EDITORIAL

It was an absolute pleasure to be back in Chile to write the third edition of the Alistair Cooper MW by Catad’Or Wine Guide in April of 2024. While I still get to taste many wines from Chile while at home in the UK, nothing can beat spending time in the country, visiting vineyards, meeting producers, and tasting the wines together. Understanding the context of these wines through listening to the winemakers and their thought processes behind them is invaluable when writing a guide such as this. As always, there were many new wines and projects to be discovered, as well as established and old favourites.

It is no secret that it has been a difficult year for the wine industry, not just in Chile but globally—this is certainly not a problem unique to Chile. Global consumption has fallen, the cost of living has risen, and exports are subsequently down, largely driven by a fall in exports to a few major countries such as China and the USA. Yet, we have seen some solid recovery over the past six months. The UK has bucked the trend and is the leading market in terms of value, with increases of 40%, which pleases me particularly for obvious reasons! To this end, we are planning some events in the UK to help promote the wines that have featured in this edition of the wine guide. The main objective of this guide is to help producers and drive awareness of their wines and of the superb quality and value that Chile offers.

This year also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the ‘discovery’ of Carménère in Chile. It is so pleasing to see the upward trajectory of this fascinating grape variety in its spiritual home of Chile. With three decades of production, we are finally seeing the potential come to fruition. And the future is very bright indeed, with some truly superb expressions and interpretations of Carménère coming from different regions. While Colchagua might claim to be the ultimate terroir for Carménère, I would say that Maipo and Maule are easily in the same league, as shown by the quite superb wines from Casa Bauzá in Maipo.

Innovation and experimentation continue at a great pace both in the vineyard and in the winery. I visited Chiloé with Montes Wines in April to see their project on the remote island of Añihué—a truly remarkable site and one that is pushing the geographical boundaries. Every year, these southern boundaries keep being pushed, and the revival of the historical heartland of Chile's wine industry in Southern Maule and Itata shows no sign of slowing. As I mentioned last year, there seems to be more associativity between smaller producers and larger ones—perhaps not at the level that is needed just yet, but there have certainly been positive steps in recent years. It is hard to overstate the importance of the need for the Chilean wine industry to work together, especially given the current market climate.

We are finally seeing some changes to Decreto 464, which has caused many unnecessary restrictions for producers over the years. The creation of two new DOs in Chiloé and Rapa Nui is to be applauded. While they might not be significant currently or even in the future given their size, this offers producers increased visibility and consumers increased knowledge of the different terroirs that Chile has to offer. There have also been significant changes concerning permitted labelling of grape varieties. A further 41 grapes have been added to the 47 previously allowed to be officially named on the label. This will further encourage experimentation and innovation in the vineyard, which is a positive move.

Vintage variation continues in Chile, with 2024 proving to be a very long and extended harvest, yet with excellent potential. Warmer conditions in the North brought harvest as early as the end of January in Limarí and Elqui, while cooler conditions in the South delayed harvest in parts of Maule until mid-May. Chile has now experienced two very wet winters in 2023 and 2024, which has been excellent news for the wine industry, allowing much-depleted water reserves to be replenished.

It was a fantastic tasting for the guide—over two weeks and almost 800 wines. Chile is certainly one of the most dynamic wine-producing countries in the world, and every year I see innovation and really positive developments. It is the rate of change that really surprises me, and Chile is far more exciting than it was only 10-15 years ago. A lot of that is due to the younger generation coming through, who are open to new ideas, techniques, and challenges. I must say that none of this would have been possible without the incredible hard work of Sofia Le Foulon, who manages to keep Pablo and me in order—no mean feat! Finally, thank you to all the producers who shared their wines, their time, and their knowledge with me. Congratulations to you all on your well-deserved scores.


Alistair Cooper MW

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