#08-2021
In the world of wine, very few wineries have been held in more admiration over the last two centuries than the Concha y Toro Winery in Maipo, Chile. They produce wines from eight up to two hundred dollars a bottle, and there is a consistency un-rivaled in the marketplace. Their twenty to thirty dollar line, labeled Marques de Casa Concha, can always be relied on to be among the best in their class. So when I chose this Cab to pair with our two inch thick fillet, grilled a perfect medium rare, for our Valentine’s Day dinner, I knew it would be a good match!
The wine history of Southern Chile, particularly the regions of Bío Bío and Itata – one of the country’s oldest wine-growing regions – dates back hundreds of years, yet it is only more recently that the regions of the south are gaining increased recognition, particularly for dry-farmed vineyards and old vines.
‘We’ve tried some wonderful wines from the likes of Malleco, Bío Bío and Itata’ commented Peter Richards MW, Regional Chair for Chile, during Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 judging month.
‘The reason is, these areas being slightly further south, slightly cooler, slightly rainier, means a longer growing season, and often dry farmed – no irrigation. That’s great because it makes for really elegant, refreshing wines; wines with a sense of place.
Printing Process: Various INSPIRATION: The inspiration of this project is born from the main economic engines of Chile, mining and agriculture. Copper, earth, leaves and fruits are intertwined graphically in an oenological piece that combines the excellence, elegance and character of a great wine. Its composition between blackberries and black currants, between graphite and black tar chromatically define the visual flavors of this project. Marqués de Casa Concha, Etiqueta Negra (Black Label) comes from the best location in Chile for the crops of red varieties and shows all the potential of the renowned terroir of the Alto Maipo Valley.
The Drinks Business
10 December 2020 By Patrick Schmitt
While the South American powerhouse was rewarded in our competition, the Global Malbec Masters showed that other countries can hold their own when it comes to making exciting wines from this grape, writes
Patrick Schmitt MW.
If you were in doubt as to the power of brand Malbec, then look at the range of medallists in this year’s competition. Not surprisingly Argentina dominates – this is, after all, the country that made Malbec famous. It elevated a sidelined French grape into an international superstar, but witness where it’s now grown, and the styles of wine it produces. We even tasted a ‘white Malbec’, then, as the sampling continued, tried reds from Turkey, Spain, and South Africa, all made with Malbec, despite those countries having no history of handling the grape.