Viña Ventisquero

Chile Heats Up As Viña Ventisquero Showcases the Unique Flavors of this Up-and-Coming Wine Region

When Gonzalo Vial, owner of Chile's leading fresh food company Agrosuper, decided in 1996 to become involved in the burgeoning Chilean wine business, he was torn between two directions. "Firstly he is a lover of wine, so he wanted to produce something special, like a boutique winery," explains Felipe Tosso Bruna, Ventisquero's head winemaker. "But he is also a very successful businessman who knows the benefits of scale, so he built a big 'boutique' winery instead."

The result is Viña Ventisquero, a premium brand producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Carménère among others. Ventisquero (Spanish for "glacier,") also produces Yelcho, a larger-production brand with wines in the $7-$12 range. Yelcho is named after a beautiful lake in the southernmost region of Chile.

Although Tosso, who was snapped up from Concha y Toro in 2000, tells this story with a smile on his face, he's not actually joking. Agrosuper's $50 million investment has created a gleaming, ultra-modern winery with a capacity of nearly 6 million gallons that compares with any in the world. Yet its gravity-fed tanks and hand selection tables would look more at home in a boutique winery in Napa than a large-scale winery in Chile.

The Land and the People
This meticulous attention to detail didn't stop with the winery. The Ventisquero team committed to a two-year search for the best Chilean terroir, resulting in the purchase of 3,700 acres of land in five top regions: Peralillo and Apalta in the Rapel Valley; Trinidad (where the company is based) and Tantehue in the Maipo Valley; and the white wine paradise of Casablanca. Each vineyard has its own vineyard manager, ensuring optimum "on-the-ground" knowledge, ensuring that the grapes produced are of the best possible quality.

Back at the winery, Tosso oversees a team of four winemakers, each looking after a different grape variety or vineyard area. "That doesn't mean we work independently. Everyone puts their nose in everybody else's business to give advice and suggestions. It's a system that works very well for us," he says. The expertise doesn't stop there. The legendary Aurelio Montes also works as consultant winemaker with Tosso to maximize quality.

The Regions

Chile relies on very favorable conditions for wine production. Great temperature variations between day and night and the proximity to the Pacific Ocean are factors that allow excellent grape ripening. Vineyards gather this gift of nature and reward it with special care, practicing almost organic agriculture, paying the respect that the environment deserves.

Maipo Valley
Its Mediterranean climate, with warm and dry summers, great differences between day and night temperature, and a rainy season concentrated between April and September, is perfect for the production of red wines. Trinidad and Tantehue estates lie in this valley.

Rapel Valley
This valley is ideal for making red wines of great color, body, aroma and fruit. Because rains are concentrated in winter, there are no frosts in spring and summers are hot. The soil is permeable, with medium depth and uniform texture. Peralillo and Apalta estates are located in this valley. The Apalta region has yielded most of the ultra-premium wines from Chile.

Casablanca Valley
Cool coastal breezes moderate summer temperatures, enabling a slow ripening of the grapes. Casablanca Valley is ideal for the production of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The Casablanca estate is found in this valley.

Logo

Viña Ventisquero Logo (JPEG, 233 KB)