The Hunt for Great Chilean Wines

Today, wine has become one of Chile’s best ambassadors, even making inroads into such wine fortresses as France, Italy and California.

The country boasts more than a dozen wineries that have achieved international recognition. Several of them are now over a century old, and most combine traditional methods, such as harvesting by hand, with the latest high-tech wizardry in the vinification process and bottling.

The wine-producing areas stretch through the narrow central valleys from the north of Santiago to Conception in the south. For years the main concentration of vineyards was in the Maipo Valley, but recently the region south to Bio Bio has acquired more vines. Nearly all noble grape varieties are found in Chile. For whites, there are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Riesling, Viognier and Gewurztraminer. For reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz, Syrah, Carmenere and others.

Not all of the wineries are old and established enterprises; a number of newer small, boutique wineries are gaining recognition for their world-class wines.

Recently, in Bali at the head office of Indowines, the leading importer of Chilean wines in Indonesia, I met Mauro Von Siebenthal, the owner of one of these Chilean standouts, Vina Von Siebenthal winery. Here is an excerpt of our discussion:   

You have a law background, so how did you catch the winemaker’s bug?

And I still practice law by the way. I was born and raised near Lugano, Switzerland. I started to be exposed to wine in my youth, in the ‘70s. My mother and my grandmother were terrific cooks and almost every Sunday cousins and other relatives came to visit us from Lake Como in Italy. They always brought wines like Barollos, Brunellos or Barbarescos and in turn I always bought some red Bordeaux to compare it with them.

I kept all the wine labels and started writing my comments on them. My passion for wine was born and evolved to a point where over the years I grew impatient to own a vineyard; but my idea was to create and plant a vineyard, not to buy an existing one. In my relentless search, I realized that Europe was out of the question because it was too difficult to acquire just the land alone.

So, why Chile?

In the late ‘90s, a Swiss friend of mine, a painter for whom I organized exhibits from time to time, was living in Chile. He started sending me photos of existing vineyards located in the valley where he lived. I became intrigued and interested. I had already been exposed to great Chilean wines like Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon from Concha Y Toro winery or Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Rita winery; two “monster” wines to this day.

I also knew that most Chilean wineries were big in size so I saw a niche for small ones and I went to Chile in January 1998 to explore that possibility. After three weeks of unsuccessful scouting, and only two days before my return to Switzerland, a set of rare circumstances allowed me to find “my” land in the wine-growing area of Panquehue in the Aconcagua Valley, which is perfectly suitable for Cabernet and Merlot. I bought the first few hectares right then, and Vina Von Siebenthal winery was created.  

What types of wine are you producing?

Only reds and four of them: Carmenere (Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon blend), Parcela #7 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend), Carabantes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Syrah blend) and Montelig (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Carmenere blend).

The entire estate is comprised of 25 hectares, all planted. Our wines are kept at 60 percent in French oak and at 40 percent in American oak for a period of 12 to 18 months. They tend to age very well, especially the Montelig, which can easily mature after no less than 10 years.

Incidentally our Carabentes 2003 got a 92-point Parker rating a few weeks ago, I’m very proud of that. We have very low yields to intensify the aroma of the grapes and it shows. To make an analogy with the fashion business, I like to say that if many Chilean wines are like jeans, our wines are like haute couture!

The most popular Chilean wines are the reds. Are there any good whites?

You’re right, the reds are predominant in Chile but in the past few years new vineyards have emerged in regions close to the sea in cooler climates and planted with white grapes like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. I have tasted some of these whites, very fresh and mineral, and they are so well made with so much character that Alsatian wines should worry!

Absent from Chilean red wines is the Pinot Noir. Why is that?

It appears that the Pinot Noir is the only varietal which so far has never given good results in Chile. But who knows, maybe someday a curious and determined wine buff like me may find an ideal piece of land and microclimate for it.

Wines from Vina Von Siebenthal are available in Jakarta and Bali at these fine establishments:
- Jakarta: Cork & Screw, JW. Marriott, Café Batavia
 -Bali: The Wine House, Bali Deli, The Living Room

For more information, contact: Indowines, distributor (0361) 756 781

Christian Vanneque was head sommelier of La Tour d’Argent in Paris and professor at L’Academie du Vin in Paris. He served as a judge at the legendary 1976 Paris Wine Tasting and in 2006 at the 30^th anniversary of that tasting in Napa, California       Contact: Christian@TheWineCircus.com