This past Monday (1/23/2016) we had the pleasure of Skyping with Courtney Kingston of the Kingston Family Vineyards in Casablanca Valley in Chile. As a wine drinker myself I was very excited for the opportunity to learn more about the Chilean wine scene and how it differs from the rest of the world. Learning that their farm specializes in grapes of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc was quite the news to me given my expectations of the climate. Upon investigation I learned that Chile is highly unique in their climate changes due to the length of the country,as well as the terrain (a mixture of mountain ranges, valleys, and beaches). Other than her story about how she ended up running the vineyards, I really enjoyed her discussion of the economy in Chile. The one thing that really stuck with me was her saying their motto is "Export or die." Coming from one of the largest consumer countries in the world, I'm eager to immerse myself in a culture like Santiago (since she said city life is so different than out in the country - interested in seeing that difference as well).
Since I am mostly a cheap wine drinker, I wanted to educate myself a tad more on what makes Chilean wines special. Turns out, there's quite a bit of variety when it comes to wine from Chile. Focusing on the regions, The Real Frontier of Chilean Wine by Wine Folly gave a great overview of each region and what types of grape were ideal for the area. We are heading to Casablanca valley, a "very classic Mediterranean-style climate. It rains occasionally but is mostly dry and it’s hot." It is unique due to winds that flow down from the Andes Mountain range and cold currents up the coast from Antarctica. For this reason the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are really well made here. Since I'm a red wine fan, particularly blends, I want to find some wine from the Aconcagua valley. Check the article out, I found some really interesting facts in here, plus the lay of the land was cool to see in terms of wine making:
http://winefolly.com/review/real-frontier-chilean-wine/
Since I am mostly a cheap wine drinker, I wanted to educate myself a tad more on what makes Chilean wines special. Turns out, there's quite a bit of variety when it comes to wine from Chile. Focusing on the regions, The Real Frontier of Chilean Wine by Wine Folly gave a great overview of each region and what types of grape were ideal for the area. We are heading to Casablanca valley, a "very classic Mediterranean-style climate. It rains occasionally but is mostly dry and it’s hot." It is unique due to winds that flow down from the Andes Mountain range and cold currents up the coast from Antarctica. For this reason the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are really well made here. Since I'm a red wine fan, particularly blends, I want to find some wine from the Aconcagua valley. Check the article out, I found some really interesting facts in here, plus the lay of the land was cool to see in terms of wine making:
http://winefolly.com/review/real-frontier-chilean-wine/