Chile: Neyen – The Old Vines of the New World

Located at the southern tip of the Valle Central, Valle de Colchagua is one of the epicenters of Chilean viticulture. Trapped between the Andes on the east and the Coastal Range on the west, Colchagua's climate tends to be dry and mediterranean but its proximity to the Pacific ocean has a moderating effect on the temperatures. The predominant varieties found in the region are cabernet sauvignon, carmenere, merlot, malbec and syrah. Much of the plantings are irrigated with water from the Tinguiririca River, but one may still find centenary pre-phylloxera vines, like the ones in the video, that survive without irrigation.

In this video, Rodrigo Soto, chief winemaker at Veramonte, Ritual, Primus and Neyen, explains the importance of the old vines in communicating terroir in Neyen's vineyard in the Apalta sub region of the Valle de Colchagua. The vineyard was planted in 1890 with mostly cabernet sauvignon and carmenere, as you can appreciate in the video the size of the trunk is testimony of their age. But what is truly important in such ancient vines, Rodrigo continues, is the depth of the roots and their capacity in translating the land. The vineyard is dry farmed and what this means is that the vines dig their roots much deeper in order to find the necessary moisture and nutrients in order to survive. In turn, this causes the vine to naturally produce low yelds which due to the competition between the existing bunches create more concentration of flavor.

Watch the video and find out more about the importance that old vines when it comes to quality and in creating site specific wines.