative isolation from the increasingly globalised,
trade-oriented world essentially kept Chile out
of the wine trade for decades more. The country
reversed its closed-door policies in 1980’s, effectively
giving rise to the next wave in the history of Chilean
winemaking. |
| Musts for Modern Times |
The part of Chilean wine
history that most affects today’s consumer has taken
place since the 1970’s, when complicated and restrictive
domestic policies were repealed and political interventionism
was relaxed or eliminated. The law that restricted
the wineries was repealed in 1974. >From 1980,
the legal liberalization and the country's economic
opening kicked off a revolution in the wine industry.
Again we must credit Spanish influence (a Spaniard
more correctly), Miguel Torres, with the introduction
of modern technologies and stainless steel tanks
that helped initiate this change. The Chilean wine
industry outfitted itself with modern machinery
and equipment, improved its planting and irrigation
technology, incorporated stainless steel tanks and
French oak barrels and began to utilize better quality
corks and bottles.
Between 1982 and 1983 production reached its peak,
coinciding with a significant reduction in domestic
consumption. Both factors provoked a crisis of proportions,
with a fall in prices and vineyards being replaced
with other fruit crops. At the same time, the historic
trend of family-owned wineries was replaced by economic
groups and corporations, which included international
participation, effectively modernizing the business.
In the 1990s, Chilean wines consolidated their presence
in the international wine business. Today they are
exported to 90 countries on 5 continents. Exports
to Europe, the United States and particularly to
Asia have grown strongly each year, and today register
a total of more than US$600 million (2002). |
| Visa Vid Global Wining |
The concept of the ‘flying
winemaker ’ indicating a valuable consultant on
a tight schedule jetting about sharing his knowledge
and expertise is nothing new in the industry. As
we have seen throughout Chile’s winemaking history,
Chile has repeatedly brought the best from the world
to foster growth and innovation at home. While Chile
certainly does receive its share of international
consultants, perhaps more interesting today is the
quantity of air-miles being earned by younger winemakers,
men and women thirty-somethings (and travelling
coach), taking flight to work harvests in France,
California, Italy, Spain during the Chilean winter.
As the national ski teams of the northern hemisphere
come to Chile each August in search of a second
training season in the Andes during Chile’s Austral
Winter, winemakers from Chile, with their wines
safely ageing in the cellar, are spreading their
wings toward more wine experience in the old world
and new world alike.
This veritable ground swell of global experience
over the past decade today has resulted in previously
unknown valleys and varieties that are still relatively
new in Chile realising new levels of expression
and character that evidently few in the international
press were expecting from such ’unknowns’. |
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