Tag: Chile

Viña Vik: An Award-Winning Chilean Winery Redefining Winemaking and Sustainability

Viña Vik has firmly established itself as a leader in the global winemaking community, achieving an unprecedented milestone as the second-ranked winery in the World’s Best Vineyards listing for 2024—a first in Chilean wine history. The winery is celebrated for its unparalleled commitment to winemaking excellence, sustainability, and the seamless integration of its unique experience into the natural environment.

Geographical Significance

Situated in Chile’s Millahue Valley, a locale revered by the indigenous Mapuche people as “Lugar de Oro” or “Golden Place,” Viña Vik capitalizes on the region’s rich heritage and diverse terroirs. Its vineyards are carefully positioned within the valley’s interior, benefiting from a mosaic of microclimates and coastal breezes. This geographical diversity allows Viña Vik to cultivate an impressive array of varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah.

Sustainability and Harmony

Viña Vik prioritizes sustainability, with winery facilities meticulously designed to harmonize with the surrounding Millahue Valley landscape. From its energy-efficient architecture to its environmentally-conscious wine production practices, the winery exemplifies a holistic approach to sustainability. Visitors are invited to experience the intersection of art, design, and world-class viticulture within the tranquil setting of the Millahue Valley.

Commitment to Winemaking Excellence

The winery is renowned for its dedication to quality throughout the vinification process. Under the expert guidance of Chief Winemaker Cristian Vallejo, grapes are carefully hand-harvested and subjected to natural fermentation without the addition of artificial yeasts. Viña Vik’s wines are aged in a combination of new and used French oak barrels, ensuring both character and complexity in every bottle.

Architectural Innovation

Designed by acclaimed Chilean architect Smiljan Radic in collaboration with Alex and Carrie Vik, the winery and its associated facilities—such as the iconic Vik Hotel—embody a visionary architectural philosophy. The design incorporates cutting-edge sustainability principles, making minimal impact on the landscape while offering a visually stunning, technologically innovative experience. Completed in 2014, the facilities seamlessly blend art, nature, and exceptional hospitality.

Awards and Recognition

Viña Vik continues to garner international acclaim. The celebrated VIK 2021 vintage earned a remarkable 98-point score and was recognized in three major categories by the Descorchados guide, including “Top Red Wines of the Year” and “Best Red Blend.” Similarly, the STONEVIK 2023 wine achieved a stellar 97-point rating and received the coveted Revelation Award. Other notable wines include La Piu Belle 2021 and Milla Cala 2021, both praised for their exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

The winery produces four acclaimed red wines alongside a rosé—La Piu Belle, Milla Cala, VIK, and “A”—all of which have consistently received accolades, including scores well into the 90s from James Suckling, prestigious Master medals from The Drinks Business, and Platinum and Gold awards from Decanter.

Wine Reviews

VIK 2021

VIK 2021 vintage represents a masterful interpretation of Millahue Valley’s terroir, exemplifying the heights of Chilean winemaking. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, and an additional six months in Barroir – this Bordeaux-style blend of 77% Cabernet Franc and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon is the epitome of finesse and complexity.

On the nose, this wine delivers a captivating bouquet of ripe red fruit like cherries and raspberries, interwoven with subtle notes of graphite, cedar, with a hint of spice. The palate is a harmonious dance of vibrant acidity, firm structure, and velvet tannins. The Cabernet Franc’s mineral elegance shines through, lending a distinctive freshness and tension to the wine’s profile, at the same time the Cabernet Sauvignon contributes depth and opulent fruit.

Despite its youthful intensity, VIK 2021 promises tremendous aging potential in which the flavours will evolve and deepen. This wine bursts with power and energy, leaving a lingering finish marked by refined red fruit with hints of forest floor.

This vintage is definitely a triumph—a wine for connoisseurs who value both power and elegance in their glass. An unforgettable Chilean masterpiece that continues to redefine expectations of New World wines!

98 Points
Liz Palmer

VIK ‘Milla Cala’ 2021

‘Milla Cala’ 2021 is an expertly crafted blend, comprising a meticulous combination of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Carmenere, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot,  with a splash of syrah. Its aging in French oak for 18 months imparts a delicate kiss of wood spice and a rounded texture.

On the nose, this wine is an intricate aromatic tapestry. Notes of spices, blackberries, with a hint of bell pepper.  The palate is structured yet supple, delivering a seamless integration of flavours of dark berries and ripe plum, accented by hints of tobacco, cedar, with a slight floral undertone. As it opens, whispers of baking spices and a touch of graphite add complexity. This wine is both captivating now and promising for future cellaring.

92 Points
Liz Palmer

VIK ‘La Piu Belle’ 2021

Vik’s flagship Carménère blend, La Piu Belle, has become one of the most recognizable and celebrated labels in Chilean winemaking. The 2021 vintage is a standout in their renowned “Artist Label Series” featuring a striking design by Chilean artist Gonzalo Cienfuegos.

La Piu Belle is composed of 76% Carménère, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, and was aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, with 15% of the oak uniquely toasted using branches from the estate’s own trees—a testament to the winery’s innovative spirit.

The nose is restrained, offering subtle herbal and savory aromas, the palate explodes with vibrant, ripe red and black fruits with earth, and spice weaving harmoniously into the wine’s texture, balanced beautifully by a refreshing acidity. The tannins are polished and silky, lending a seamless and approachable structure.

This 2021 vintage promises to develop further depth and complexity with time.

95 Points
Liz Palmer

Website:  https://www.vikwine.com/

Chile Implements Regulatory Health Standards for Beverage Packaging

Chile’s Ministry of Health has recently enacted new regulations mandating that beverage manufacturers include warning labels about the risks of alcohol on products intended for the domestic market. This legislation became effective on July 7th of this year.

The new regulations specify that any beverage with an ABV above 0.5% that is intended for sale in Chile must feature a label that carries the following warnings concerning the consumption of alcohol:

• Do not drink when driving
• Risk to your baby
• Do not drink if under the age of 18

These warnings, complete with accompanying icons, must be featured either on the back or front label of a product. The minimum size for the warnings is 6.2cm by 3.5cm. For bottles that come in decorative boxes, the warnings cannot be featured on parts of the packaging that will be thrown away.

In addition to these regulations, alcoholic beverage packaging must now prominently display the caloric content, expressed in energy (kcal) per 100ml of liquid. This information must be clearly visible under the header “valor energético” or “energy value.”

Source: Wines of Chile, and Drinks Business

Chile’s 2024 harvest: Yields low and high quality

A mild winter impacted Chile’s northern and centre-southern regions quite differently. Overall, yields are lower, but quality remains high.

The 2023/2024 season has been another unusual one for Chile. In contrast to the extreme summer of the 2023 vintage, this season has been marked by mild temperatures. But the really striking thing about harvest 2024 was the contrasting impacts of the weather on the north and the rest of the country.

Ocean impact
With the El Niño phenomenon in transition during 2023, ‘temperatures in the Pacific rose 1–1.5 degrees,’ says Marcelo Papa, technical director at Concha y Toro. ‘In Chile that meant a mild winter, resulting in varied budding patterns. The high ocean temperature created greater cloud cover, less direct sunlight and rainy winters. These conditions continued after budding, resulting in slow ripening.’

A tale of two harvests
Andrea Calderón Vásquez, the oenologist at 1865 Wines which has vineyards in Elqui and Limarí in the north; in Leyda, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Lontué (Curicó Valley) in central Chile; and in Malleco Chile’s – southernmost wine region, said: ‘It was like there were two harvests in Chile, one for the north and another for the central and southern regions.

‘For the northern harvest, I had to return from my holidays early, but I could have taken a second holiday while we waited for the southern harvest.’

In the north of Chile, the harvest was brought forward by between 15 and 20 days. From Santiago to the south, grape picking began 20 days later than usual.

North: quick and dry
In Limarí, ‘the winter was short and mild, causing vines to bud three weeks earlier than usual’, said Héctor Rojas, viticulturist at Tabalí. The rainfall in the south didn’t reach the north – the South Pacific High (a high-pressure system that can slow wet weather) resulted in a dry season for northern vineyards. Water shortages meant limited irrigation, which resulted in yields approximately 20% lower than usual.

Other producers in Limarí reported that the increased cloud cover was beneficial in the face of such dry weather, preventing overripeness in varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

High summer temperatures in Elqui brought ripening forward. Gabriel Mustakis, winemaker for San Pedro labels such as Kankana del Elqui and Tierras Moradas said: ‘The harvest occurred up to 15 days earlier than usual in Elqui. Fruit development occurred more rapidly, with greater sugar accumulation, excellent concentration, higher alcohol levels and balanced ripeness.’

The centre and the south: slow and wet
Aurelio Montes, of Viña Montes in Colchagua, said that 2023/2024 was ‘one of the strangest seasons I’ve seen as an oenologist. Winter 2023 had high temperatures and high rainfall. A cold, damp spring resulted in weak fruitset and fewer berries. Summer continued the trend of low temperatures, further delaying growth and ripening’.

‘Almost Bordelais’
In Maipo, overall the year was ‘decidedly cold and cloudy, with low sunlight. It was almost Bordelais’, said Papa. The cool end to 2023 was followed by high summer temperatures in January and February, resulting in gradual, uneven ripening. Earlier-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Franc were delayed by two to three weeks; yields for later-ripening varieties such as Carmenère were impacted by the cool spring. Thankfully, the end result was balanced; Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère both have moderate to low alcohol levels, elegant tannins and good freshness.

Sebastián Ruíz Flano, winemaker at Viña Tarapacá in Maipo, is quite enthusiastic about the 2024 harvest. ‘Harvest began 15–17 days later than usual but we’re happy with the results; the alcohol stayed low and the tannins are incredible. Fruit health was excellent because the rain held off, allowing us to harvest at just the right time. It was a great season.’

Vásquez added that in the coastal region of Leyda, ‘the cold spring impacted fruitset, producing lower yields. Uneven development steadied out in summer and we harvested on a date similar to previous years. Sparse bunches and prevalent local breezes resulted in healthy fruit’.

The southernmost Chilean wine region of Malleco experienced the same cool spring and delayed fruit development, but also heavy rainfall – 60mm fell in two days in March, triple the weekly average. Overall, the season was damp and cold, resulting in Pinot Noir with lower alcohol levels and good acidity.

It’s certainly been another strange year for Chilean winemakers, in different ways. Ultimately, yields for the 2024 vintage are 10 to 15% below average but, despite the unusual weather, quality expectations are high.

Source: Wine Business

Chile in the process of setting up an “Organic Wine Growers’ Association”

A group of Chilean wineries are forming an association to promote organic wine due to the post-pandemic upsurge.

News of the impending organization came during an interview with Jaime Valderrama, who is the managing director of Viña Miguel Torres Chile.

The group of six wineries will be collaborating to promote organic wine from Chile, and that the new association would also have the support of Wines of Chile, which unites much of the country’s wine industry primarily for marketing purposes.

Among the founder members of the organic association will be Viña Emiliana, Odfell, and Koyle, according to Valderrama, as well as Viña Miguel Torres Chile.

Taking inspiration from Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ), which is a dedicated to supporting organic winegrowing, he said that the group of Chilean wineries have been speaking to the founders of the New Zealand organization for advice.

Valderrama said, “..this year is very good, especially for organic wines, and our Las Mulas range of organic wines is doing very well; natural and organic wine is facing more demand, and that’s where the growth is across the US, Europe, UK and Korea as well.”

He added, “It seems that the consumer is more conscious about organics and the environment, and that’s why we are creating an organic grower’s association in Chile: the future for us is organic and natural wines.”

Currently, 98% of grape production across the 314 hectares owned by Torres in Chile is grown organically, with certification.

Sources  Drinks Business

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Women in Wine Talks with Chile and Argentina – October 20, 2020 1:00 PM EDT

It is our great pleasure to invite you to be part of an exclusive “live talk” with five trailblazing women leading the Chilean and Argentine wine Industry into the future.

Join us as the panelists discuss their regions, share an intimate look at their wineries and discuss their commitment to crafting exceptional wines while preserving the natural environment.

Panelists:

Wines of Chile – Viviana Navarrete of Viña Leyda; and Emily Faulconer of Viña Carmen

and

Wines of Argentina – Susana Balbo of Susana Balbo Winery; and Andrea Ferreyra of Finca La Celia

October 20, 2020 – 1:00 pm (EDT) Zoom

Zoom link to join the Women in Wine Talks October 20 1:00 pm EDT
[complimentary ticket] https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-in-wine-talks-with-chile-and-argentina-tickets-123908055329?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1#

We look forward to seeing you!