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A wine is considered to be aged when it has certain characteristics that allow it to improve over time by keeping it stored (subjecting it to aging) in optimal conditions. This maturation in the bottle increases its qualities and value. It is, so to speak, the continuation of aging in barrels, completing the evolution of the tannins, and acquiring new dimensions in terms of aromas, flavors, and color....
One of our main attributes and transversal elements in our DNA is innovation. This, understood from our exploratory spirit that led us to be the first to plant vines in the Casablanca Valley, pioneers in planting high-density fields, pioneers in launching a line called Aventura focused on highlighting the unknown diversity of terroirs and varieties from Chile; and being one of the first wineries to rescue terroirs and ancestral winemaking techniques, to name a few....
The Maipo Valley is one of the most recognized wine regions in Chile and has earned its good reputation for the excellent production of wines from red varieties, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, it is one of the Denominations of Origin in our country that has received the most awards and recognitions....
Subjectivity rules when determining the quality of a wine, however, there are certain concepts and generalized criteria that help us find a common balance point....
In the last 10 or 15 years, the País variety has had an unusual redemption for some. Not a rescue from oblivion, because it has always been present in an important way in the national viticulture, but I do think it has been a very healthy and visionary visit to its characteristics and understanding of them. It’s also talks about how sometimes we need foreigners to open our eyes and new generations that believe in their own and dare....
2021 was one of those times when the hard work carried out for so many years paid off, and those results were manifested in tremendous recognition. More than pride, which undoubtedly comes with it, these awards reaffirm the path we have taken and that our dreams have significance for others who are able to perceive and recognize it....
Fifteen years ago, Pablo Morandé was so convinced of the quality of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from Casablanca that he set himself the goal of making the best sparkling wine in Chile. ...
We are already feeling the winds of a new vintage—the 2022 harvest season is quickly approaching and has been marked by a winter with little rainfall. The spring was within normal parameters, with a trend toward below-average temperatures, and consequently, the processes of fruit set, flowering, and veraison were generally long and led to a decrease in how much the clusters filled out and are therefore lighter. As a result, we are expecting a reduction in yields per hectare of approximately 10%....
Bringing to light old vineyards and searching for new origins has been part of our spirit since Viña Morandé was founded. More than 30 years ago, we pioneered the Casablanca Valley, as well as the creation of the first bottles of Maule’s Carignan and Itata’s Cinsault, a reflection of this passion. True to that spirit, we have search to make wines in Araucanía, particularly in the Malleco Valley, in the surroundings of Traiguén, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes....
A classic Bordeaux blend, based on Cabernet Sauvignon, which is complemented by other red varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Carignan, House of Morandé, is a wine that is in the DNA of Viña Morandé and its commitment to excellence....
Our iconic wine has a history that has reached its adulthood in the concert of the select group of great Maipo wines. The alluvial soils, with a high presence of clay and gravel from the old terrace of the Maipo River that covers origins such as Puente Alto and San Bernardo, is interrupted by an island hill, Chena Hill. It is at the foot of this hill, already occupied by the Incas as a defensive and observation place, where the grapes that give life to our wine are born. Planted in 1997, in an avant-garde high density of 7,000/ha with a slope of 22.5 ° West to avoid the sun's rays during the hottest hour....
As a way of paying tribute to the Persian city of Shiraz, whose name in the ancient Elamite language was Tiraziš, we created our first wine with the Syrah grape in Casablanca. Our idea was to evoke the theory of the variety's Persian roots, although the latest scientific findings show its origin to be French, specifically, the northern Rhône, where these grapes are grown and currently produce some of its best expressions....
Malbec, a grape variety from southwestern France, particularly Cahors, where it is also known as Cot Rouge or Auxerrois, arrived in the New World more than 150 years ago. It retained the name Cot in Chile, while in Argentina, it was called Malbec, as it is known in Bordeaux, where some hectares of the variety still grow....
In our permanent quest to explore different valleys and techniques to create new wines, we often succeed in making the wine we dreamed of. But on other occasions, we find that our intuition and knowledge are not infallible. Usually, these efforts don’t get to be known because they do not materialize in a concrete wine. ...
The Cachapoal River gives its name to the wine valley located immediately south of Maipo: the Cachapoal Valley. Although with different characteristics, the latter shares with its northern neighbor the ability to produce great Bordeaux wines....
As a result of globalization, the almost instantaneous access to information, and the current urge to tell and show what is ours, it is now possible to approach realities that otherwise would remain foreign to us. In addition, if we consider how much easier and cheaper it has become to travel abroad, it's of no surprise that, at least in some ways, our legendary Chilean island-mentality has changed....
Innovations are often the result of nothing else but rediscovery, research, and education. Not so much regarding new techniques, but in relation to what has already been done in the past and often forgotten. In winemaking, there are many examples that have become fashionable today, such as vinification in earthenware jars or terracotta pots, aging in oak foudres, or a very particular one, such as the use of stems in alcoholic fermentations. Both for reds and whites....
Or at least that’s my general impression. We have been ‘educated’ with Bordeaux varieties because they are the most widely planted and have formed since the mid-nineteenth century, the heart of our great wines from the Maipo Valley. However, as we expand our knowledge and taste other wines, I have noticed that we end up being Pinot Noir fans, although we still enjoy a good cabernet, of course. But all this may be just my idea....
It will soon be 40 years since, in 1982, Pablo Morandé engaged on a crusade that would radically change the winegrowing landscape of Chile. In that year, he planted commercial vineyards for the first time in a Chilean coastal area, specifically in the Casablanca Valley. He did it with the vision of a restless and curious spirit, which, closely connected to his iron will, allowed opening the wide range of our country’s wine diversity....
Ladin is a dialect or ancient Romance language still spoken in the Dolomites, a region of alpine mountains and valleys in northern Italy, now known as the autonomous region of Alto Adige or Süd Tyrol, whose capital is the beautiful city of Bolzano....
Unlike Syrah, a grape variety introduced only recently in Chile, Malbec is no newcomer to our country. It has been grown in our territory for ages, although known as Cot Rouge. And it has mainly been used to improve the color of wines from the Secano (rainfed areas)....
For almost a decade we searched for an estate to ‘plant vineyards from scratch’ in Maule’s Secano Interior, persuaded of the virtues of its climate and its granitic soils. It was thus that we came across La Constancia, a property placed northwest of the city of Talca, a little further towards the coast from the village of Pencahue, and somewhat further north from the village of Botalcura. In this property, located at the feet of the first spurs of the Coastal Range and facing east, we discovered a hidden gift; in fact, two: an over 80 years old vineyard of País grapes and a Malbec vineyard over 60 years old....
The climate change that is affecting the world, including our country, is a fact that currently, no one doubts. In our Central Valley, rainfall has decreased, while the coastal climate is getting colder and drier. And although the average rainfall has not varied as much as one might think, the frequency and intensity of the events have....
The foot winepresses or lagares, are the oldest and most effective recipients for fermenting grapes and making wines. A foot winepress is nothing but a sort of pool, usually made of cement or stone, which receives the previously destemmed grapes, either scrubbed on a sieve (zaranda) of bamboos (colihues) or directly in whole bunches....
In 2003, I was preparing for the final exams for my postgraduate degree in Viticulture and Enology at the University of Turin. And because sometimes when you open a door, many others open as well, life led me to spend a season –almost a year- in the city of Geneva, Switzerland....
Taking the baton from the hands of one of the most important Chilean winemakers is a challenge and a responsibility that I still feel to this day. Fortunately, I’m not alone in this task. At Viña Morandé we are a team that complements each other and enjoys its work. My mission has not been to replace –since that is impossible-, but to continue the vision of sensing the trade in a fluid and natural way. To project into the future a way of understanding and interpreting the vineyards through the wines we make and which are the hallmark of Viña Morandé....
In the world of wines, people frequently talk about terroir (teuh·waa), a concept coined by the French (how could it be otherwise…) that defines, in one word, climate, soil, and know-how (savoir-faire). That is, the influence exerted by a certain person when producing a wine. Translated into Spanish, it would be a notion similar to terruño....
The title of this article came to my mind remembering Black Cat, White Cat, the hilarious film by Emir Kusturica. But on this occasion, I don’t intend to comment on movies, oil, or lithium, which we could currently consider Chile's white gold. Today I want to talk about sparkling wines. In particular, about our Extra Brut made with Chardonnay grapes from the Limarí Valley....
In the last 20 years, Sauvignon Blanc has reached an outstanding distribution worldwide. Especially since the irruption of the very aromatic wines from New Zealand, a country that has turned this variety into its flagship since it is, by far, its biggest producer......
Just as there are great supporting actors - Harvey Keitel comes to mind in this moment - there is also one in viticulture without which the film could not be complete: cabernet franc, a Bordeaux classic and a common presence in the blends of great wines that come from the banks of the Garonne. Cabernet Franc is also an actor with diverse faces, because your pyrazines allow him to build wines of very different profiles, such as those produced in the Loire Valley, in the north. From his native France, it crossed "the great lake" and show your shine around the world, especially in the southern cone of America, in Chile and Argentina....
In our younger years, we tend to believe that the world begins with us, but the truth is that way before, some efforts and initiatives sought the same as we: make it better. Without arrogance, because that's what it's all about –isn't it? - of doing it better, in tune with the times and the accumulated knowledge....
It is no mystery that in the last 10 or 12 years, the Maule Valley has experienced a revival not only as a producer of large volume but also of excellent quality wines. Since Pablo Morandé and Francisco Gillmore bottled their first Carignan wines by the mid ’90s –with great intuition and relying on their experience- the Maule has developed and been revalued. Especially the Secano Interior (Interior Dryland) and its old Carignan and País vineyards. The latter not only provide grapes, but also an identity and rusticity that allows grafting different varieties onto their roots. All this has proven to work very well in a climate of dry and hot summers, especially with red varieties such as Grenache and Mourvèdre, and whites such as Roussanne and Marsanne....
During the mid-80's Pablo Morandé verified on his skin and that of his grapes, the effects of living in Casablanca, very close to the Pacific Ocean. As it often happens in life, reality can be two-sided: the high relative humidity in the mornings, due to the coastal fogs, gives rise to a fresher climate with lower average temperatures. ...
The small village of Ránquil, once a relevant and dynamic commercial exchange point in the zone of Itata, is the cradle of Virgilio Arias, one of the most renowned Chilean sculptors of the 19th century. Among his most outstanding works are the sculptures El Roto Chileno (a popular Chilean figure) –placed in the Yungay Square and in the very same square of Ránquil-, the present statue of General Baquedano in the Italy Square, and “The Descent,” exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago....
In the early 2000s, when planning the new plantations in our Belén estate in the Casablanca Valley, we already had some considerations in mind. First and foremost, to carry out an avant-garde plantation of more than 130 ha in high density, with vineyards oriented to high-quality wines....
I came across this quotation thanks to Humberto Eco and was recently reminded of it by Stephen Hawkin’s book. Attributed to Newton (though it was documented five centuries earlier by John of Salisbury), it refers to the advances in science. Applicable to many disciplines, I now borrow it to entitle this story....
Although reinforced cement, and before that, masonry, have been used for centuries (Pliny already mentioned it in 79 A.D.), it was in England and as of 1756, that th......
It doesn’t exist as a clearly defined area that obeys to objective criteria, and we think it should......
Until the beginning of the 80’s, the Chilean wineries were damp and rather dark places, with a very particular aroma. If I think about what might have drawn my initial attention to the wine world as a child......
By Pablo Morandé: "Without being exactly what we had defined, or perhaps using different words, our dream as a company was to become a winery acknowledged for its excellence, for its wines and its services, as well as for the relationship with our clients and suppliers..."...
The first thing that ought to be said regarding pruning is that it is an unnatural practice. It is, however, one of the most important activities carried out by the vine-grower, whose function it to lead and determine the grapes’ quantity and quality......
Despechado saw the light as an expression of the countercurrent and feminist spirit of our winemaker Daniela Salinas. Long ago, there were approximately 1,6 hectares of Pinot Noir planted around ‘House of Morandé’, our old restaurant in the Casablanca Valley......
Travelling through the hills of Itata, dotted with vineyards amidst pine plantations, I came across some parcels with their characteristic low, head-pruned vines that resemble small rose bushes but with grapes almost touching the ground. There I encountered and was presented to don Agustín Pañailillo......
Being deeply convinced that, due to its soil and climate, the highest sector of the Maipo Valley is the most adequate for growing Cabernet Sauvignon......
A great deal of water has flowed under the bridge since Carmenère was rediscovered in Chile in 1994. This long-cycle variety – which means that it needs a long period of good temperatures to ripen– used to grow in the vineyards......
When planting a vineyard, its density of plantation is one of the most important aspects. The planting density is determined, amongst other factors, by the place’s climate (temperature and precipitations), the vigor of the chosen variety and the type of machinery to be used in the vineyard......
While crafting wines with a great Italian friend in one of the Cinque Terre villages in Liguria, we decided to make a couple of barrels fermenting a local white variety using 100% skin contact......
SPANISH
