Future of Chilean wine lies in its terroir, claims winemaker
The future of the Chilean wine industry lies in its terroir, rather than its reliance on churning out wines known largely for their value for money.
This is the view of the Chilean winemaker Rodrigo Soto, who says that Chilean producers should start to focus on the country’s geographical richness and its regionality.
Writing on the Daily Sevenfifty website he says that historically the Chilean wine industry has been dominated by large companies, but that model is now changing.
“Large companies tend to focus solely on promoting their brands when they could be doing more for the region as a whole by drawing attention to the different areas where they grow or buy their grapes,” said Soto, who is directing the conversion of the four Gonzalez Byass -owned estates to organic.
Instead of buying grapes throughout the country, creating numerous labels within each portfolio which include every appellation while forgoing any real identity, he urges producers to focus instead on the locations of their vineyards, and concentrate their efforts on promoting those appellations via a more pared down, but focused portfolio.
“Rising tides lift all boats, and these internanationally recognised wineries have a responsibility to help define Chile’s diverse regionality and lift up its wines,” he said. “Those of us who wish to promote distinct appellations face an uphill battle if the larger producers don’t see value in collaboraiting with us on that effort, and that is likely to beconintue to be a major challenge for Chile over the next 20 years."
To change the common perceptions of Chilean wine, it is critical, according to Soto, that the industry gets better at defining and communicating what it does in the vineyards- and beyond - to live up to the quality that it claims.
“We must connect our brands to just one appellation, maybe two, and then focus our efforts fully on making the best wines we can from the fruit that comes to dedefine our labels – not the other way round. “