Felipe Tosso of Viña Ventisquero @Vinoteca, Farringdon, London

 Felipe Tosso in flight

Last night I was at a tasting and dinner run by Felipe Tosso, winemaker for Viña Ventisquero. The evening was dubbed 'the 'New' Ventisquero. Certainly the Ventisquero wines we tasted yesterday evening were not typical middle of the road Chilean. Balance, vibrancy and finesse ran through the ten wines as well as innovation and thinking 'outside the box'.  

Steven Spurrier and Felipe

Probably the most surprising wine was the 2013 Tara White (100% Chardonnay). This comes from a plot of vines in the Atacama Desert some 750 kilometres from the Ventisquero winery to where the grapes have to be transported. The vineyard is close to the Ocean, so is cool in the morning because of the coastal fog, which surprisingly makes this desert vineyard cooler than Casablanca. 

When I first saw the cloudy Tara White I assumed that we were being shown an unfinished wine until Felipe explained that the white Tara was unfiltered and so deliberately cloudy. The 13 Tara was delicious – a vibrant cool climate Chardonnay with attractive texture and zinging acidity. Felipe explained that they don't stir the lees until right at the end before bottling. Only 1200 bottles were made. 2011 was the first vintage and in 2011 and 2012 they included a proportion of Viognier. 

This delicious cloudy wine challenges wine drinkers' perceptions that wines should be crystal clear. I overheard one traditionalist at the tasting mutter something about a little bentonite fining...! Personally this cloudy wine doesn't worry me – it is good to be challenged, especially when this tastes so good! 

Other wines (actually the majority) that stood out: the vibrant and delicate 2013 Grey Pinot Noir from Leyda, 2013 Grey GCM from Apalta – a blend of 50 Garnacha, 25 Carignan and 25% Mataro (Mourvèdre) as well as the promising 2014 GCM, and the star red – the powerful, richly textured, vibrant and characterful 2004 Grey Carmenère.              

The 2013 Tara White is the cloudy wine on the right  

 2013 Tara White

A beatific Charles Metcalfe amongst a forest of glasses

An urbane John Downes MW and a worried looking Steven Spurrier 

Peter McCombie MW

John Downes MW – a career as a 
chat show host surely beckons..

Tim Hall iPadding

... and tasting

Viñas Santa Rita: 'agent orange' award for sustainability

Orange grass is so artistic and 'environmentally friendly'!

 

Jim's Loire is delighted to recognise Viñas Santa Rita's sustainability programme with an 'agent orange' award. It is good to see a company be so proud of their orange weedkillered vineyards that they featured them in their news and press releases section of their website.  

 Recent news with orange background

Wine awards

Press releases with an orange background

Extract from the Santa Rita sustainability programme:

'A commitment to sustainability is one of our values, which we understand as the combination of environmental friendliness, social equity, and also having the capacity to run an economically viable business.

That is why our sustainability strategy at Santa Rita includes measurement and management of our performance in environmental, social and economic areas throughout the winemaking process. That is, from the field to the glass.

Main Aspects of the Sustainability Program

Our sustainability program focuses on four of the most important aspects of wine production and from this perspective measurement processes are incorporated for an effective administration of all sustainability aspects and to work on projects aimed at producing continual improvement.

1. Vineyards:

We have implemented measurement processes in our vineyards that allow us to efficiently oversee vineyards, implement a water management program, and to inform ourselves of the climate conditions that are affecting them so we can make informed decisions on the effective and responsible use of resources. Some of our projects are related to:

• Reduced water consumption: 70% of our vineyards use modern irrigation technology, which reduces the amount of water consumed per hectare by 35%, thus maximizing efficiency.

• Reduced use of synthetic fertilizers and nematicides:'

(No mention of reduced or rejection of the use of herbicides)

CRM's trekkin' group in Patagonia

The Patagonia trekkin' group with a spectacular backdrop

CRM in Patagonia

"Are you absolutely sure they said the vineyard was straight ahead – you can't miss it!?"

CRM, Jim's Loire's editor is away for three weeks in South America – mostly trekking in Patagonia:

"Just to prove I can still do it - here I am after a 4-hour long drag up. Another 3 hours to get back down. A hard day! Fantastic day and fantastic landscape." From Torres del Paine.    

Seeking peace and quiet after the excitement of Forest Hill!

Torres del Paine, Chile

Finding the bustle and excitement of Forest Hill (London SE23) too much CRM has headed off to Patagonia for a trekking holiday with a like minded group. She flew to Buenos Aires then headed north to the Iguazú Falls. Then returned to Buenos Aires for a few days before heading southward to Patagonia.  Above is the first pic to arrive back. Today the party is due to tackle the mountains in the distance – part of the Torres del Paine National Park.  

Circle of Wine Writers day trip to the Wine Society: Friday 11th March

Thirteen of us made our way to The Wine Society (founded in 1874) in Stevenage. Most of us took the train from Kings Cross, the Wine Society’s premises in Stevenage, where they have been since 1965, is a short walk from the station.

Ewan Murray

We were met in the Society’s shop by Ewan Murray, their tastings & events manager, and by Victoria Morrall of their PR agency Dillon Morrall. Upstairs a glass of the WS’s Champagne, supplied by Alfred Gratien, awaited us. Alfred Gratien founded his Champagne house in 1867, three years after he set up his sparkling wine business in Saumur – Gratien & Meyer.

The Champagne was in preparation for a tasting of 23 wines. These were some of the Wine Champions summer offer. The WS buyers put in their favourite wines, which they then taste blind and the best are selected to be the Champions.

It was an interesting and varied range of wines that had been selected for us to taste. Chile clearly being the Champions with eight of the wines, followed at a distance by France (4), Spain (3), Italy Australia (2) and Argentina, California and South Africa all with one wine each.

We started with the clean and lemony 2009 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie from Domaine des Ratelles (£6.75). Third wine in – 2010 Riesling from Spy Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand – was one of my favourites with attractive peachy fruit and a backbone of acidity.

There was a fascinating flight of three Chilean Sauvignon Blancs – two coming from Leyda and one from the Limarí Valley and shown in rising price order. The brassy and pungent 2010 Candelabro from Undurraga (£6.50) the first with lots of upfront grassy and gooseberry fruit – all in all quite an aggressive style of cool climate Sauvignon Blanc.

Next was the more muted Tabali’s 2010 Caliza Vineyard (£8.25) in a quite lean and grippy style. The third went back to Leyda Valley for the 2010 Lot 4 from Viña Leyda (£11.50). This was definitely my preferred wine of the three with its greater elegance, balance, more weight and a lovely combination of citrus flavours and minerality. It is, however, close to twice the price of the first Sauvignon Blanc. 

 

WS buyers: Jo Locke MW and Toby Morrall

“Loire Sauvignon Blanc producers need a kick up the arse,” said Toby Morrall, WS’s buyer for Burgundy, South America and Sherry. Toby had joined us along with fellow buyer, Jo Locke MW who is responsible for Austria, Bordeaux, Loire and Port.

Toby cited the slow take up by Loire producers of either screwcap or Diam corks – much better closures for these types of white wine than traditional cork. Discussing the merits of screwcap and Diam corks, Toby was inclined to a preference for Diam as you have to be careful when handling screwcapped bottles in warehouses. He also cited the quality of Sauvignon Blanc now coming from Chile at very competitive prices.

Diam cork

The reds started with a couple of Chilean Pinot Noirs, which in contrast to their Sauvignon Blancs, I thought were decidedly unattractive. I had two preferred wines amongst the reds. Firstly the long flavoured, spicy and plummy 2007 Copertino Eloquenzia from Masseria Monaci (£6.75) – excellent value. The second was the considerably more expensive but nicely balanced 2006 Heinrich Shiraz-Mourvèdre-Grenache (£13.95) from Rolf Binder in Australia’s Barossa Valley with its long sweet, concentrated black fruits but with enough structure and acidity to give it complexity and avoid jamminess. 

The tasting finished on a real high with two sherries. Firstly the excellent fresh, mouthwatering almond tinged Society’s Fino, which is wonderful value at £5.95. Just calls for some succulent olives and toasted almonds. Finally the real star of the tasting – the Palo Cortado Viejisimo 1/5 from Cayetano del Pino. Light walnut coloured with aromas of dried fruits – apricots and figs – followed by that marvellous mix of intensity and austerity that old sherries have and incredibly long-lasting. OK it is £20 for a half bottle but similar quality from other classic areas would often cost at least twice as much. 

The wonderful Palo Cortado

Having finished the tasting I returned to sip a glass of the delicious and wonderful Palo Cortado, as did several others all having a 'John Salvi MW moment'. John recalls on his MW profile: "I remember drinking so much sherry (Williams and Humbert Dos Cortados) during the exam in 1970 that there was not enough for the other examinees to taste." They still passed him obviously recognising that a penchant for a fine Sherry should be an integral part of the MW qualification.

Over a relaxed snack lunch we tried several of the Wine Society’s Exhibition Series, their own label range, which includes a Riesling from Josmeyer in Alsace and a Grüner Veltliner from Willi Bründlmayer. I was particularly struck by the 2004 Exhibition Margaux from Rausan-Sègla (£20).

Part of Warehouse No 4

Ewan Murray showing the group Warehouse 4

Following lunch we had a tour around the warehouses including No 4 the most recent addition with its space for 280,000 cases nearly doubling the previous 350,000 case capacity.

My particular thanks to Ewan Murray and Victoria Morrall for organising the event.

Chile: some good news from Maule

Eduardo Brethauner

Eduardo Brethauer: The Carignan Club 

(Eduardo is one of Chile's leading wine writers and I received details of this initiative last night.)

 Viticulture in Chile started in the dry farmed areas (Eduardo uses rainfed*, which I have changed in places to dry farmed) in Maule. And modest people continue cultivating grapes the same way as hundreds of years ago. One of the main objetives of this project is to rescue those grapes and culture. Nowadays, and because of the economical policies, the dryfarm is in real danger. In my opinion this is the only and real Chilean terroir in all the senses of the concept.       

The almighty strength of dry farmed areas

The Carignan Club was officially established at Maule-based Viña Tabontinaja on 25th February 2010. This club consists of a group of vintners who have joined not only efforts but also their manly and valiant wines to promote Chile’s dry farm winemaking all over the world. Needless to say that this heritage-loaded endeavor is also filled with sacrifice and perseverance, will and common interests.

Two days later, an earthquake ravaged our country, devastating mostly the south and causing serious structural damages among wineries, including Viña Tabontinaja, the very same winery that hosted the establishment of our Club and entertained us with spit-roasted lamb and some of Chile’s best bottlings (Carignan among them). Our host winery is now devoting its best efforts to helping its workers, who lost their ancient adobe houses. Who lost it all. 

More than 300 people lost their lives in the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. 75% of those casualties occurred in the Maule valleys and coastal areas. Regrettably, most of them died in the tsunami that the navy authorities failed to alert. As a result, hundreds of thousands of families in the south of Chile are in desperate need of food, water and a roof.

René Merino, Chairman of Wines of Chile, confirmed that the wine sector lost as many as 125 million liters or roughly USD 250 million. However, given the plentiful 2009 harvest, the volume of wine lost accounts for 12.5% of that yearly production.

In other words, the situation for Chile’s wine industry is not that hopeless. Those who are most severely affected and living an actual tragedy are small and medium size vintners from the central and southern regions in Chile.

Carménère

The Carignan Club member wineries agreed that the wines they will produce and promote must consist of a minimum of 65% Carignan while the remainder 35% is free of choice, as long as grapes originate in head-trained, dry farmed, old Maule vines (older than 30 years).

The dry farmed requirement – which was the matter of a long debate during our last meeting – is particularly relevant today, for the Maule region alone is home to close to 9 thousand hectares of the rustic País grape variety that coexist with the noble Bordeaux varieties.

This unanimously adopted decision will undoubtedly foster a grafting policy that will directly favor the thousands of families that today –and even before the earthquake- cannot make a living out of their grapes. An interesting fact: last year, País grapes were sold for less than 10 cents a kilo, i.e., less than a kilo of charcoal and even worse, below their production costs.

I am convinced we will get back on our feet and overcome this tragedy with renewed strength. I am certain our industry will grow closer together and common interests will prevail. Chilean wine and Chilean people are heirs to rainfed areas and uncompromising efforts – a heritage, whose history speaks of constant perseverance and endeavor. Both our country and our viticulture were ravaged by a natural disaster but I have no doubt that, as an association, we will not rest until we will see our dear Maule region rebuilt.

Until we will taste again those sweet, generous grapes that will continue to give the world pleasure and hope.

* I asked Eduardo whether these vineyards were irrigated – not by drip feed but by traditional flood irrigation.

Ed: Not necessary. Remember that the vines are very old and their roots are very deep. The vines survive mainly with the winter rains. In those areas there is no water and it's really impossible to irrigate.