Scan the shelves of your supermarket and you will see remarkably few grapes represented, given that there are 1,500 or more varieties capable of making drinkable wine. Most wine regions of Europe have their own indigenous varieties that have been cultivated for centuries.
The story is often told how Californian, Australian and Chilean wine producers came to Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. There they picked the finest grape varieties, mainly from the best regions of France, and brought them to back home to use for their own wines. In fact the real story is more complicated; most of the New World countries already had plantings of these grapes going back a century or longer. In the case of Chile and parts of Australia, they can claim to have the only genuine article. The rest of the world lost their original vines to the deadly Phylloxera louse and had been forced to plant anew with rootstocks grafted from American vines.
Chile has a wine tradition going back over a century, although missionaries planted the very first vines in the 1550s. In the mid-19th century wealthy industrialists, many originally from Spain, visited Europe to buy the finest furniture and artwork to decorate their grand new homes in Chile. They also transported vines from Bordeaux to plant in their new vineyards. The vines they brought back were Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Carménère, along with some Sauvignon Blanc for the white wines.
Chile burst onto the international wine scene in the 1980s and 1990s. Claret lovers dismayed at rising prices and poor standards in Bordeaux bought the country’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In time Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc joined the red wines as our favourite inexpensive everyday tipples.
The one problem Chile had was persuading us to pay a little bit more for their wines. The obvious answer is to produce a wider variety of better wines. And so Chile began experimenting with other grape varieties and with new areas.
The cooler valleys of Casablanca and Leyda proved to be perfect for lighter fresher wines. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir seem to work really well here. San Antonio, Elqui, Limari and Bio-Bio emerged as promising new regions. The better producers started to mention these individual regions of production on the label rather than the all-encompassing Central Valley appellation.
More recently, Chilean producers have been moving away from the alluvial plains up the sides of the Andes, where higher altitudes appear to produce better grapes.
As for the grape varieties, virtually every grape variety from Pedro Ximinez to Nebbiolo has been planted somewhere in Chile. Spanish producer Torres was one of the first to experiment with a blend of Carignan, Syrah and other varieties, to be followed by many others with de Martino to the fore.
Given the range of soils and climates, and the good growing conditions Chile enjoys, it is certain that some new stars will emerge. It will probably take another 20 years for each variety to find its very best home, although given the energy and vitality of the Chilean wine industry, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen sooner. The big unanswered question is whether the wine-drinker in Ireland and elsewhere will be prepared to try the wines.
One variety that seems destined to succeed is Syrah. I have tasted excellent Syrah from various parts of Chile. Those from cooler regions such as Leyda and San Antonio (see below) can offer a lovely cool savoury succulence. Warmer regions such as Colchagua and Maule offer bigger more structured styles of wine with plenty of meaty richness. For white wines, many look to Riesling and other aromatic varieties. Lastly Carménère, touted as Chile's flagship variety is making huge progress with some nicely balanced wine with real structure and promise.
jwilson@irishtimes.com