Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
UP When they burst onto the scene in the early 1990s, Chilean wines quickly became known for value-priced quality. Relaxed trade policies, foreign investment and updated technology helped the country earn an impressive number-three slot in U.S. exports behind France and Italy. Then came the Australian wave, repositioning consumer tastes, shuffl ing the entire mar- ket and knocking Chile down a rung. Concurrently, overproduction by bulk wineries gave Chilean wines an industrial reputation, and they were often lumped into the same "cheap and cheerful" cat- egory as their Down Under competitors. And, over the mountains and on the sidelines, Argentina was making global inroads with Malbec. Though still a teenager, Chile seemed caught in a mid-life crisis. "The cheap wine reputation is the challenge—it's the old view of Chile," says Lori Tieszen, Executive Direc- tor of Wines of Chile USA. "The last fi ve to 10 years are the real wine business for Chile. [Producers] are really coming up to world-class standards and fi guring out what they've got." And though icon wines such as Seña help raise the profi le for Chile, the future, says Tieszen, is in everyday wines at the $12–20 retail point that deliver consistent quality and unique style that gives a nod to Chile's legacy, yet keeps it at the fore of winemaking. Producers may still reference their Bordeaux heri- tage, but now the concentration is on leveraging what is uniquely Chilean: geography and climate that pro- duce wine very naturally, phylloxera-free vine stock and the willingness of wine producers to push meta- phoric and geographic boundaries—from producing old-vine wines to breaking new ground in cool climates and high altitudes. And while the grapes are still international (more than 25 varieties are grown here), the new wine styles refl ect the country's diversity of climates and terroirs and its Chile Turns a New Leaf Finding national identity and a change in philosophy, 6 / the tasting panel / december 2009 Cool-climate from coastal Aconcagua and high-alti- tude wines from the mountains are coming from this northern region where San Esteban has pioneered hillside-vineyard planting. story and photos by Lana Bortolot