40-44 chile natural wine Nbgs_Layout 1 28/08/2015 16:13 Page 40

BAC K TO
t h e f u t u re
Natural wine from Chile is flourishing, but far from it being a hip new trend, some
winemakers never really departed from the hands-off approach that has been
practised by their family wineries for centuries, writes Amanda Barnes
NATURAL WINE might be a
relatively over-talked subject in the wine
circles of London, Paris and New York,
but in the distant stretches of Chile the
discussion is only just starting or
arguably never stopped. The growing
undercurrent of natural wine production
is further proof that this skinny country is
not just screw-top plonk, but diversified

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and thrilling. The roots of the natural

wine movement in Chile start in the
south. The heart of this artisanal
production lies in Bo Bo, Maule and
Itata, where vines date from beyond 200
years ago and vineyards are still
ploughed by horses.
We let the juice macerate and ferment
naturally and spontaneously, completely

at room temperature. It is a very simple

and traditional winemaking method,
says Renan Cancino, winemaker of El
Viejo Almacen in Maule: natural, old vine
Carignan with zero added sulphur. It is
the way that my family used to make
wine at home. We are respecting this
campesino [countryside] method thats
been used for over 200 years.

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chile: natural wine

Feature findings

INHERITED KNOWLEDGE
While modern counterparts might see
natural wine as a romantic return to
tradition, for some small producers in
Chile, there was never a departure. Im
the seventh generation on the vineyard,
and natural wine for us is ancestral, says
Cacique Maravilla winemaker Manuel
Moraga Gutierrez, from Bio Bio. I didnt
know you were supposed to add
anything else to wine. Someone once told
me in 2010 to add yeast in the
fermentation it was the worst wine I
ever made.
The natural winemaking movement in
Chile is partly due to this local intuition
and inherited knowledge, and partly to
contemporary crusades against chemical
viniculture. One of Chiles greatest
apostles in rescuing old vines and
varieties is a Frenchman: Louis-Antoine
Luyt. He is outspoken about Chiles
unparalleled expansion into new regions,

make biologically-friendly wines, it

should be an obligation.
Protecting this heritage, and observing
the high quality of the old vines in Chile,
is what has also led De Martino to
become a leading larger winery to
champion ancestral techniques such as
ageing wine in old clay vessels, and
include natural wines in their portfolio.
Orange wine is very trendy, but we
decided to make an amber wine because
in the past Chile made white wines with
the skins, says Marcelo Retamal, De
Martinos head winemaker talking about
their Viejas Tinajas Muscat. They made
the wine like this 300 years ago. But it is a
niche today.

A HARD SELL

While the natural wine movement is

growing within Chile, being niche is a
limitation abroad. Low demand, and a
poor association with the term natural
wine makes it less feasible to
sell natural (and organic) wine in
the UK, suggests Retamal:
Im the seventh generation on [Most of our lines] arent
natural wines, because we add
the vineyard, and natural wine sulphur, but we have organic
for us is ancestral. I didnt know grapes and we dont use
anything else. We produce 1.8
you were supposed to add
million bottles and export to all
parts of the world. Today natural
anything else to wine
wine is a niche wine if you
produce 1.8 million bottles of
natural wine, it doesnt sell.
Part of the sales problem is the
when in his opinion many of the most
inconsistency you still find. I like the
historic wine regions in the south are
idea of natural wines, says Marcelo
being wrongly neglected, and the small
Papa, head winemaker for Chiles biggest
family producers with it.
producer, Concha y Toro, which has some
His natural wines mainly come from
organic lines, although as of yet no
dry-harvested, century-old vineyards that
natural wines. But in my point of view
are managed organically by small,
what happened with organic wines 20
independent producers. In the rest of the
years ago is happening now with natural
world to have vineyards over 100 or 200
wines the idea is great but you find
years old would be spectacular a
many in the market with defects.
heritage site! What is incredible here is
Even small natural wine producers in
the environment in which you can
Chile are aware of this double-edged
produce the vine it is healthy, there is
sword in labelling wines as natural.
little risk of illnesses and it is easy to
Natural wine has become so hipster,

> The rise of natural, or minimal

intervention winemaking in Chile
should be seen as a revival of old
traditions rather than a new trend.
> The countrys climate and lack of
vineyard pests make it particularly
suitable for this hands-off approach.
> The challenge for Chile lies in a need
to ship its wines long distances
across the equator, which raises
concerns about the stability of wines
made with no added sulphur.
> The additional costs of working
organically are a further challenge
for Chile, whose wines carry an
average FOB price of US$29/case.

says Leonardo Erazo of Rogue Vine, it

seems you can get away with faulty wines
by being natural you shouldnt. Being
natural and good is not the same thing.
Even larger industry adopter, Emiliana,
has stepped back from its intentions to
market a no-added sulphur natural wine
in the UK because of the concerning
impact on branding. Head winemaker of
Emiliana (Chiles biggest biodynamic and
organic producer) Noelia Orts confirmed
it wouldnt be launching until we are
completely sure of the quality We dont
have 100% certainty about how the
[natural] wines will arrive to Europe via
the Panama Canal.

RISK TAKERS
Natural will arguably never have 100%
certainty, and perhaps that is part of its
charm. But while opening one erroneous
natural wine might be forgivable,
managing a large brand with limited
control at the receiver end is risky. We
dont add any sulphur before sending our
wines, comments Cancino, who exports
to Brazil. The people buying our wine
know how we make it, and want to have
it without any sulphur. I will take this
risk, but I dont know if bigger wineries
want to.

>

41

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Ten natural, organic or biodynamic Chilean

wines to try in the UK
NATURAL:
> De Martino, Viejas Tinajas
(Berkmann Wine Cellars)
Pick between the floral yet firm
amber Muscat, or the wild and
delicate Cinsault both from Itata
and aged in old clay tinajas.
> Louis-Antoine Luyt, Trequilemu
Carignan (Les Caves de Pyrene)
Luyts Carignan is grippy and
earthy, but if you want something
lighter try the Pinot Noir or the fruitforward Cinsault.
> J Bouchon, Pas Salvaje
(Bancroft Wines)
A full-fruit, floral Pas made
naturally with carbonic maceration.
Drink it chilled.
> Rogue Vine, Grand Itata Blanco
(Indigo Wine)
A textural white Muscat blend from
Itata with fragrant, floral notes and a
touch of spice.
> Teillery, Syrah
(Vintage Roots)
A no-added-sulphite Syrah with the
bright fruit of Chiles red wine
heartland, Maipo.

BIODYNAMIC AND/OR ORGANIC:

> Matetic, Black Label Syrah,
(Armit Wines)
No additives, just silky, perfumed,
rich Syrah from this biodynamic
producer in San Antonio.
> Villalobos, Carignan Reserva
(Les Caves de Pyrene)
Old-vine Carignan that is unfiltered,
unfined and biodynamic with almost
hedonistic aromas of Carignan fruit
and graphite.
> Emiliana, Coyam (Boutinot)
A rich and complex red blend of
seven grape varieties that really
delivers on value.
> Antiyal, Carmenere/Cabernet
Sauvignon/Syrah (Hallgarten Druitt
& Novum Wines)
Chiles top biodynamic consultant,
Alvaro Espinoza, is also considered
one of Chiles finest garage
winemakers for this very blend.
> Lapostolle, The Collection
Mourvedre (Berkmann Wine
Cellars)
Intense and juicy Mourvedre from
the Apalta hills unfiltered,
unadulterated, simply gorgeous.

De Martinos Marcelo Retamal

The risk, with an unfiltered natural

wine, is not negligible. When you
transport the wine, explains Retamal,
the problem is summer time inside of the
container. Sometimes you have 40C and
if you dont have sulphur, fungus might
develop inside and you have more cloudy
or dirty wine.
Sulphur (a natural component in grapes)
is generally added to protect wines from
developing fungus after leaving the
winerys controlled environment. There is
no fast and strict rule on the sulphur limit
for a wine to be considered natural, but
bonafide natural wine enthusiasts will
give a general consensus that it should
contain less than 40ppm (compared to
organic wine at <140ppm, commercial
wine at <350ppm, and dried raisins at
<2,000ppm).

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LONG JOURNEY

8,000 miles, via the Caribbean. Our total

sulphur is less than 100ppm, says
winemaker Andrea Leon, whose The
Collection portfolio in biodynamic
Lapostolle follows many natural
principles, so they could be considered
organic, which is the minimum we can
add considering the wine is taking a trip
over the equator.
Along with distance travelled,
price too is a thorn Chiles side.
Organic and biodynamic
The people buying our wine
production (an almost
know how we make it, and want prerequisite for natural wine) is
Chiles average FOB price
to have it without any sulphur. I costly.
stands at $29 per case, which

Chiles location puts it at a severe

disadvantage in exporting natural wines.
Natural wine produced in France only
has to face a 400-odd mile journey across
the British channel to a consumers glass
in London; but from Chile, producers
have to prepare their wines to travel some

will take this risk, but I dont

know if bigger wineries want to

>

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Photo courtesy: Manuel Moraga Gutierrez, Cacique Maravilla

chile: natural wine

Cacique Maravilla takes a very hands-off approach to its grapes

presents a challenge for those wishing to

manage their vineyards organically.
The climate, however, is there. Chile
similarly to neighbouring Argentina,
which also has a blossoming natural, and
organic, wine production has few

special wine from wild Pas vines, so we

wanted to make it in a natural way, says
winemaker Felipe Ramirez. When you
are making wines in a bigger amount you
need to control lots of different factors
Its another reality. You can work in this
natural way in small quantities.

THE SCENE IMPROVES

You can work in this

natural way in
small quantities

problems of rot, zero phylloxera, and can

avoid nematodes and other pests with the
correct selection of rootstock. The natural
advantage has promulgated a handful of
larger producers to join De Martino in the
ranks of producing a natural wine within
their portfolio.
This year J Bouchon made its first
natural wine, Pas Salvaje. This was a

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Quantity and relative price is

certainly a factor holding back
producers from switching to
organic or biodynamic, but that is
changing. There arent more
biodynamic producers in Chile
because it requires more
observation and knowledge of the
vineyard more anticipation of
problems which is maybe harder in the
short term, says Julio Bastias, winemaker
of Matetic, a leading biodynamic
producer, but every day there are more
people that are working in this direction.
This direction is also receiving a big
push from the industry body, Wines of
Chile, with its Sustainability Code, which

Defining the term

Without a strict international
legislation laid out, natural wine is a
rather wishy-washy term. For the
purposes of this article, natural wine
has been defined as:
> Sustainably farmed, organic
and/or biodynamic grapes (with
or without certification)
> No foreign yeasts or bacteria in
wine production
> No sugar or acid adjustments in
wine production
> No new oak
> Minimal/no fining or filtration
> Minimal/no added sulphur in
bottling

is now adopted by over 70% of Chiles

bottled wine production. Sustainability,
organic, biodynamic and even natural
are more on the radar of Chiles
producers than ever before. Winemakers
talk of minimal intervention, they vinify
in concrete eggs, amphorae and old
barrels, and biodynamic consultants are
on the rise. But if exportation is
problematic, and demand is low, where is
this change coming from?
Theres undoubtedly a world tendency
to be discussed here, but perhaps
surprisingly (for a country that exports
over 70% of its wine) theres a domestic
trend too. Chilean wine journalists, small
producer wine fairs and the new outcrop
of wine bars and clubs in the capital,
Santiago, are helping to bring about a
resurgence of underrated wines such as
Pais, Muscat, Carignan, Cinsault and
Pipeo, and with them, traditional,
natural winemaking techniques.
While you wont be seeing a new stream
of orange wines from Chile any day soon,
change is very much afoot. The
undercurrent of natural wine is growing
or returning in Chile, and with it a
general direction towards more authentic,
local and stylistically-diverse wines.
Whatever your opinion on sulphur, this
new, old wave is something to be
celebrated and savoured. db