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Importers of Fine Wines Since 1919 | Resources for the Trade |
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What makes Chile Unique?Outside of its dramatic landscape and picture-perfect climate, Chile is unique in all the wine world in that its soils have never been infested with the insidious root louse, phylloxera. This vine pest almost completely devastated all of the vineyards of Europe in the late 1800s. Native to eastern North America, the root louse was inadvertently brought to the European continent on native American grapevines. Chile responded quickly to this threat by tightening its already restrictive agricultural quarantine measures, and remains, to this day, phylloxera free. The Chilean LegacyClick here to view full map. Its viticultural head-start began underground! The mining of silver, copper and nitrate funded economic growth, brought shipping into Chilean ports on a regular and consistent basis, and created a wealthy group of individuals who diversified their fortunes by investing in vineyard land. Many wanted to see their family name associated with the production of fine wine. They imported grapevines from France, brought over winery architects and French winemakers. They purchased vineyard and winery equipment and outfitted themselves as gentleman farmers. Fortunately, they did this before the onslaught of phylloxera in Europe so Chile is privy to pre-phylloxera clones of all the classic European grape varieties! This wealth of genetic material has gone relatively unrecognizeduntil recently. The Lost Grape of Bordeaux
In 1991, French ampelographer, Claude Valat, identified some Merlot vineyards as Cabernet Franc. Then, in 1994, French ampelographer, Jean Michel Boursiquot identified some Merlot plots as Carmenere, a grape that had historically gone into the Bordeaux blend prior to the arrival of phylloxera and had all but disappeared within its home region. Phylloxera kills a vine by feeding on its roots. Today, some consider it Chiles "signature or icon grape."
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Native American vines are immune to phylloxera. In fact, European vineyards were saved by grafting the European grape vines onto the rootstocks of American vines. Grafted grapevines do not live as long as ungrafted grapevines. This means that grafted vineyards must be replanted with greater frequency than ungrafted onesjust one of the reasons Chiles wines are so value priced.
Unlike other wine regions of the world, Chile has never been touched by oidium (powdery mildew) either! This fungus reduces crop yields and/or retards pigment development in the clusters and creates off flavors in the finished wine.
Chile started to export wine to Europe in 1887. In the 1930s, Chiles annual wine consumption per capita was 90 liters per person10 cases of wine Whites have been mis-labeled too. Some of what was thought to be Sauvignon Blanc is actually Sauvignon Vert, a less-aromatic clone of Sauvignon Blanc.
Carmenere has incredible depth and complexity of flavor in fact, the flavors and aromas are so tightly interwoven that it is often difficult to identify one scent or flavor from another. There is mocha/chocolate/coffee, sweet herb/bay leaf /thyme/black fruit/cherry/currant, and spice/pepper/cinnamon. Carmnere takes its name from crimson or the carmine color of the grape and wine it produces. It has been nicknamed the lost or missing grape of Bordeaux as it was not replanted after phylloxera devastated the vineyards there. In Chile, it had been thought to be a clone of Merlot and had been labeled as Peumal Merlot until correctly identified. Today, some consider it Chile' signature or icon grape. 
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What was once mistakenly believed to be Merlot has now been identified as the lost or missing grape of Bordeaux, the Carmenere. As is often the case, things get a little mixed up during shipment. Not surprisingly, a few of the grapevines that made it to Chile, may have made it without their identification tags if they were ever identified or correctly identified in the first place!
Melchor Concha Y Toro, attorney, congressman, Minister of Finance for President Jos Joaqun Prez, and President of the Huanchaca Mining Company in Bolivia, founded the Concha y Toro Winery in 1883. It is one of Chiles oldest wineries.