Mediterranean Climate 35.4º Latitude
Harvest
MAULE =
50,574 hectares
23
March - May
Summer avg.
Sub regions
Winter avg.
25º C 8º C 6 mm
Loncomilla Cauquenes Tutuvén
8º C 1º C 110 mm
CHILE
Total rain 735 mm/year
170 producers
5,390 vineyards
4.2 million
Viticulture History MAU
40-100YRS
Age of vines
0
Hectolitres/ year
LE
28 %
1600s 2016
Soil Profiles
Carignan
Sauvignon Blanc
Merlot
Carmenere
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pais
Main Varieties
12.8 million
hectolitres/ year 6th largest producer in the world
23% 19% 18% 11% 10% 7% 7% 8%
A T O LE T
L
LOAM
Others
CLAY
Chardonnay
GRANITE
C HI
$24 USD
Arg. price per bottle of VIGNO
M
aule is a land locked in time. Tucked into the VII region of Chile, it is 5 hours from the capital - Santiago - and feels at least 50 years away from today. Horses not only plough vineyards, but they are a main source of transport for country folk, as well as large road- battered and dirt-splattered pick up trucks. The villages and smaller towns are groups of pink-washed mud brick houses with quaint and sleepy plazas and the occasional church still standing proud after many, many powerful earthquakes. The biggest city is Talca - an agricultural capital best known for its produce market selling artisanal crafts and food stuffs. Locals still giggle at their parochial saying, ‘Talca, Paris, London’, which became the neighbourhood joke since a local hat maker tried to aggrandise his business by falsely stating he had shops in each capital. While Talca is a far cry from any cosmopolitan city like London or Paris, the phrase almost perfectly sums up the locals’ tonguein-cheek humour and undeniable affection for their own country capital and way of life. As with most of Chile’s wine regions, Maule is framed by the coast on the West and the mountains to the East. The vigorous Humbolt current creates large swells and the coastline is rugged and untamed. Moving inland are the middle valleys with small hillsides, fruit plantations and many old vineyards. The long Maule river snakes through
the valley offering a handful of water sports and a lifeline to all the growers. Forests and lakes sit somewhere in-between guarding old legends and legacies of the native tribes, and up to the Andes mountains the horizon changes to volcanos and snowcapped mountains where the Altos del Lircay national park is alongside a handful of ski resorts and hot springs. Maule is wild, largely undiscovered, and rich with culture and histormany old vineyards. The long Maule river snakes through the valley offering a handful of water sports and a lifeline to all the growers. Forests and lakes sit somewhere in-between guarding old legends and legacies of the native tribes, and up to the Andes mountains the horizon changes to volcanos and snowcapped mountains where the Altos del Lircay national park is alongside a handful of ski resorts and hot springs. many old vineyards. The long Maule river snakes through the valley offering a handful of water sports and a lifeline to all the growers. Forests and lakes sit somewhere in-between guarding old legends and legacies of the native tribes, and up to the Andes mountains the horizon changes.
THE VINES & WINES:
Although it might not be the best known, Maule is one of the biggest wine producing regions in Chile. Its great diversity of varieties often don’t even get a mention on the wine label as traditionally this has been the heartland of anonymous wines sold as bulk or table plonk. VIGNO (Vignadores de Carignan) is a movement that has helped change that - putting Maule on the map. With 17 member wineries or producers, making one VIGNO wine each, enthusiasts claim that VIGNO is the first real appellation of Chile, and there may well be reason to their rhyme as the rules of VIGNO are very similar in specificity to those of a traditional European appellation: a minimum of 65% Carignan (only to be blended with other red old-vine varieties from Maule); using vines over 30 years old (or grafted onto old rootstock); vineyards must be dry farmed; and wines must be aged over 2 years before sale. The characteristics of VIGNO show you exactly what is special about Maule. Maule has beautiful old vineyards of varieties such as Carignan and Pais, whose root systems are so deep that many of the vineyards (known as Secano) can be completely dry farmed (with no additional irrigation beyond the rain). This is quite unique in the viticulture world, and is a real gem in Chile where many of most famous wine regions are pioneering new regions barely in their teens. So what does the wine taste like? Well, with 17 different wines in VIGNO there is of course some diversity within producer styles. Although there is a family line in VIG-
What was Sonoma like when you first came here? In 1979 Sonoma was a sleepier place. Napa had all the sizzle because of this rush to Cab, and the marketing genius of Mondavi and collaborative cohesion of Robert Parker gave it this great cache. When I first came here I liked the idea of Sonoma that was very agricultural, genuine, laid-back and chill. There’s not a lot of high octane stuff. Napa seemed liked one great retail mall. You were very instrumental in getting the Moon Mountain AVA. Why is it important to differentiate? It was really important to me because what I do in terms of farming and to produce these wines should not be associated with those in Sonoma Valley that just do the status quo. That was not acceptable to me. I am only interested in the highest end you can get from my vineyards. I used to want to make the best wine in the world, then the best wine in California. Now I want to make the best wine from my vineyard. You live on your vineyard, are you hands on in the process? I hate leaving. There are whole days that I don’t leave the vineyard. I do martial arts on the porch in the morning, then I write all day, then I go to the winery and cycle to the tasting room [in Sonoma] to visit everybody. I am involved in all the decisions and the blending. I am tasting out of the barrels all the time. I am around the process but don’t influence the process in the least. Where does the magic happen? The vineyard is where the magic happens. The winery is where the winemakers try not to fuck up the magic. You’re working on the new judgement of Paris film based on Steven Spurrier’s life. Apart from that, would you say wine inspires many of your movies? Can any part of your life so big, like your vineyard, really be that separate from your writing?
CARIGNAN 9º-13ºC ALC%
12-14
Food Pairings
In my screen writing I live in the world of imagination. Growing grapes is diametrically the opposite! Everything is very concrete. There’s nothing you can make up or invent in a vineyard… Tell us about the 1996 fire. I made a movie and I burned the vineyard down [A Walk in the Clouds]. Then 2 years later my own vineyard burned down… It destroyed the whole vineyard. Moon Mountain lost 70% of their fruit. When we went to collect from Pacific Gas [the fire was caused by their power line] they didn’t care till I hired a lawyer who had beaten them before and then they wanted to settle.
NO, and that is the old vine Carignan. Almost all the wines are made from grapes purchased from very small producers around Maule, small to the extent whereby they may count their land by number of vines owned rather than hectares. More text here. So what does the wine taste like? Well, with 17 different wines in VIGNO there is of course some diversity within producer styles. Although there is a family line in VIGNO, and that is the old vine Carignan. Almost all the wines are made from grapes purchased from very small producers around Maule, small to the extent whereby they may count their land by number of vines owned rather than hectares. Although there is a family line in VIGNO, and that is the old vine Carignan. Almost all the wines are made from grapes purchased from very small producers around Maule, small to the extent whereby they may count their land by number of vines owned rather than hectares.
TRAVEL GUIDE HOW TO GET THERE Maule is a 5 hour journey from Santiago, Chile, by road. You can easily hire a car and the journey is quite direct straight down the Ruta 5, although the wine routes require a bit more patience and good GPS. Alternatively catch a bus to Talca, and a taxi from there to your final destination. To reach Santiago, United Airlines offer flights from major US airports. Santiago is a 16 hour flight from London, 10 hours from New York, and 5 hours from Sao Paulo. www.united.com WHERE TO STAY If you are looking for vineyard accommodation, try www.tabonko.cl at Gillmore winery, or the private guesthouse at J Bouchon www.bouchonfamilywines.com For a stay in central Talca, try the Eco Hotel www.ecohotel. cl or the casino chain hotel www.hotelcasinotalca.cl. If you are looking for vineyard accommodation, try www.tabonko.cl at Gillmore winery, or the private guesthouse at J Bouchon www.bouchonfamilywines.com For a stay in central Talca, try the Eco Hotel www.ecohotel.cl or the casino chain hotel www.hotelcasinotalca.cl WHERE TO EAT Maule is filled with low key, locals eateries but if you want a bit of haute cuisine Cocina y Gastronomia en San Bonifacio in Chanco and Terra Costa in Constitucion are top picks. Maule is filled with low key, locals eateries but if you want a bit of haute cuisine Cocina y Gastronomia en San Bonifacio in Chanco and Terra Costa in Constitucion are top picks. BUDGET PLANNING On a low budget, $60 - 80 a day. On a top budget, $150-200 a day per couple. On a low budget, $60 - 80 a day. On a top budget, $150-200 a day per couple .
Through the lens of
Featured photographer: Matt Wilson Matt Wilson is a British photographer who moved to Chile’s wine regions after marrying his wife, a Chilean winemaker ten years ago. With a background in skateboarding and music photography, he always brings a lively dimension to wine photography and his personal philosophy is that “no wine photo should ever have a glass of wine in it!” www.mattwilson.cl
Photos_in_Chile
matt.wilson_gc