W W W. E R R A Z U R I Z . C O M

Nº 100 | Year 13 | August 2015

GOODTO

KNOW

Recorking older wines is an important part of proper cellaring to guarantee their quality and ensure proper aging. Old corks should be

replaced every 20 or 30 years when they lose their natural ability to prevent air from entering the bottles, which spoils the wine.

Viña Errázuriz began a recorking program last year to replace the corks of the oldest vintages of Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve. Errázuriz Oenology and Production Manager Wladimir Medel explained that the reason for recorking the 1983–1995 vintages of Viña Errázuriz’s flagship wine was not only to protect the quality, but also to preserve the winery’s history and heritage. “�is is our library expressed in bottles,” he commented.

Recorking is a very meticulous process and requires exceptionally high quality standards because any mistake could ruin the final product. Iván Gutiérrez, Assistant Manager for Production and Maintenance, explained how this is done at Panquehue. “First the bottles are machine washed to remove all the dust from their surface. �ey are then placed in metal

containers and transported to the recorking table, where the corks are manually removed with a corkscrew. �e bottlenecks are carefully cleaned to remove any residue, and the bottles are topped up with the same vintage of the wine to compensate for wine lost through the evaporation that occurs naturally over the years. �ey also add a precise amount of sulphites that the oenological team determined proper for each vintage, and finally, the new corks are inserted into the bottles by machine.”

Gutiérrez explained that they are just finishing the winery’s first recorking process with a grand total of 12,076 bottles from 11 vintages of Don Maximiano. �e new corks used have the vintage year printed on them, whereas the original corks only specified the winery name.

Don Maximiano Recorked

Wladimir Medel, Oenology and Production Manager of Errázuriz

Errázuriz Oenology and Production Manager

Wladimir Medel explained that the

reason for recorking the 1983–1995 vintages of

Viña Errázuriz’s flagship wine was not only to

protect the quality, but also to preserve the winery’s history and heritage. “�is is our library expressed in

bottles,” he commented.

Aconcagua CostaNew Vintages Launch

n August 11 Viña Errázuriz hosted a delightful lunch at the Chilean specialties restaurant D.O. to showcase the new O

vintages of its Aconcagua Costa line from its vineyard located 12 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean.

�e guests included members of the press from Chile’s specialized media as well as sommeliers, executives, and owners of restaurants such as �e Singular, Noi, Bocanariz, and others.

Chef Juan Morales and sommelier Ricardo Grellet teamed up to present a sophisticated six-course menu paired with Errázuriz wines, opening with Aconcagua Costa Sauvignon Blanc 2015 served with oysters.

Francisco Baettig, chief winemaker at Errázuriz, welcomed the guests and presented each of the wines tasted. He spoke casually about the soil, harvest conditions, and the way he crafts his wines for more freshness and elegance. “We want to make wines that are more multidimensional and marked by dry notes and verticality,” he told the guests.

In addition to the other Aconcagua Costa wines served—the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 and 2014 Chardonnay, 2014 Pinot Noir, and 2014 Syrah—Francisco also presented �e Blend Red 2012 and �e Blend White 2015, both from the Aconcagua Valley. To showcase the evolution of Errázuriz wines, he shared an old vintage of Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve (1989) along with his most recent Viñedo Chadwick (2014, to be released next year).

As a parting gift, the guests received a beautiful picture of the Aconcagua Costa vineyards.

1. Eduardo Alfaro & Ana María Barahona, of CAV Magazine & Rafael Velasco of DESA./ 2. Marcelo Soto of Capital Magazine. / 3. Paula Piña and Pato Rojas of Placeres Magazine. / 4. Mariana Martinez of Reina de Copas & Errázuriz Oenology Manager Francisco Baettig. / 5. Margaret Snook, Enrique Rivera & Harriet Nahrwold / 6. Daniel Greve of Emporio Creativo / 7. Errázuriz Team: Sebastián Ramirez, Rodrigo Plass, Raimundo Albarrán, Mai Errázuriz, Francisco Baettig, Antonia Olivos & Juan Carlos Garcés.

W W W. E R R A Z U R I Z . C O M

From left to right: Kevin Tan form Beam Suntory, Iaroslav Kazachenko, Asst Sommelier for Salt Grill & Sky Bar, Charmaine Stieger, Asst Sommelier for Salt Tapas & Bar, Carlos de Carlos, Viña Errázuriz Asia Commercial Director and Mohamad Fazil - Group Sommelier Luke Mangan Singapore

Singapore Airlines training session with Viña Errázuriz team.

Viña Errázuriz Chief Winemaker Francisco Baettig’s hectic five-day schedule during his annual Brazilian tour included meetings with major local media, such as Baco Multimidia Director Marcelo Copello, Giacommo Mancini of Correio, Alexandre Lallas of Adega magazine, and Guillherme Rodrigues of Gosto magazine,. During his tastings, the winemaker took the opportunity to present the 2013 Don Maximiano as well as the latest vintages of the Aconcagua Costa and the Las Pizarras project.

Due to the recent incorporation of the 2010 La Cumbre into the Singapore Airlines wine list, Viña Errázuriz hosted a training seminar for the airline’s key executives, commercial team, and some of its sommeliers on August 13. During the session at the Airlines offices, Viña Errázuriz Commercial Director for Asia Carlos de Carlos presented the company’s complete portfolio with a tasting of the Aconcagua Costa line’s 2014 Chardonnay and 2014 Pinot Noir, the Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, and from the premium lines, the 2012 Don Maximiano and the 2010 La Cumbre.

L C S A S: D M’ F-D J

ERRÁZURIZ Around the world

Singapore’s most renowned sommeliers, key Beam Suntory customers, and a significant number of Robert Parker’s �e Wine Advocate’s sales team joined the Viña Errázuriz team in hosting the seminar “Don Maximiano, the Four-Decade Journey” on �ursday August 14.

�e event took place at the exclusive Salt Grill & Sky Bar, whose sommelier, Fazil Mohamed, was named the Best Sommelier of Singapore in 2014. During the seminar the participants tasted the 1989, 1999, 2009, and 2012 of this emblematic wine from Viña Errázuriz.

From left to right: Kevin Tan form Beam Suntory, Iaroslav Kazachenko, Asst Sommelier for Salt Grill & Sky Bar, Charmaine Stieger, Asst Sommelier for Salt Tapas & Bar, Carlos de Carlos, Viña Errázuriz Asia Commercial Director and Mohamad Fazil - Group Sommelier Luke Mangan Singapore.

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