Casablanca: Exploring Chile’s Cool-Climate Diversity

READ OUR FULL REPORT REVIEWING NEARLY 1,000 WINES FROM CHILE HERE

Chile proudly shows how it’s possible to have the best of both worlds. On one hand, it is known for its bold wines of great value that enhance everyday drinking. On the other hand, premium cabernet and carmenere blends have been flourishing in this country over the last decade, shaking free from the image of diluted bulk wine production.

What lies between these two extremes – good quality wines that aren’t expensive, but are not dirt cheap and diluted either - can also now be found, especially within promising regions like Casablanca and San Antonio Valley. I headed there for three days during our Andes trip in February to take a closer look at the cool-climate wine scene of Chile.

Casablanca is known for its sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir, and with its proximity to the Pacific coast provides a climatic edge for these grapes. Recently, the region has been making fabulous cool climate syrahs too, some reminiscent of an outstanding Cote Rotie or syrah from Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, albeit with a more generous splash of black pepper on its deep, glossy fruit. Try these cool-climate syrahs from producers like Matetic, Vina Leyda, Kingston Vineyards, Vina Garces Silva and Casa Marin.

“Syrah is indeed a stellar grape now in the valley, the subtlety and spicy fruit render some intellectual expressions of the grape,” says Meinerd Bloem, chief winemaker of Casas del Bosque in Casablanca, where I had the chance to taste some nice and embryonic chardonnay and pinot noir in the tanks.

While the bigger spotlight has been cast upon syrah, the bread and butter grapes for most wineries in Casablanca are sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Not even pinot noir can change that.

“Despite the high quality, pinot noir is still harder to sell in Chile, which is a shame, as it is a country well known for cabernet sauvignon and carmenere. White is more promising, especially when you have a ceviche at a restaurant. Now we make a riesling for that,” added Meinerd, who also believes sauvignon blanc deserves more attention as the grape’s reputation is still tainted by the presence of sauvignon vert (friulano) that have not been identified in the vineyards.

Meanwhile, the Villard family has laid eyes on a road a little less traveled. Charles Villard, the second-generation winemaker, has started to make a few thousand bottles of incredibly delicious natural and orange wines with semillon and pinot grigio, along with his already very good sauvignon blancs, chardonnays, syrahs and his exceptional Grand Vin Le Pinot Noir.

“These wines are my answer to the diversity of Casablanca. Maybe in the future, I’d also like to see if gamay works out here with the granite-rich soil and the climate”, says Villard. “Consistency is what makes Chile great for wine, and we have to thank our Mediterranean climate. But on the other hand, with the global warming, it has become a threat to the whole country as well, as temperatures increase and rainfall keeps very low, water deficiency is a pressing issue for everyone.”

The situation is not much better in Leyda valley, some 40 km away from Casablanca. Tomas Rivera, the viticulturist of Vina Leyda told me: “We can’t afford to produce bulk wine here in Leyda, as the cost is very high and irrigation water is like gold.”

They were the first producer to plant vines in Leyda valley and show diverse styles of each variety through meticulous studies on the soil by blocks and clone selection.

On my way back to Santiago, I saw tour buses leaving the vineyards, driving happy tourists back to the city, many carrying with them a few bottles of wine. The bourgeoning wine tourism is another spectacle that shows the openness, hospitality and diversity of the valley with commercial values too.

“Cellar-door tourism gathers people from all walks of life to wine. It has injected vigor to a young region like Casablanca. We are the first and the biggest organic winery in Chile and wine lovers are interested in what we do,” says Alejandro Mitarakis, marketing director of Emiliana.

The winery has also converted parts of their vineyards to biodynamic farming (try their top-end blend “Ge”, Chile’s first certified biodynamic wine, and “Coyam”). On the other side of the valley near San Antonio, Matetic is another aspiring producer run biodynamically who triumphs with their signature cool climate syrahs at all price points and some stunning pinot noirs.

Over the last decade, Chile has successfully refreshed its image as a terroir where wines produced are not only dependable but also memorable. Now with regions like Casablanca, San Antonio Valley, Bio-Bio and Maule, and through incredible boutique projects and movements like VIGNO and MOVI, the country’s mission to diversify its grapes and styles of wines is starting to take off.

Our Casablanca tasting notes are listed below

For our full report on Chile click here

- Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing