Letter from Chile 2019

This opinion piece (Decanter, Oct 2019) is a heartfelt plea for Chile to realise its potential. And a slightly despairing sigh…

Chile’s best wines these days are so, so good. Funky, diverse, exciting, challenging… The country brims with winemaking talent, energy and ambition.

And yet there so many challenges to this potential being realised. Political infighting at home. Too much power in the hands of the few. A lack of high-profile Chilean winemaking ambassadors spreading the word. Not to mention a lack of Chilean restaurants to support the cause. And finally, a lack of willingness among buyers in markets like the UK to support and endorse all the new wave Chilean wines.

Chile needs its wine heroes now more than ever. Both at home and abroad. 

Unless things change, wine lovers from Shanghai to New York via London will be denied the chance to experience this brave new Chile. And that is a crying shame.

(The piece also includes cheeky name-checks for 1997 Cristal and Salon, as well as Miguel Torres’ new Mas de la Rosa 2016 Priorat.)

[Letter from Chile appeared in Decanter magazine’s October 2019 edition]

 

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