REPORT FROM THE NATURAL WINES FROM CHILE TRADE TASTING SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
The Event: Natural Wines from Chile Trade Tasting, September 12, Noon – 2:30PM
The Venue: SIPS Toronto, Maud Street
The Target Audience: sommeliers, wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: at least two of these wines will be in the Ontario market, perhaps this year.
The Quote/Background: ProChile gave us (seminar of 20) local sommelier Heather MacDougall as moderator, and Chilean sommelier Mariana Martinez as principal speaker and discussant. She was on a hookup via the Internet. Natural wines is a large category that mainly includes no human or chemical interference with grapes. Categories include: transparency, sustainable, organic, biodynamic, and the like. Perhaps "orange wine" is where all the principles may intersect. Mariana talked about all of these and the various certification seals used in Chile. She also talked about Pais grapes and their usefulness in natural wine production. Much of the activity of natural wines occur in the Itata and Colchagua valleys. She spoke on details of all five wineries, plus of course she talked on tasting all the five wines with a palate. Discussions ensued on marketing, agents and prices.
The Wines:
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Probulk Wine Buena Vida de Chile Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Leyda and Colchagua, with bought natural grapes.
-Vina Antiyal Kuyen 2019 Maipo, berries blue and black (syrah, cab sauv, carmenere, petit verdot), about $50 CDN.
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Co-op Marga Marga La Zaranda Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ~$40 CDN
-Villalobos Silvestre Carignan Colchagua 2019 $28 CDN
-Wildmakers Sabatico Maule 2018 Garnacha - Cariñena $20 USD
The Food: we had a board with charcuterie (salumi. mortadella), cheese (pecorino, gruyere), empanadas (chicken, beef, veggie), Taralli Pugliese, and some really good bread.
The Downside: we only had five wines. I think we needed more, say 8 in all, in order to make comparisons and evaluate different vintages of the same wine to indicate aging possibilities or changes in palate, different winemakers, and stages in "naturalness" viniculture.
The Upside: well, despite the above, it was a good exercise in learning about the character of Chilean natural wines.
The Contact Person: lisa@androscom.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 88.
The Event: Natural Wines from Chile Trade Tasting, September 12, Noon – 2:30PM
The Venue: SIPS Toronto, Maud Street
The Target Audience: sommeliers, wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: at least two of these wines will be in the Ontario market, perhaps this year.
The Quote/Background: ProChile gave us (seminar of 20) local sommelier Heather MacDougall as moderator, and Chilean sommelier Mariana Martinez as principal speaker and discussant. She was on a hookup via the Internet. Natural wines is a large category that mainly includes no human or chemical interference with grapes. Categories include: transparency, sustainable, organic, biodynamic, and the like. Perhaps "orange wine" is where all the principles may intersect. Mariana talked about all of these and the various certification seals used in Chile. She also talked about Pais grapes and their usefulness in natural wine production. Much of the activity of natural wines occur in the Itata and Colchagua valleys. She spoke on details of all five wineries, plus of course she talked on tasting all the five wines with a palate. Discussions ensued on marketing, agents and prices.
The Wines:
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Probulk Wine Buena Vida de Chile Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Leyda and Colchagua, with bought natural grapes.
-Vina Antiyal Kuyen 2019 Maipo, berries blue and black (syrah, cab sauv, carmenere, petit verdot), about $50 CDN.
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Co-op Marga Marga La Zaranda Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ~$40 CDN
-Villalobos Silvestre Carignan Colchagua 2019 $28 CDN
-Wildmakers Sabatico Maule 2018 Garnacha - Cariñena $20 USD
The Food: we had a board with charcuterie (salumi. mortadella), cheese (pecorino, gruyere), empanadas (chicken, beef, veggie), Taralli Pugliese, and some really good bread.
The Downside: we only had five wines. I think we needed more, say 8 in all, in order to make comparisons and evaluate different vintages of the same wine to indicate aging possibilities or changes in palate, different winemakers, and stages in "naturalness" viniculture.
The Upside: well, despite the above, it was a good exercise in learning about the character of Chilean natural wines.
The Contact Person: lisa@androscom.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 88.
Dean Tudor, Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.comhttp://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures
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