Sam Chou - Chile 2010

14th January 2010

Post with 2 notes

ProChile + Concha y Toro

Today we had a presentation by ProChile in the morning and had of tour and tasting at Concha y Toro winery in the afternoon. ProChile is an organization that deals with the promotion of Chilean exports. Our speaker provided a great introduction to the country of Chile and what makes it so unique. One fascinating characteristic of Chile is that it is naturally protected on all four sides: in the North is the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, in the East is the Andes Mountains, in the South are glaciers and the South Pole, and in the West is the Pacific Ocean. This makes Chile well suited for organic farming and able to plant vines on their own roots instead of grafting. Chile does not have a huge market for wine in their own country at the moment, so they export most of their wine. 50% of wine exports go to Europe, 24% to USA/Canada, and 12% to Asia. Their main grape varietals are Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Merlot (11%), Sauvignon blanc (7.5%), Chardonnay (7.43%), and Caménère (6%). Caménère used to be very popular in France before it was wiped out by the phylloxera crisis. The varietal was thought to be lost until an ampelographer (sp?)(one who identifies plants by the plants’ leaves)  discovered what was thought to be Merlot/CS vines to actually be Caménère. It is now thought to be one of Chile’s defining varietals.

Viña Concha y Toro is Chile’s largest wine producer and exporter. They employ a portfolio strategy where they produce wine at every price point. This aggressive marketing strategy was also evident in the tour I followed which seemed very well designed for tourists. The informational video was very sensationalized with gorgeous graphics, beautiful actors, and music that calls you to arms (your wallet). The legend of El Diablo’s Cellar was also very cheesy, but it suckered me into buying a Concha y Toro beanie with horns. Although the tour felt scripted, the service was excellent (I may just be am a sucker for beautiful tour guides with cute accents trying to speak English as they can do me no wrong). We finished the tour off with a very well put together tasting of four of their wines (Merlot, Caménère, Shiraz, and C.s.) The cheeseboard and wine glass were great souvenirs. I also suggest that everyone try Caménère someday.