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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....
My friend and I did this trip in three weeks. Our budget was tight, we slept in tents, and used to have baguette with cheese and ham for lunch. But it was well worth it since we got to meet producers of the standing of Jean Luis Chave before it became almost impossible to visit him. We also had the opportunity to come closer in touch with the biodynamic concept on a larger scale thanks to a visit to Chapoutier. But I confess that at that time I hardly realized the level of the wine personalities I was meeting....
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
