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Chilean Wine Grapes

Top 7 Winemaking Tips for the Spring Harvest

The Spring Harvest is underway! It’s time to get yourself set up for your Spring fermentations.

  1. Plan out your batch

    1. What kind of wine do you want to make?
    2. Review your ferementation notes from previous seasons
    3. Taste wines from Chile and South Africa for inspiration
  2. Review how to adjust your must

    1. Adjusting your Brix, TA, and pH
    2. Take an online class if need a referesher
  3. If making wine from juice, decide on Fresco vs. Non Fresco Juices

  4. Decide on the type of yeast you want to use

    1. For Chilean grapes we always suggest using the CSM yeast
    2. For Pinotage grapes we suggest using D254 yeast
  5. PRE ORDER

    1. Give us a call at 877-812-1137 or email us at sales@juicegrape.com
  6. Think about the temperatures in your cellar

    1. Do you need extra heat?
    2. Do you need AC?
  7. Keep an eye on the Harvest Tracker for updates on the Spring Harvest

    1. Harvest Tracker

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.

How to Make Syrah Wine from Chilean Wine Grapes

Chilean Syrah from Colchagua Valley has received high praise from publications like Wine Enthusiast, earning 93+pts. It’s a wine variety that is often overlooked from Chile and is a wine worth making this season. Chilean Syrah boasts flavors of plum, wild berry, and earth aromas. I highly suggest introducing this wine to oak barrels or an oak infusion. The medium acidity and powerful aromas are complemented by the French Oak flavor profile.

Yeast Suggestion: CSM yeast

Oak Suggestion: French oak barrels or chips

Wine Flavor Profile: Bold, medium tannins, blackberry, plum, wild berry, leather, smoke, chocolate, and oak

How to Make Syrah Wine from Chilean Wine Grapes:

  1. Crush Syrah grapes into a sanitized bin or tub. (Each 18lb crate will make 1.25 gals of finished wine).
  2. Apply 50ppm of Potassium Metabisulfite and stir well. Allow to sit for 8-12 hours.
  3. Apply .5ml of Color Pro Pectic enzyme per box diluted into a 10% solution with water to the must and stir. Allow to sit for another 8-12 hours.
  4. Mix Booster Rouge, FT Rouge, and Opti-Red, with spring water until it is the consistency of pancake batter and pour over top of crushed grapes. Mix in well.
  5. Add rehydrate CSM yeast (1g/gal) with Go Ferm rehydration nutrient and warm water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and pour over top of crushed grapes.
  6. Punch down grapes 3 times per day throughout the duration of fermentation and monitor temperature and Brix levels daily. Use a hydrometer to test sugar content in a strained juice sample. Make sure the temperature does not exceed 85F.
  7. One day after adding the yeast, add Fermaid O, mixed with spring water into the pancake batter style slurry. Dump into grapes during a punch down.
  8. After the depletion of 1/3 of the Brix (when the Brix level is between 16-11), add Fermaid O that is mixed with spring water into the pancake batter style slurry. Dump into to grapes at a punch down.
  9. Add Malo-lactic bacteria the same day as the Fermaid K. If you are using liquid cultures, just pour over the grape must and mix. If you use the dry cultures, rehydrate them in warm spring water according to their specific directions, utilizing any rehydration nutrients recommended.
  10. When the Brix have dropped below zero, press the wine into a sanitized tank, carboy, or demijohn. Make sure the vessel is topped up all the way to the top of the neck and sealed properly with a bung and airlock.
  11. Rack after 48 hours and then again in a week. Allow MLF to complete before adding sulfites.
  12. Allow the wine to age and rack it every 2 months and add sulfites when racking.
  13. Add oak infusion after 2nd or 3rd racking. Taste test along the way until the oak profile is where you want it to be.

 

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.

Product Spotlight: CSM Yeast

csm yeast

Product Spotlight: CSM Yeast

CSM yeast was derived from Bordeaux and helps create a vibrant aromatic profile. CSM aids in adding complexity to the palate and pairs well with malolactic fermentation.

Why you want to use it:

It’s the perfect yeast for the Chilean fruit. It reduces vegetal aromas, adds complexity, stabilizes color, and helps increase the aromatic profiles of berries and spices.

Use Tips:

Fermentation starts quickly with this yeast. Be prepared to see Brix drop 24 hours after inoculation. It can stand up 14% ABV and can handle temperatures from 59–90°F. However, I highly suggest keeping your fermentation temps lower than 75°F. Once you hit 80°F you lose aromas and “burn off” flavors. Keeping your wine between 59–75°F during fermentation is a best practice.

You also want to use nutrients when using CSM; nutrients such as Fermaid-O and Fermaid-K. CSM tends to produce H2S (rotten egg smell) if there aren’t enough nutrients during fermentation.

Avoid cold shocking the yeast at inoculation. You’ll want to get the must and the yeast starter within a few degrees of each other before pitching the yeast starter. But without temperatures falling lower than 55°F. Temps below 55°F could stall fermentation and/or kill the yeast.

Goes best with:

CSM was cultivated to help ferment Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Merlot, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot. However, we have seen it used on Carmenere, Malbec, and Syrah from Chile with great results.

Dosage:

6gm/gals

Flavor Profile:

Cherry pit, raspberry, blackberry, spice, violet, bark, and sweet pepper

 

Ready to make wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help you make the wine of your dreams! The Spring South African & Chilean winemaking season starts soon! Secure your winemaking grapes or juices and give us a call at (877) 812-1137 to speak with one of our Musto Crush Crew members. We can get you set up with everything you need and provide customer support along the way to ensure your success!

2023 Chilean Winemaking Harvest Update

2023 Chilean Winemaking Harvest Update

{above photo from our trip to chile a few years ago}

Hello, Winemakers! It’s time to get ready and prepped for the Chilean grape and juice arrival. The Chilean Winemaking Season starts in early April and ends in May. Our growers have planned to start harvesting white wine grapes around March 15th and red grapes around March 23rd. Once on the boat, we will have a better update on delivery timing.

Musto’s 2023 Chilean Offerings:

Chile Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier

Chilean Juice: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Muscat.

Chilean Viticulture:

Chile is the same latitude as northern California! Chileans can grow many different types of grapes here, just like in California. The cooling influences they receive from the Pacific Ocean, the Andes Mountains, and the warm and plentiful sunshine attributes to their wine-growing success. Their warm Mediterranean climate helps the grapes to ripen. The Humboldt current, flows up from Antarctica, along the Chilean coast, pushing the cool air inland by the wind patterns. This cooling effect helps cool off the grapes while they mature. Colchagua and Curico Valley both benefit from this ocean influence, which allows these regions to produce grapes from fertile soil for wines that are gaining premium reputations.

The Curico and Colchagua Valleys have some of the best soils in Chile, composed of mostly sand, clay, decomposed granite, and volcanic-alluvial. These regions only receive around 23.3 inches of rainfall per year and little to no rainfall during their summer months. The grapes are safe as harvest approaches, and the weather ensures that the grapes are fighting for water and creating a more intense fruit.

What are Brix?

The harvest is based on sugar levels in the grapes. This information comes from a simple measurement called degrees brix (also known as specific gravity). It’s important because it tells us how much water is present in our must (the mixture of crushed grapes and yeast starter). The lower this number is, the more concentrated or “dry” your wine will be when finished fermenting. The ideal Brix levels for red wines is 23-25 Brix, and for white wines 21-24 Brix.

How are the grapes harvested?

The grapes are handpicked. The pickers walk through rows of vines looking for clusters of ripe fruit to cut off with long-handled knives called “cortadores.” They then gently place these into plastic tubs where they’re carried back to trailers parked nearby–a process that takes place over several days (usually during the morning). Once all of this has been completed successfully, we begin our shipping process!

How do you know when to harvest the grapes?

The wine grape harvest is based on sugar levels in the grapes: if they’re too low you can’t make good wine; too high and it will taste too sweet and you’ll most likely have a stuck fermentation. Each month/week/and as harvest nears, day – the grapes are sampled in the field to see if they have reached their optimum levels yet.

Shipping from Chile to MWG…

Once the grapes arrive at port they are sent to Musto Wine Grape Co. and we unload them into our coolers. Everything is shipped in a refrigerated container and never breaks the cold chain. This ensures that the high quality of the fresh Chilean products are intact. After they arrive it is time for you to pick up your grapes and/or juices and get winemaking!

2023 Chilean Harvest Update:

The Chilean crop looks excellent this season. We are hoping to see the Chilean grapes and juices arrive at around 23-25 Brix, very sweet and juicy. Arrival dates look to be somewhere at the end of April / early May depending on the type of winemaking grape/juice. Give us a call (877-812-1137) or email us at sales@juicegrape.com with any arrival questions.

Fun Fact About Chile: Chile produces more than 1 million tons of grapes every year!

Chilean wine making is a time-honored tradition, and the results are worth it! This will be 18+ years of Musto Wine Grape working with our Chilean vineyards and every year the wines created get better and better. We hope you enjoyed learning about the Chilean wine-making season. It’s an interesting process that requires a lot of work, but in the end, it pays off with delicious wines!

 

For more information on making wine from Chile check out these blogs posts:

Can I make my own? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help you make the wine of your dreams! The Spring South African & Chilean winemaking season starts soon! Secure your winemaking grapes or juices and give us a call at (877) 812-1137 to speak with one of our Musto Crush Crew members. We can get you set up with everything you need and provide customer support along the way to ensure your success!

Spring Season Updates – 2023

Dear Winemakers,

It’s Spring time! And you know what that means…. South African and Chilean Season!! We are so excited to get winemaking again. Below is a list of all our Spring Offerings this season. Please feel free to reach out to us via email at sales@juicegrape.comor via the phone at 877-812-1137 with any questions or to make an order.

2023 Spring Grape Offerings:

South Africa: Pinotage

Chile: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier

 

Musto’s 2023 Spring Juice Offerings:

South Africa: Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Chile: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Muscat.

 

Crush/Destemm is Back!

We will be crushing and destemming again this year! However, there is a minimum order of 24 cases of Spring grapes. This will give you 6 pails of must, and about 20+ gallons of juice to work with.

 

 

Winemaking Classes:

Have you heard about our new Facebook Live series? Frank Renaldi is teaching free classes on Musto’s Facebook Page once a month. Each month Frank picks a topic to chat about and go live with a presentation, plus a q&a period. Usually scheduled on a Thursday night, make sure to keep an eye out for them. The next one will be Thursday March 30th at 7:00PM. Feel free to send Christina suggestions for future topics.

How do you access Facebook Live? It’s easy. Go to Musto’s Facebook Page on the given date/time, and Frank’s class will automatically popup on your screen. There you can ask questions in real time. We hope you enjoy this series and look forward to bringing you more information to help you make your favorite wine!

Don’t forget that you can always access Frank Renaldi’s online classes via our sister site WinemakingInstructions.com.

 

Winemaker Hours:

One of our on staff Winemakers -Sam Lee will be in the store and available for questions on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00AM-4:00PM. If you want to speak to a winemaker in person, make sure to stop by and see Sam! You can also email him at winemaker@juicegrape.com.

 

Store Hours:

February Hours:

Mon-Fri: 8:00AM-4:00PM

Sat-Sun:  Closed

 

Looking forward to working with you all this Spring!

 

Cheers!

How to Make Carmenere Wine from Chile

Carmenere is a grape with a very “peppered” history. It has its roots in Bordeaux as it was widely planted in the Medoc region of France by the Ancient Romans. It was often times used as a blender, like Petit Verdot, and is considered one of the original six Bordeaux grape varieties. There is a legend that says Carmenere is actually a clone of Cabernet Sauvignon as both grapes share a similar lineage. In 1855 Carmenere cuttings were brought over to Chile, and for a long time Chilean Carmenere was mistaken for Merlot vines! It wasn’t until the 19th century that they were able to distinguish between the two. Both grapes are now used in 50/50 blends, producing delicious fruit forward wines.

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Now Carmenere is considered a bold standalone grape and wine. Deep crimson in color, with bold dark berries on the palate, this wine is made for the adventurous. Chile has become one of the top Carmenere producing regions. This is because Chile has minimal rainfall, and soils composed of volcanic-alluvial, sand, clay, and decomposed granite. Carmenere flourish’s here. MWG’s Carmenere grapes and juices are sourced from the Colchagua and Curico Valleys in the heart of Chile. The micro-climates throughout these valleys allow Carmenere to mature to its full potential.

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Flavor Profile:

Blackberry jam, ripe raspberry, baking spices, plum, and at times – vanilla, licorice, green pepper, and black pepper.

Yeast Suggestions:

  • CSM: Reduces vegetal aromas, brings out intense complex flavors of berries, spice, and licorice.

  • D254: Brings out fruit flavors such as berry, plum, and mild spice

  • BDX: Promotes soft tannins, secures color, and ferments at low temperatures

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Making Chilean Carmenere:

  • Crush your grapes into your fermentation vessel.

  • Add your pectic enzyme or color pro and let the must warm up overnight.

    • Please Note: we DO NOT suggest doing a cold soak on the Chilean grapes.  They have traveled very far already, and it is better for your flavor profile if they do not sit on the skins for extra contact time. This can cause further extraction of methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper).

  • After 24 hours take your Brix, TA, and pH measurements. Make adjustments if needed.

  • Once your must has hit the temperature required by your selected yeast, you can pitch your yeast.

    • Fermentation tannins can be added at this point. We suggest adding Tannin FT Rouge and Opti-Red when making Carmenere.

    • If you are using additional yeast nutrients you will want to add them at the right time as well. Fermaid O is added at the beginning of fermentation (1 day after you set your yeast). Fermaid K is added at 1/3 depletion of Brix. Follow the directions on the yeast nutrient packages.

  • After you have made your adjustments and added your yeast, cover you fermentation vessel with a sheet or cheese cloth. This will allow gases to release during fermentation, but protect the must for outside microbes and fruit flies.

  • Every day during fermentation punch down your must at least three times a day, take your Brix measurement, and temperature measurements. It is recommended to record these values each day.punching down wine - how to make wine - how to make wine from grapes

    • You want to make sure your Brix levels are dropping and are having a healthy fermentation. You also want to monitor your temperature levels. If your temperature levels get too high you might “burn off” some aromas, and if your temperature levels get too low you might get a stuck fermentation.

    • When your hydrometer reaches 0.90 you are at dryness

  • We suggest adding Malolactic culture to your Carmenere. It will help convert the harsh “green apple like” acid to “creamy like” acid, producing a more supple mouthfeel.

    • There are three time periods you can add Malo. We suggest adding your Malo 24-48 hours after fermentation has started. You can purchase a Chromatography test to check that Malo has completed.

  • When you hydrometer reaches a brix of -2 – 0 (SG of .990 to 1.000) your are at dryness and can press your must.

  • Once your juice has been transferred into your aging vessel make sure to check your wine and airlock weekly. Be sure it is topped off.

  • Rack every 1-2 months.

  • Bottle after 8-12 months or transfer into oak for more aging.

Recipe by Winemaker Christina Musto

For more information on making wine, please visit our website at www.juicegrape.com and our Facebook Page for real time harvest updates. Our Chilean wine grapes arrive in late-April and early-May. If you are interested in making an order please email sales@juicegrape.com or give us a call at 877-812-1137 to discuss this season’s harvest.

PS- Check out MWG’s trip to Chile from 2018. Lots of great history information about the region! Click here to read more..

2020 Spring Harves is Right Around the Corner!

As the Holiday season starts to wind down we can’t help but get excited for the coming Spring wine season. We will have more updates in the coming weeks, but why not check out a video from the 2019 Chilean Wine Grape Harvest?

Arriving:

End of April, beginning of May

Grape Varieties:

  • Carmenere
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Malbec
  • Merlot
  • Petite Verdot
  • Pinot Noir
  • Syrah
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Grigio
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Viognier

Juice Varieties:

  • Carmenere
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Cabernet/Merlot Blend
  • Malbec
  • Merlot
  • Petite Verdot
  • Pinot Noir
  • Syrah
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Grigio
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Viognier

Fresco Juice Varieties:

  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Carmenere
  • Merlot
  • Malbec
  • Chardonnay
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Viognier
  • Chardonnay/Semillon Blend

Yeast Suggestions:

  •  Cabernet: CSM – New Yeast Coming to Musto Wine Grape in the Spring!, Keep an eye for a blog post about in on Thursday’s Winemaker Think Tank!
  •  Malbec: D254: Brings out bright fruit flavors and complexity such as berry, plum, and mild spice.
  • Carmenere: D254: Brings out bright fruit flavors and complexity such as berry, plum, and mild spice or BDX: Promotes soft tannins, secures color, and ferments at low heat.
  • Chardonnay: QA23: Promotes apple and pear notes or VIN13: Heightens pineapple and tropical notes
  • Sauvignon Blanc: R2: Promotes fruity and floral notes or 71B: Brings out grapefruit notes and other tropical fruits or QA23: Promotes apple and pear notes or VIN13: Heightens pineapple and tropical notes

So pour yourself a glass of wine and give us a call or shoot us an email to secure your Pre-Order Today! 

Chilean Wine Grape and Juice Update

musto wine grape_chiean wine grapes_chilean wine juice_chilean winemaking

Our Chilean grapes are ripening and flourishing. The red grapes have full color and should be arriving in late April/early May. The Chilean juices should be arriving the first week in May.

Arrival Dates: White grapes should arrive around the last week in April and the red grapes should start to arrive around the last week in April, first week in May. Get your crushers ready!

Ps- check out our grower’s Chilean Wine Festival Video HERE.

musto wine grape_chilean wine_chilean wine grapes_Red Grapes Hanging

Grapes Available: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah

Juices Available: Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet/Merlot Blend, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier

Fresco Juices Available: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, Malbec, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay/Semillon Blend

Give us a call or send us an email to secure your order! 

Phone: 877-812-1137

Email: sales@juicegrape.com

Details from our Trip to Chile

As the grapes begin to harvest we reflect back on the amazing trip that we had in Chile. Check out our Chilean itinerary below. Anyone up for a trip to Chile? Because we can’t wait to go back and visit!

Day 1: Colchagua

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As we drove through the Colchagua Valley I couldn’t help but feel like I was back in Napa driving down the Silverado Trail or HWY 29. Lush vineyards surrounded us on either side of the highway. Each winery we passed was just as majestic as or more than the next. A blissful start to our trip.

We stopped at few wineries that day before we visited our vineyards for research purposes ;). The first winery we stopped at was Lapostelle’s Clos Apalta winery. This winery calls itself “French in essence, Chilean by birth”. A striking winery that is 100% gravity fed. They have over six levels in the winery. Each with a specific fermentation or aging purpose. The tasting room is on the second to last floor and is so cold they offer blankets for patrons when tasting wine in their cave like room. Directly below the tasting room is the proprietor’s personal cellar, with over 1000 bottles of wine. Quite the collection.  This was one of the more interesting tasting experiences we’ve had.

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For the rest of the day we visited our Colchagua Vineyards and they were incredible! The Colchagua Valley is known for growing bold red wines, such as Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. It has a mediterranean climate and is located along the southern end of the Rapel Valley. This topography creates a climate that receives around 23.3 inches of rainfall per year and little to no rainfall during their summer months. This helps keep the grapes safe close to harvest and ensures that the grapes are fighting for water therefore creating a more intense fruit.  The soil is made up of sand, decomposed granite, and clay. Another great indicator of quality viticulture. These soil components soak up acidity and help create a more balanced wine grape to work with.

Days 2-3: Curico Valley

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The hospitality in Chile was something we have never experienced before. The people were so kind and accommodating. First, we rode on horseback around the Chardonnay vineyard. Not being very good at horseback riding this was a little nerve wrecking, but we were able to make it around the vineyard (barely). Besides the stress of being on a horse the views were gorgeous and it was quite the way to take in the vineyard views.

Curico is place where many wineries and growers work with large producers. They have high-end equipment with state of the art technology; but at the same time there are family wineries and growers who create incredible boutique wines using a combination of old world tradition and a few new world winemaking practices. You can see the combination of new and old just by driving down the street. You not only pass fancy cars, but every once in a while you’ll pass a horse and buggy. Yes that is correct. Many people ride horseback throughout the area rather than drive cars.  Curico has been a wine grape growing region since the 1800s and you can see the incredible history of the wine region as you drive down the street.

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The wines from our grower’s personal winery were delicious! Sebastian and Manuela make a great father/daughter team when it comes to winemaking. Their wine label is called “Correa Albano” and the Sauvignon Blanc was so fruit forward and bright. I couldn’t get enough of it. Especially on such a hot summer day, it was the perfectly refreshing and complex Sauvignon Blanc. The Carmenere was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It had a “dusty” almost “napa-like” nose to it. It was full of delicious dark fruits with soft and rich tannins. This wine has inspired me to try to make Carmenere again. I am hoping the new CSM yeast will get me close to this flavor profile. One of things Manuela touched on was the importance of temperature during fermentation for both white and red wines. She said she is meticulous about monitoring temperature during her primary fermentations and it is one of the keys to her winemaking success.

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After tasting some our grower’s wines we sat down for a true Chilean lunch and the food was delicious! Our growers were incredibly kind and prepared a few authentic Chilean dishes for us to enjoy (keep an eye out for some recipes to hit the blog soon). It was a feast of delicious Chilean produce, spices, and flavors, which was followed by a barrel tasting where Sebastian and Manuela let us try some of their aged red wines. They used multiple yeasts and are starting to think about blending the different oaks.

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As our 5 hour lunch and tasting came to an end we went to see more of the vineyards, and let me tell you, this car ride was epic. It was to a point where we didn’t think our rental car would make it over the rocks and through the brush. I felt like I was on a jungle safari in a car that was about to crumble underneath us with each bump we hit. We went from a beautiful roadside vineyard of Malbec and Merlot, up a large hill rocky hill to Cabernet Sauvignon, through a jungle forest that opened up to a gorgeous Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. It felt like we discovered a vineyard oasis. It was Sebastian’s father’s favorite vineyard. You could tell it held a special place in his heart.

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Day 4: Viña Alpatagua

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The next winery we visited was Viña Alpatagua. The winemaker gave us an insider’s tour of the tank area, barrel room, and bottling line. It is a winery that is full of creativity and passion. The level of precision that is taken with each wine was very apparent, as was how creative the winemaker was. The winemaker, Pablo Barros, infused their sparkling wine with pomegranate juice from their estate pomegranate trees. It was a delicious addition to an already delicious sparkling wine.

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Most of their wines were appellation focused. We tried wines specifically from Curico and Colchagua. Most of the vines that they worked were very old, some up to 70 years old! My favorite wines were the Pomegranate infused sparkling, the Carmenere, their Cabernet Sauvignon, and Riesling.  This winery creates wines of great distinction. A must see if you are in Chile.

Day 5:  Santiago

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On the last day of our trip we enjoyed some delicious Pisco with some of our hosts, Alfredo and Suzanne. Alfredo and Suzanne are kind enough to take video, photos, and give us up to date harvest information. We are very lucky that they are so willing to give us information so quickly and efficiently. Alfredo and his family are a big part of why we are able to bring in such high end grapes from Chile.

Since it was our first time trying Pisco, they took us to a Pisco bar in downtown Santiago. This bar had some delicious ways to try it. They had over 30 different cocktails centered on the authentic, grape-based liquor. What a way to leave Chile! The next morning we reluctantly headed back to the US. An incredible trip with so many great memories, new knowledge, and media to share with our winemakers back home.

Christina, Sebastian, Patrick, Manuella in vineyard

As the plane took off and I settled in for the long flight home I couldn’t help but reflect back on the incredible people we met. They are kind and caring families who truly love what they do. You can see the passion they have for the wine industry, their families, and the people they work with. They said, “Wine is made in the details… If people work in a good way it takes a direct effect on the wines.” I couldn’t agree more. It was an incredible trip and we feel so very fortunate that we are able to work with such amazing growers and their families.

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Winemaker Spotlight Interview with Manuela Astaburuaga

Christina, Sebastian, Patrick, Manuella in vineyard

Winemaker Spotlight Interview with Manuela Astaburuaga

How did you get started winemaking? 

I’m the 5th generation viticulturist in my family so I was born between tanks and vineyards. When we were kids we played hide and seek in the tanks of the winery and we rode a bicycle among the vineyards.

When I finished the school, I decided to study Agriculture because I love the nature and live in the countryside, then in my last year of university I went to Australia to do my first vintage and I loved it. After I started to work with my family and I decided to go to France to do a Master in viticulture and Oenology.

What I love the most about Oenology is that most of the time there is a family tradition behind it. In my case my father founded the company Viña Correa Albano in 1991 but my grandfather, great grandfather, … also had their own winery Viña Astaburuaga.

Who were your wine mentors? 

My mentors where my father and grandfather. My grandfather was one of the first to broker of wine in Chile and one of the first to export wines. We also have photos of the first exportation where you can see the boats with tanks full of wines.

I really don’t pay attention to the winemakers. I love to taste different wines from different wineries, valleys and countries, but I never pay attention who was the winemaker, for me is a team job.

What do you look for when you make wine? What is your general winemaking philosophy?

The most important thing is have good quality grapes. A healthy grape, free of disease, means we can start making a good wine.

In white wines the expression of aromas and acidity is really important, so we try to have long fermentations at low temperature.

In reds, the wine aging is the most important for me. It is necessary to have the micro oxygenation to soften the tannins and it is very important to limit the oxidation to preserve the fruity aromas that come from the grape.

What is the most difficult aspect of making wine? What’s your biggest challenge as a winemaker?

The first thing is to have good quality grapes, for that we have to work all year.

In viticulture/oenology we say that we never have two equal years so for me the biggest challenge is to know how to react quickly in different situations as a rain or excessive heat for example can cause challenges.

What bottles of wine in your cellar are you most excited about? 

A few weeks ago, we were sorting out and we found samples of our first exportation of wine. We opened a bottle and it was really good so now that we found the bottles we take care of them the most. Also, I have a box of 12 bottles of my grandfather’s wine from my year of birth that he gave to my parents at my baptism and I’m waiting for a special occasion to open it.

I don’t have any favorite wines but for me the history behind the wine is very important, we cannot compare a big Chateau of Bordeaux with unlimited means with a small producer with all the adversities of nature.

In general, I enjoy more a wine from a small producer with a tradition behind them, than a wine from a big winery.

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What’s your philosophy on Oak and Wine?

For me the most important is oxygen in aging the wine, the barrels have porosity so they give a micro-oxygenation to the wine which is very important to the complexity and the maturation of tannins.

I use barrels, but I always try to not exaggerate because I prefer to preserve the fruity aromas over those gave from the oak.

Are you filtering your wines?

Yes and no. We have a tangential filter which is very good in preserving the quality. For our premium line, which has a minimum of 8 months in the barrel we will not filter.

Are there any new winemaking techniques or tools you’d like to experiment with?

We are thinking about implementing the pulsair system in our winery, so we don’t have to us the remontage method and limit the oxidation.

What’s been your greatest challenge as a winemaker?

The generational change.

Any advice for a new home winemaker? 

Have patience. We cannot rush the aging and to have complexity, sucrosity and soft tannins are important and take time.

Also, you have to have in mind that the oxygen can be the best friend or the worst enemy in the aging. Is important to have micro-oxygenation to help the maturity of wine but if it is not controlled, he can oxidize some components and be harmful to the final quality.

If you had to pick one wine to drink for the rest of your life what would it be?

I cannot pick only one wine, for me the wine depends the occasion and is important to change and try different wines.

What’s your favorite wine region?

I don’t have a favorite region but I loved the whites of Alsace and the Cabernet Franc of Saumur Champigny.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I am shy and I have a very bad memory, that’s why I can never remember the names of the winemakers and wineries I have tasted (that’s why I always write my tasting notes).

If you weren’t making wine what would you be doing?

I really have no idea!