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Itata

Video guide to Maule & Itata wine regions in Chile

by Agustina Abal August 19, 2022

Maule and Itata offer extraordinary old vines and some fascinating new vines with a combination of history and innovation. Explore the vineyards, wine regions and discover wines from Itata and Maule in our video guides. Meet the winemakers and learn all about what makes these Chilean wine regions unique.

Video guide to the old vine Pais in Maule

BOUCHON FAMILY WINES with winemaker Christian Sepúlveda

Christian Sepúlveda, winemaker at Bouchon Famly Wines and Longaví, talks about the secrets of viticulture when it comes to working with old vines Pais under dry-farming methods in Maule.

Click here to read the full post.

Video guide to Escaleras de Empedrado vineyard in coastal Maule

MIGUEL TORRES with winemaker Eduardo Jordan

Escaleras de Empedrado is one of the most unique new vineyards in Maule: planted on steep slate slopes just 21km from the ocean. We talked with Eduardo Jordan, winemaker at Miguel Torres, all about this exceptional vineyard and terroir which is one of the most extreme in Chile.

Click here to read the full post.

August 19, 2022 0 comment

Sur Natural wine association and producers in chile. Guide to Chilean wine

Bio Bio Chile Features News Wine Itata

Introducing Sur Natural: The natural wine association of Itata and Bio Bio

by Amanda Barnes August 18, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

There’s a new wine association in Chile to know about… Sur Natural — an association of small, independent wine producers making natural wines in Itata and Bio Bio. Founded by six wineries, Sur Natural is an association with producers focused on making minimal-intervention, natural wines from dry-farmed old vines in the southern regions of Itata and Bio Bio.

Founded with the aid of funds from Corfo, Sur Natural is comprised of Zaranda (Itata), Tinto de Rulo (Bio Bio), Viña de Neira (Itata), Viña Doña Luisa (Bio Bio), Gustavo Riffo (Itata) and Viña San Lorenzo (Bio Bio). “We share a vision together for making wines from these important historic wine regions, and focused on natural wine production,” explains Juan Ignacio Acuña of Viña Zaranda.

“As we are all very small producers, it can be very hard to present Itata and Bio Bio internationally, which is why we are working together to show the great diversity we have within the wine regions and the growing importance of natural wines. We are also working together for all the vineyards and growers in the association to get organic certification as part of Sur Natural. We all have a different personal vision though, and each producer is very passionate about their place and how to best show it through our wines.”

Main image of Viña Zaranda

The natural wine producers of Sur Natural

Viña Doña Luisa

Guide to the natural wines of Chile and Sur Natural association — Photo by Small Batch

The Cea family have owned their vineyards in Millapoa in Bio Bio for more than six generations, and their incredible País vines are over two hundred years old. The combination of the age of these ungrafted vines, the moderate temperature in the region and black volcanic sand soils, make for distinctive wines.

With these ancient vines, father and son Patricio and Bastián Cea make a handful of different wines — all under the philosophy of natural wines with minimum intervention. Ladrón de Uvas (Grape Thief), País Sismico (Seismic Country) and Pipeño no Muere (Pipeño never Dies) are three of their best-known wines, and each is made using artisanal techniques with the native ferments taking place in traditional rauli vats.

Viña Doña Luisa, named after the matriach of the family, is open for visits and Luisa will often rustle up some local dishes to accompany their wines and stunning view over the vineyards and nearby Bio Bio River.

Instagram @vinadonaluisa

Facebook @vinosdonaluisa.millapoa

Tinto de Rulo

Tinto de Rulo has long been one of my favourite gems when it comes to underrated wines in southern Chile. A small project started by three friends in 2013 has blossomed into an exciting natural wine production focused on old vine Malbec, País, Carignan, Cinsault and Moscatel from Bio Bio.

Today with Jaime Pereira and Claudio Contreras at the helm of production, the wines are all made by spontaneous fermentation and all the wines are destemmed by hand. In their boutique winery, vinification happens in clay tinajas and also large rauli vats.

The vines are all old vines found in the dry-farmed regions of Bio Bio and Itata, and range from 70 to 200 years old. You can read more about Tinto de Rulo and their wines in our online winery guide.

Instagram @tintoderulo

August 18, 2022 0 comment

Guide to the wineries in Chile. Chileno Sur association for wineries in Itata Valley in Chile

Bio Bio Malleco Maule Itata

Sur Chileno: A new association for independent wineries in Itata, Bio Bio, Maule & Malleco

by Amanda Barnes January 24, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

Sur Chileno is a new association of independent producers in southern Chile’s regions of Maule, Itata, Bio Bio and Malleco who are working together to promote the authentic wines of the south. Southern Chile is undoubtedly a special place when it comes to making wines of great character and authenticity, and the goal of the eight founding wineries for Sur Chileno is to promote this identity together and help push towards more sustainable wine production in the south.

“We are all independent wineries and share the same key philosophies,” explains one of the founding members, Enzo Pandolfi of Pandolfi Price winery in Itata. “What are fundamental philosophies for all of us are: being respectful of the identity of wines from southern Chile; focusing on environmental, social and economic sustainability in wine production and fair trade; cooperation and unity between producers to support each other; and offering wines of great quality from southern Chile. We believe we can have a greater impact together as an association in promoting the wines and producers of the region.”

Founded in November 2020, Sur Chileno was supported and initiated by CORFO Ñuble. There are eight wineries who are the founders of the association, but it remains open for new associate members. The founding wineries are:

Massoc Frères

A family winery started in 2015 in Itata working with old vines there and is making an interesting line up of Moscatel, Cinsault and País wines, as well as a range of fortified wines and spirits.

Roberto Henríquez

Roberto is a renowned natural winemaker making wines from old vines in Bio Bio and Itata. His wines are highly sought-after internationally and he is recognised for his focus on artisanal winemaking traditions.

Clos des Fous

This exciting terroir focused project has been focused on finding special vineyards around Chile to make distinctive expressions of key varietals. Clos des Fous has a particular focus on old vines in southern Chile as well as new vines in the emerging region of Malleco.

Pandolfi Price

One of the modern producers of Itata who has really put it on the map international, Pandolfi Price is a family winery with a focus on premium Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.

Riveras del Chillán

Gonzalo Chandía Tolosa is a third generation vintner in Itata with 65 hectares of vines. His wines reflect the new direction of the family wine production, into adventurous styles of artisanal wines made from old vines.

Lomas de Llahuén

Brothers Francisco and Gustavo Riffo started this family winery in Itata, and today Lomas de Llahuén has an interesting focus on making traditional pipeño wines from old vines in native raulí pipas.

Berta

Berta is a family winery in Itata founded in 1997 with 87 hectares of vines on the riverbanks of River Ñuble. The family have quite a large portfolio of wines ranging from sparkling to still.

Tinto de Rulo

This boutique wine project from two friends in Itata and Maule is focused on making natural wines from old vines. The wines are artisanal in style and scale but show the great potential of old vine Malbec and Carignan among other varieties.

To find out more about Sur Chileno, you can visit their website surchileno.cl and watch this video:

January 24, 2022 0 comment

Featured Chile Itata Wineries

Sur Chileno

by Agustina Abal January 19, 2022

written by Agustina Abal

Sur Chileno is an association of wineries that all work in southern Chile and produce wines with a similar terroir focus, artisanal production and sustainable philosophy. The association includes small natural wine producers using old vines including Roberto Henríquez and Tinto de Rulo to boutique producers with international varieties and pioneering new regions including Pandolfi Price and Clos des Fous. Producers are based in Maule, Itata, Bio Bio or Malleco.

About Sur Chileno

Sur Chileno was founded in 2020 and is an association of independent producers in southern Chile (Maule, Itata, Bio Bio and Malleco) initiated by CORFO Ñuble to work together to promote the distinctive identity of the south and share research and sustainability initiatives.

Founding wineries include:

Massoc Frères. A family winery started in 2015 in Itata working with old vines there.

Roberto Henríquez. Natural winemaker making old vine wines from Bio Bio and Itata.

Clos des Fous. Terroir focused project isolating special vineyards around Chile with a focus in Malleco.

Pandolfi Price. Family winery in Itata with a focus on premium Chardonnay and other international varieties.

Riveras del Chillán. Winery in Itata with 65 hectares of vines and diverse porfolio.

Lomas de Llahuén. Itata based producer with a focus on pipeño wines from old vines.

Berta. Family winery in Itata with a large portfolio of wines ranging from sparkling to still.

Tinto de Rulo. Boutique natural wines from Itata and Maule with a focus on artisanal production.

January 19, 2022 0 comment

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