Wineblog

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 fashio…

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 knowl…

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…

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 Ta…

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…

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 si…

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 …