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¿Cómo sueño el vino chileno?

Saturday, 05 September 2026 by Derek Mossman Knapp

Reportaje La Cav

“Le pedimos a un grupo de productores, enólogos y protagonistas de la industria vitivinícola chilena que respondieran, en primera persona, sobre sus sueños, el vino que mejor representa al país y cómo deberíamos estar en el largo plazo.

– por Alejandro Jiménez

Derek Mossman Knapp. 

COFUNDADOR DE GARAGE WINE CO.

Una frase

Más vinos chilenos pensados para el sabor, con voluntad y propósito, no para el mercado ni el supermercado.

Un sueño

Mi sueño es que los orígenes dentro de Chile por fin se diferenciaran, como en VIGNO, y se apoyaran mutuamente.

Que los vinos de viejos viñedos / old vines se conviertan en una categoría propiamente tal.

Los chilenos acomodados empezarán a beber más allá del Maipo, más allá de los siete mil pesos, y más allá del cabernet y la carmenère, como lo hace el resto del mundo.

Los chilenos se darán cuenta de que, si uno quiere disfrutar el vino, no hace falta ser un experto: basta con juntar a amigos y familia en una mesa grande y abrir más de una botella a la vez, más seguido. Y se acordarán de invitar a los más jóvenes a que se alejen de las pantallas y se sumen a esa mesa.

Menos barrica, menos esnobismo, más respeto por el trabajo de la tierra.

Durante el último recambio generacional los precios bajaron para que los volúmenes pudieran subir. Con el próximo recambio generacional, la calidad y la identidad subirán para que los precios puedan seguirlas.

El discurso del rubro finalmente habrá cambiado a ser algo distinto -o más- que lo meramente técnico.

El vino que mejor representa al país

Cru Truquilemu, D.O. Empedrado, valle del Maule. Cariñena y syrah en mezcla de campo. Un caballo oscuro de pocas palabras. 

Necesita tiempo, pero envejece regio. Elegante. Largo en boca. Fresco. Y absolutamente desatado cuando se junta con una mesa feliz.

¿Cómo deberíamos estar en el largo plazo?

Creo que la industria siempre ha insistido en que el vino es uno solo -el industrial y el más fino- y que no hay ninguna razón por la que un productor industrial no pueda hacer también el mejor vino de Chile. Encuentro eso absurdo, y siempre lo ha sido.

Creo que por fin vamos a empezar a dividirnos un poco: vamos a tener vino industrial y granel por un lado, y otro grupo de precio más alto, más sano, más independiente, con intención. No solo los pequeños; también algunos grandes van a decidir hacer vino fino a una escala menor, pero distinguible del resto. Eso les va a dar más prominencia con sus clientes.

Hubo un cambio generacional en el que fuimos hacia abajo: los hijos de los pioneros, en lugar de tomar lo que les dio la familia y hacerlo más fino, pero fueron a buscar el granel. Creo que la próxima generación va a ir hacia el otro lado y lo va a llevar más arriba. Uno no espera que Jaguar o Ford hagan un Ferrari; Ferrari hace Ferrari, hace la categoría más sexy. El mejor auto del mundo no lo hace la empresa más grande de autos del mundo. En Chile tenemos la idea de que sí.

La Cav
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Vinos de autor – La Cav

Friday, 04 September 2026 by Derek Mossman Knapp

Por: Ana María Barahona A. 

Fotos Macarena Álvarez y agradecimientos viñas.

Dagaz y Garage Wine Co.

El carácter del Sur

Uno es una suerte de gusto personal de su creador  que se enamoró de Itata y quiso ampliar el registro de  su marca. El otro, es una mirada más relajada de un proyecto que fijó su residencia en los viñedos viejos del Maule.

Cuando Marco Puyo armó su marca personal “Dagaz”, todas las fichas estaban puestas en el campo que había adquirido años antes en la zona de Pumanque, Colchagua. Pero a poco andar, se dejó enamorar por las parras viejas del Itata que había mirado desde lejos en sus tiempos en San Pedro. “Hice algunos ensayos, y cuando ya había echado a andar Dagaz puse en la balanza no solo la mirada de empresario sino también el enólogo que quería hacer un vino de cinsault con todas esas cualidades: fresco, jugoso, fácil de tomar”, reconoce.

Esta etiqueta se une al portafolio “Parcelas de Granito” que habla de la vocación del enólogo por buscar perfiles de suelo que acompañen la matriz de Pumanque, con un viñedo que está en la zona de Guarilihue a 20 kilómetros en línea recta al mar y con parras que tienen 44 años en promedio. “Hemos crecido harto con esta etiqueta, y mi percepción es que el público agradece este estilo de vinos de taninos vibrantes y suaves a la vez”.

Pilar Miranda, socia y enóloga de Garage Wine Co., reconoce que fue dándose de manera natural una búsqueda menos intelectual y más relajada de la marca para ofrecer vinos de más fácil acceso como este Revival cabernet sauvignon. “Luego de un pedido del extranjero, nos dimos cuenta que podíamos ofrecer vinos de precios más atractivos para el público sin perder ni un poco de nuestra esencia por eso me gusta definir este cabernet como un vino con carácter, pero que se entiende solo”.

Revival proviene de viñedos viejos de cabernet sauvignon injertado sobre raíces de país de más de 100 años, y en algunas parcelas hay mezcla con pequeños porcentajes de país y malbec. “Nos gustó la idea de crecer con vinos de pueblo, y sumarnos a estas etiquetas que han salido de cabernet sauvignon del Maule. El nuestro quiere tener el estilo propio de Garage, sin perder la complejidad de la cepa”, afirma la enóloga.

La Cav
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Premiación 2025 Alistar Cooper MW by Catad’Or

Thursday, 04 September 2025 by Derek Mossman Knapp

It is an honour to be so considered in Alistair Cooper´s guide again this year. We have always felt consistency is a virtue, not only year on year, but in this case across the portfolio— and indeed across the various critics who taste with a different perspective and point of view. Thank you.

Medals

Best Red Wine, Best Cabernet Sauvignon, Best Cabernet Franc, Best Cariñena and Best Maule Valley— for a second Cariñena from Truqui.

Perhaps it is not so new any more to have the wines well received, but with success it is important to keep one´s feet planted firmly on the ground and to say thank you to our entire team of farmers. It has been many years in the making, years of incessant experimentation, dozens of trials separating smaller bits to compare and contrast, that helped us to make a series of small decisions that built on each other, year after year, until twenty + years later the sustained curiosity and perseverance generated small incremental improvements the sum of whose parts leads to recognition like this. It has always been a labour of love working with these gorgeous old vineyards, still under appreciated but no longer forgotten, whose only sins were to be too far from a paved road, too small to fill a truck and impossible to mechanise.

Garage is proud to have had a hand in reviving some worthy underdogs: a Cabernet from Cauquenes front and centre and once again our favorite less-than-considered grape: Cariñena in a slowly becoming more considered place: Empedrado.

Raise a glass with us of thanks for old vines @ouroldvines and small wine – small by design / on purpose, for balance and longevity, tension over extraccion, and for dark horses in such illustrious company. Congratulations to you all: @almavivawinery @donmelchorwine @mateticvineyards @altair.wine @vinosmontes @MontesFolly

Pilar and I would like to recognise the entire Garage team on the farms and in the cellar: Cristian & Ester, Jose and clan Medel: Alejo, Ana & Estla, Daniel Flores, Cotaco, Haroldo & Miguelito, Raúl & Alvaro, Don Franco & Edmundo, Tia Angelica & Tia Maria, Señora Luz, Elsa, Don Hugo Pereira & Don Julio Moraga, Carlos Varas, Armando, Segundo Opazo, Jorge, Juan, Francisco, Valeska y Diego, Javier . . . . . . and our co-conspirateurs who support us from Jorge and Javier with Regenerative Agriculture and Alejandro & Felipe with analysis.

[Music heard rising in volume drowning out the words]

Thank you Alistair @alistaircoopermw ! and @acmwbycatador

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Celebrating the Soul of Old Vine País: Introducing ALMAULE

Thursday, 17 July 2025 by Derek Mossman Knapp

Vinography.com – Alder Yarrow

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about VIGNO, a unique movement created in Chile to celebrate and spotlight old-vine, dry-farmed Carignan in Chile’s Maule Valley.

That is, it was unique—until about four years ago, when six of the players involved in VIGNO decided the same thing needed to be done for the old-vine País of Maule’s Secano Interior. And so ALMAULE was born.

Interestingly, while the old-vine Carignan in Maule dates to the middle of the 20th century, there are many País vineyards in the region well over a century old. These scraggly, own-rooted vines have made beautifully delicious wines for generations, mostly consumed by locals or sold to massive wineries where the grapes traditionally disappeared into mass-market regional blends.

While the philosophy behind VIGNO leans toward a more serious, fine-wine approach to Carignan, the philosophy at ALMAULE seems quite the opposite. País has long been a wine of the people, and ALMAULE aims to celebrate that by putting the grape back where it used to be—not on a pedestal, but on dinner tables, picnic blankets, beach towels, tailgates, and afternoon plaza benches, where it was once ubiquitous.

“ALMAULE is a tribute to the cultural richness of Secano and the resilient capacity of winemaking that, since 1548, gave rise to Chile’s most emblematic industry and symbol in the world.”

— From the founders

The Dry Land

Maule’s Secano Interior region boasts a remarkable 19,000 hectares of vines. No one knows exactly how much of that is País, but nearly everyone in the region grows at least some País—it’s the oldest grape variety in the country.

“Not everyone has old-vine Carignan,” says Derek Mossman Knapp, one of the founding members of both VIGNO and ALMAULE, “but almost everyone has some País, and the thinking is that this really should be what our young people in Chile are learning to drink with instead of mixed drinks or beer. This is about easy drinking.”

The ALMAULE group, like VIGNO, has defined a set of production standards that its members must follow in order to use the ALMAULE designation.

ALMAULE wines must:

  • Come from the subregions of Talca, Pencahue, San Clemente, San Rafael, San Javier, Villa Alegre, Parral, Linares, and Cauquenes
  • Contain at least 90% País grown on head-trained vines over 30 years of age
  • Have an alcohol content of at least 12.5% and residual sugar of less than 5 g/l

Wines must also pass a blind tasting panel evaluation to ensure that they are “fresh, rustic, clear, clean, and juicy red wine reflective of the vintage, where varietal characteristics predominate.”

País, of course, has become something of a darling in the natural wine scene over the past 15 years, and ALMAULE seems determined to set itself apart from those wines—partly by hearkening back to the fresh and uncomplicated wines that were traditionally made from the grape.

Even more so than VIGNO, the folks behind ALMAULE seem focused on the local Chilean market. Despite similar beginnings, VIGNO eventually became much more influential outside of Chile than within it. Whether the same thing will happen to ALMAULE remains to be seen—especially given País’s popularity in trendy wine bars and restaurants these days.

“There isn’t a wine list in Brooklyn without a País on it,” jokes Knapp. “And if they don’t have it, they’ll guiltily tell you they’re out and offer to go get a bottle from their sister restaurant down the street.”

That’s a promising signal of potential, but Knapp is much more pleased with the reception so far within Chile. “When you take these [ALMAULE] wines out to an event, or something social in Chile, people pick it up by the glass and swig it. VIGNO is still more of a hand-sell—a ‘with food’ wine. You take ALMAULE out, and it seems people are content to drink this instead of beer.”

País for the People

There are plenty of underrated grapes in the world, but País ranks high on the list of those dismissed by the modern wine establishment. I’ve written about this phenomenon before, and tried to make the case that while there may indeed have been an era when País wines from both California and Chile were a little wild and rustic, that was more a reflection of the effort and care put into those wines—not the intrinsic quality of the grape itself.

País, in the right hands, can be made into a delightful wine, full of energy, freshness, fruit, and juicy acidity. Light in color and body, the grape lends itself perfectly to today’s fascination with chillable reds and other “smashable” genres.

The ALMAULE producers were kind enough to send me some bottles to show what they’re up to, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. From the vaunted name of Baron Philippe de Rothschild to the humble local cooperative winery in Loncomilla, the wines have a cheerful deliciousness that’s impossible to ignore.

The name ALMAULE is a portmanteau of Maule and alma, which means “soul.” It’s a fitting label for wines that manage to bridge nearly 500 years of winemaking history and still feel right at home in the modern age.

We all need to be drinking more País.

Tasting Notes

Unfortunately, these wines are not yet available in the US (or most other places in the world, for that matter), as they are relatively new to market and made in small quantities. But keep an eye out for them over the next year or two. They’re worth waiting for.

2023 Balduzzi Almaule País, Maule Valley, Chile
Light to medium ruby in the glass with some blood-red highlights, this wine smells of cherries, candied pomegranate, and flowers. In the mouth, juicy and bright acidity makes sour cherry, mulberry, and raspberry flavors zingy and mouthwatering as fine, powdery tannins coat the mouth and stiffen with time. Aromatic and long, with a lovely perfume. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.

2024 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Almaule – Terra Sagrada País, Maule Valley, Chile
Medium garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of boysenberries and black raspberries. In the mouth, juicy, almost saline flavors of unripe blackberry and black raspberries mix with sour cherry and a hint of dried herbs. Wonderfully mouthwatering with the faintest gauzy tannins adding a little texture. Made from a single 3.7ha vineyard. 12.5% alcohol. Certified vegan. Score: around 9.

2023 Entre Rosas & Parras Almaule País, Maule Valley, Chile
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of boysenberries and blueberries. In the mouth, there’s a light petillance on the tongue as boysenberry and grape soda flavors are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins. Tastes like it was made with carbonic maceration. A bit overly fruity for my taste, but with good acidity. Alcohol unknown, as the wine is missing a back label. Score: between 8 and 8.5.

2023 Erasmo Almaule País, Secano Interior, San Javier, Maule Valley, Chile
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of road dust, warm (clean) dog fur, and strawberries. In the mouth, juicy berry flavors are bright with citrus peel notes as excellent acidity makes the mouth water. Lightly grippy tannins coat the mouth, and a hint of herbal bitterness lingers in the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5.

2022 Garage Wine Co. Almaule País, Maule Valley, Chile
Light to medium ruby in the glass with some garnet highlights, this wine smells of dusty roads, chaparral, and red berries. In the mouth, the wine has a faintly earthy and animal note to it, like wet dog fur, along with strawberry and raspberry fruit shot through with lightly bitter dried herbs. Powdery tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly in the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5.

2023 Gillmore Almaule País, Maule Valley, Chile
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries, raspberries, and underbrush. In the mouth, bright, juicy strawberry and raspberry flavors are shot through with a lightly bitter herbal flavor and hints of sawdust. Excellent acidity and the faintest of tannins. 12.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9.

2023 Las Valetas Almaule País, Maule Valley, Chile
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherries, raspberries, and wildflowers. In the mouth, powdery tannins coat the mouth as wonderfully juicy strawberry and cherry flavors make the mouth water, thanks to excellent acidity. The tannins settle like a gauze on the palate but then gradually stiffen, giving this wine a slow grip. Alcohol unknown. Score: between 8.5 and 9.

2023 Cooperativa Loncomilla Almaule País, Loncomilla, Maule Valley, Chile
Pale ruby in the glass, looking very much like a rosé, this wine smells of strawberries and wildflowers. In the mouth, silky flavors of berries and flowers have a bright juiciness to them with no trace of bitterness. This is just bright, aromatically sweet fruit and all the more charming for it. Excellent acidity and a near absence of tannins. Very delicious. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.

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Puntajes Vinous 2025

Tuesday, 01 July 2025 by Derek Mossman Knapp

¨ Garage takes top honours with the latest report from Joaquin Hidalgo @hidalgovino with VINOUS @vinousmedia Note: we share the honour, rubbing shoulders with Andrea & Charles at Clos Apalta @ClosApalta .

Pilar and I would like to recognise the entire Garage team on the farms and in the cellar: Cristian & Ester, Jose and clan Medel: Alejo, Ana & Estla, Daniel Flores, Cotaco, Haroldo & Miguelito,  Raúl & Alvaro, Don Franco & Edmundo, Tia Angelica & Tia Maria, Señora Luz, Elsa, Don Hugo Pereira & Don Julio Moraga, Carlos Varas, Armando, Segundo Opazo, Jorge, Juan, Francisco, Pete, Valeska y Diego, Javier . . .  . . . and our co-conspirateurs who support us from Jorge with Regenerative Agriculture and Alejandro & Felipe with analysis.

It has been more than 20+ years of hard work, tradition elbow to elbow with science, but a labour of love working with these gorgeous old vineyards, still under appreciated but no longer forgotten, whose only sins were to be: too far from a paved road, too small to fill a truck and impossible to mechanise.

We are proud to have had a hand in reviving some to be worthy underdogs, in this case one made from a less-than-considered grape: Cariñena in an un-considered place: Empedrado. Let´s here it for old vines and small wine – small by design / on purpose, and for balance and longevity, tension over extraccion, and . . .

[Music heard rising in volume drowning out the words] thank you Vinous!

ESPAÑOL :

Garage obtiene el máximo honor con el último informe de Joaquín Hidalgo @hidalgovino en VINOUS @vinousmedia. Nota: compartimos este honor, codeándonos con Clos Apalta @ClosApalta.

Pilar y yo queremos reconocer a todo el equipo de Garage en los campos y en bodega: Cristian & Ester, José y el clan Medel: Alejo, Ana & Estla, Daniel Flores, Cotaco, Haroldo & Miguelito, Raúl & Álvaro, Don Franco & Edmundo, Tía Angélica & Tía María, Señora Luz, Elsa, Don Hugo Pereira & Don Julio Moraga, Carlos Varas, Armando, Segundo Opazo, Jorge, Juan, Francisco, Pete, Valeska y Diego, Javier . . . . . . y nuestros co-conspiradores que nos apoyan: Jorge con Agricultura Regenerativa y Alejandro & Felipe con análisis.

Han sido más de 20 años de trabajo, tradición codo a codo con ciencia, pero un trabajo de amor cultivando estos hermosos viñedos antiguos, aún subvalorados pero ya no olvidados, cuyos únicos pecados fueron: estar demasiado lejos de un camino pavimentado, ser demasiado pequeños para llenar un camión e imposibles de mecanizar.Estamos orgullosos de haber tenido un rol en revivir algunos para ser dignos caballos oscuros, en este caso uno hecho de una cepa poco considerada: Cariñena en un lugar poco conocido por vino: Empedrado.

¡Brindemos por las vides viejas y el viñatero pequeño – pequeño por diseño / a propósito, y por equilibrio y longevidad, tensión sobre extracción, y . . . [Se escucha música subiendo de volumen ahogando las palabras] ¡gracias Vinous!

VINOUS Media, Joaquín Hidalgo, June 2025

2022 Cariñena Field Blend Cru

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Color: Red

The 2022 Cariñena Field Blend Cru from Empedrado, Maule, is based on Carignan with Syrah and other grapes. The nose reveals red fruit, herbs, ash, raspberry and delicate pomegranate. Silky and agile, driven by elevated acidity and palate intensity, it finishes with layered complexity. The combination of supple texture and vibrant flavor make this unique.

2022 Vigno

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Release Price: $45

Color: Red

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2040

The 2022 Vigno is a field blend of mostly Carignan and Monastrell from Truquilemu, Maule. It was harvested in passes, fermented with partially lignified whole clusters and aged briefly in foudres. This is herbal and stemmy on the nose, with bright red cherry notes. It’s dry and silky with moderately fine tannins and grippy edges. The 2022 is long and energetic, where the interplay of texture and juiciness is so appealing.

2022 Cariñena Truquilemu – Lot 137

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Release Price: $45

Color: Red

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2040

The 2022 Cariñena Truquilemu – Lot 137 hails from Empedrado in Maule. Fresh and expressive, it delivers delicate aromas of cherry and pomegranate, accented by subtle herbal notes. The palate is dry, intense and juicy, with a silky texture and persistent flavor. Though somewhat linear, it offers a compelling purity of expression and a soft, velvety feel. Grippy tannins add structure, while the cool-climate character shapes a long, flavorful finish. This is a Cariñena that achieves clear varietal expression with depth and nuance, beyond mere fruit and ripeness.

2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Renacido Lote 134

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Color: Red

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2040

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Renacido Lote 134 comes from Cauquenes, Maule. This expressive red opens with aromas of red fruit, redcurrant, blackberry and raspberry, underscored by a hint of ash. Subtle balsamic and camphor notes add complexity to the mix. Lean in body, with compact tannins and a core of richness, it shows finely woven structure and moderate intensity. Still in development, this will benefit from at least two more years in bottle to reach its full refinement. For now, power leads the way, but elegance is close behind. The freshness of the vintage lends charm and lift.

2022 Cabernet Franc

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Color: Red

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2040

The 2022 Cabernet Franc from Las Higueras, Maule, opens with ash, delicate herbs and mint, balanced by subtle pyrazines and a cassis backdrop. Dry, juicy and finely textured, this shows compact structure and clear fruit definition. Reminiscent of the Loire in expression, it finishes with a mentholated note and delivers impressive complexity and tension.

2021 The Ploughmen

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Color: Red

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2040

The 2021 The Ploughmen is a blend of Garnacha, Cariñena and Monastrell from Sauzal, Maule. It shows a liqueur-like profile, with black fruit, fig, cherry, rose and licorice aromas. Dry and structured, the active tannins and elevated freshness give this juiciness and presence, with mature fruit notes.

2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Revival

Producer: Garage Wine Co.

Color: Red

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2035

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Revival comes from Maule. With cassis and blackberry aromas, plus subtle menthol and camphor, this is a dry, broad red with a hint of orange zest on the palate. Flavorful and slightly warm in tone, it finishes with depth and regional character.

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Los más influyentes del vino – La Cav 2025

Friday, 25 April 2025 by Derek Mossman Knapp

Ana María Barahona

Periodista. Directora editorial Revista LA CAV.

Hola! Nuestra revista de mayo ya está comenzando a viajar por todo Chile, y por acá les cuento los titulares:
🍷Junto a Alejandro encuestamos a más de 40 personas para elegir a los personajes y proyectos más influyentes del vino chileno. Acá están las figuras que están llamadas a escribir los nuevos capítulos de esta historia (sí, son todas mujeres); los proyectos que producen mayor orgullo como imagen país, y aquellos referentes que siguen siendo fundamentales por su trayectoria.
🍹Celebramos al pisco chileno con un completo abecedario escrito por Consuelo @consuelog_ ;
🍛🍷Carlos @viajealsaborchile nos cuenta de los buenos nuevos tiempos del barrio Italia con clásicos que se reinventan, que persisten y otros que llegan a sumar. Varios de ellos con interesantes opciones para los amantes del vino;
🍷🥧 La periodista Daniela Tapia nos cuenta de su viaje al condado de Polk en Florida, donde no solo hay vida de astronautas también un puñado de opciones para comer y beber con actitud;
🍷Pude conversar en nuestro perfil con uno de los socios de @vinaaquitania, Bruno Prats a propósito de la persistencia por permanecer en Chile.
Su retrato es obra de @sebastian_utreras y la producción de @cayamacana;
🍷Y, en nuestra última página, les contamos de la importante celebración de ese gran cabernet de Peñañolén llamado Lázuli. @singleferments

7-Reportaje-Los-mas-influyentes-del-vino-eng

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Robert Parker: latest critics

Monday, 31 March 2025 by Derek Mossman Knapp

Some very kind words from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate in the recent article by Matthew Luczy— the new man on the beat for South America.

Beyond the contentment for Pilar, Alvaro, Ernesto, Ignacio and I and the whole team on the farms and in the bodegas, without doubt, this is a broader recognition for the old vines of the Maule and Itata and for the farmers who have been the stewards of these vineyards and this viticulture for generations. Raise a glass with us to wine made small on purpose, with focus. More hand, more land, less brand.

Beyond our having achieved something— make no mistake Matthew, we are thrilled! let this be a call for many more to do more to revive and make thrive important pieces of the mosaic that is wine, and to do business, thinking long term: business as a force for good.

Better agriculture makes for better health as well as better cheer.

djmk

Matthew LuczyRobert Parkerwine awards
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Premiación guía Descorchados 2025 – Garagewine Co.

Friday, 24 January 2025 by Derek Mossman Knapp

Consistency is important to us, consistency across different critics and from vintage to vintage— consistently better is the best consistency of all. 

Thus we are, in a word: thrilled with our wines ‘performance’ in Descorchados 2025. Terrific to see old-vine Maipo CS taking a proper place next to our Maule old vine wines. And terrific that Patricio insist we release our old-vine Malbec even if we do not yet have a name for her! 

Cheers to the entire team farm, winery and warehouse and kudos for all of their efforts to make ours a business with purpose, slowly but surely making a difference beyond just the bottom line. 

La consistencia es importante para nosotros, la consistencia a través de diferentes críticos y de añada en añada – consistentemente mejor es la mejor consistencia de todas. 

Así que estamos, en una palabra: chochos con el rendimiento de nuestros vinos en Descorchados 2025. Es estupendo ver que el Maipo de cepas viejas ocupa un lugar apropiado junto a nuestros vinos de cepas viejas del Maule. Y fantástico que Patricio insista en que lancemos nuestro Malbec de viñas viejas, ¡aunque todavía no tengamos un nombre para él! [Por Nombrar Malbec 2o22] 

Kudos a todo el equipo de campo, bodega y deposito y felicitaciones por todos sus esfuerzos para hacer de la nuestra una empresa con propósito, poco a poco haciendo una diferencia más allá del bottom line.

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James Suckling’s top chilean wines 2024

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 by Derek Mossman Knapp

James Suckling´s team tasted thousands of Chilean wines last year. Sekun and James visited several producers, traipsing through dozens of vineyards and talking to many more winemakers. They chose to review 1,546 of them. And now they have chosen 100 to spotlight. The Top 100 Wines of Chile is a curated list that aims to provide a panoramic view of the country’s outstanding and exciting bottles, as well as those that are daring and awe-inspiring. Garage is thrilled to be a part of their 100:  #41 Pereira Vineyard Syrah – 2o21 and at # 89 Isidore Vineyard Semillon.

El equipo de James Suckling cató miles de vinos chilenos el año pasado. Sekun y James visitaron varios productores, recorriendo decenas de viñedos y conversando con muchos más enólogos. Eligieron publicar 1.546 etiquetas. Ahora han seleccionado 100 para destacar. Los Top 100 Vinos de es una lista seleccionada que busca proporcionar una visión panorámica de las botellas sobresalientes y emocionantes del país, así como aquellas que son audaces e impresionantes. Garage está encantado de ser parte de sus 100: #41 Pereira Vineyard Syrah – 2021 y en el #89 Isidore Vineyard Semillon.

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El Mostrador: ¿Cuáles son los mejores vinos chilenos según la guía Alistair Cooper MV by Catd’Or?

Wednesday, 11 September 2024 by Derek Mossman Knapp

¿Quién es la mejor enóloga?

Fuente: Revista Jengibre de El Mostrador

En el contexto del Día Nacional del Vino, Catad’Or realizó el lanzamiento y la ceremonia de premiación de la edición 2024 del Alistair Cooper MW by Catad’Or Wine Guide, guía que se ha consolidado como una referencia esencial para los amantes y expertos en vinos.

La Alistair Cooper MW by Catad’Or Wine Guide es una cuidadosa evaluación de los mejores vinos de Chile, realizada por Master of Wine (MW) británico Alistair Cooper. En esta tercera edición, la guía destaca por su enfoque en la calidad, diversidad y autenticidad de los vinos chilenos, reafirmando la posición del país como un líder en la producción vinícola.
El lanzamiento y premiación de esta guía reunió a las más prestigiosas viñas y bodegas de Chile, así como a profesionales de la industria, sommeliers y aficionados en una gran celebración en torno al vino.
Durante la ceremonia, se reconocieron los vinos más destacados entre las más de 850 muestras de vino evaluadas.

Los vinos premiados en las distintas categorías fueron:

Mejor vino tinto

  • Cru Truquilemu. 2019. Garage Wine Co. Valle del Maule.

Mejor ensamblaje tinto

  • Los Inquietos 01. 2021. Miguel Torres. Valle del Maule.
  • Memorias. 2021. Viña El Principal. Valle del Maipo
  • AP. 2021. Viña Andes Plateau. Valle del Maipo.
  • Tierras de Pumanque. 2020. Viña Dagaz. Valle de Colchagua
  • Altair. 2021. Viña San Pedro. Valle del Cachapoal.

Mejor vino blanco

  • Tara Chardonnay. 2021. Ventisquero Wine Estates. Valle del Huasco.
  • Amelia Chardonnay. 2022. Viña Concha y Toro. Valle del Limarí.
  • Floresta Field Blend Blanco. 2022. Viña Santa Rita. Valle de Apalta.
  • Pellines (Moscatel, Semillón, Torontel). 2018. Ana María Cumsille. Valle del Itata.

Mejor vino rosado

  • Old Vine Pale Rosé – Lot 123. 2022. Garage Wine Co. Valle del Maule

Mejor vino naranjo

  • Isidore Vineyard – F5 – Parcel Selection. 2022. Garage Wine Co. Valle del Maule
  • Naranjo Maturana Wines . 2023. Maturana Wines. Valle del Loncomilla

Mejor espumante

  • Espumante Espaldares Champenoise Chardonnay. 2015. Viña Espaldares. Valle del Maipo.
  • Grand Levita Rosé Nature Vintage. 2019. Mujer Andina Wines. Valle de Cautín.

Mejor vino fortificado

  • Fort. 2016. Calyptra Vineyards & Winery. Valle del Cachapoal

Vino innovación

  • Feder Chardonnay. 2021. Viña Kofkeche. Valle del Malleco.
  • Trancoyan. 2022. Viña Los Quiscos. Valle del Itata.
  • Espumante Espaldares Champenoise Carmenere. 2016. Viña Espaldares del Maipo. Valle del Maipo.

Mejor vino precio calidad

  • Korta Selección Especial Grosse Merille. 2022. Korta Wines. Sagrada Familia
  • Crazy Rows Cinsault. 2023. Bisquertt. Valle del Itata

Línea destacada

  • Handcrafted. Viña Montgras

Revisa la guía completa AQUÍ

Mejor enóloga

Pilar Miranda, enóloga de la Universidad de Chile y emprendedora de corazón, es una de las co-propietarias de Garage Wine Co. junto a su esposo Derek Mossman y sus socios Alvaro Peña y Ernesto Müller. Este proyecto vinícola, que vio la luz en 2001, se ha convertido en un gran referente en la producción de vinos a escala humana y de la asociatividad. Garage Wine forma parte de MOVI (Movimiento de Viñateros Independientes en Chile), así como de otras destacadas asociaciones como VIGNO y Almaule.

Con los ojos, el cariño y el trabajo puestos en viejos viñedos y pequeños viñateros, Pilar y Garage Wine Co. han sacado a relucir un nuevo rostro en los vinos de Chile, un rostro que sonríe abrazando el campo y los métodos tradicionales de vinificación, auténticos y sostenibles.

Sus pilares en cuanto a la producción de vinos son: revivir viñedos viejo, practicar una agricultura regenerativa y trabajando codo a codo en la comunidad en especial con los pequeños agricultores.

En la guía también podrás encontrar los vinos premiados en las categorías Mejores por Región Vitivinícola y Mejores por Cepa.

Revisa la guía completa AQUÍ

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Garage Wine Co
Winery: Camino San Antonio Caliboro KM 5.8 San Javier 3660000
Región del Maule, Chile

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  • Caliboro

About Garage Wine Co.

Garage Wine began quite literally in Pilar and Derek’s Garage. After half a dozen vintages making wine for an informal market of family and friends, it began exporting to UK & Denmark in 2006

The Parcels

GWCo makes wines from a series of individual parcels, small lots / bottlings of 8 -22 barrels that include a series of dry-farmed field-blends of Carignan, Garnacha, Monastrell, País, Cinsault and Cab Franc grown on pre-phylloxera rootstock with small farmers in the Maule and Itata. Each wine is from a 1-2 hectare parcel in a different place: Bagual, Caliboro, Coelemu, Guarilihue, Loncomilla, Portezuelo, Puico, Ranquil, Sauzal, Truquilemu…

Over the years working in the community we have raised a veritable posse of vineyard hands whose skills are working the vineyards the old way / the traditional way— originario. We cultivate vineyards with small vigneron partners who work with horse and plough as his family has done for generations. Some of the parcels, where the next generation moved to the city, we have opted to rent long-term creating more work for the local hands who do want to stay on the farm.

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The vineyards are on the old Coastal Range of mountains closer to the Pacific — Chile’s other mountains. These are older and cooled more slowly so they have granitic soils, many with intrusions and cracks for roots to get deep down into. When GWCo. speaks of the provenance of our wines however we mean more than just the geology of the terroir. This is a good start, but we are convinced the farming practices that have evolved over generations have as much to do with the wines’ personalities as the soils. The regeneration of the vineyards long since neglected depends upon this farming.

GWCo. also makes an old-vine Cab Franc (old bush head vines) and a Cab Sauv blend in the Maule as well as two Cabs mountain-grown in the Maipo where the firm began in 2003.

All the wines are made by hand with native yeasts in small tanks, punched down manually and pressed out in a small basket press. GWCo is still very much a DIY operation and we still tow much of the crop back to the winery in trailers behind trusty pickup trucks 2,ooo kilos at a time.

Single Ferment Series Wines

Pais & Cinsault in the Secano Interior, the cradle of the original Chilean viticulture, have been forever the victim of commodity pricing. When GWCo saw its Carignan growers being paid paltry sums for their other fruit we began acquiring small bits from various farmers to experiment. From the beginning, we paid bonafide prices that would allow for the traditional field works to cultivate the soil properly to continue into the future. Commercial bottlings of “Single Ferments” began with serendipity when we simply could not resist not one but three small bits of Cinsault. And then promptly plain ran out of tanks to ferment them in. With nowhere to put all three, we simply stacked the second bit of newly harvested fruit on top of the first already fermenting—and then the third on top of both, creating one single fermentation from the fruit of three farms. We adopted the same technique with Pais and subsequently named both wines: Single Ferment Series.

The Nitty Gritty

In these times it is important to stand for what you believe in, and more importantly to build the kind of business you believe in. At Garage Wine Co. we revive old vineyards in marginalized Chilean communities to make coveted wines. We’ve positioned these wines in a dozen established fine wine markets around the world and we grow. The wines are not made to be expensive per se, but they are found on the higher shelves– they need to command a price that allows for proper farming. What we have discovered is that the long-term practices of regenerative farming not only make for better fruit and thus more flavourful wine, but that such a business can become a force for financial, community and environmental good.

The Baby and the Bathwater  

As South American wine exports have boomed over the last quarter-century, it has grown increasingly difficult for small farmers to sell their old-vine grapes at a proper price – a price that can consistently sustain family and community. Mainstream buyers want more for less and they would have the growers modernise. The modern wine business calls for spraying instead of cultivating, scaling instead of focusing, and above all: reducing the cost of labour. But with the old vineyards, the labour is precisely where one finds the wisdom of farming passed down through the ages. Throwing that away would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Regenerative Farming

Farming in the Secano Interior, the Maule and Itata valleys of Southern Chile, has been a way of life since Colonial times. Not just vineyards, but mixed farming of heritage seed wheat, free-range livestock and local market produce. Small-scale farms use dry-farming methods: turning over the earth to capture scarce seasonal rainwater, and nutrients from the clever use of seasonal cover crops that in turn help sequester carbon from the air, and the use of horses to get into rows where tractors can’t reach.

This is where GWCo. works; too far from the comfort zone of those in the mainstream. These vineyards were neglected and relegated to bulk wine for decades because the booming market wanted branded varietals that didn’t command a price to support the work.

For more than a decade GWCo. has worked these old vines, there has been a marked improvement both in vineyard health and quality of the fruit produced.

The marrying of the fieldcraft of these small-scale farmers with the lens of modern science and GWCo’s mindful winemaking took a decade, but the marriage has proven successful not just for GWCo, but also for the farmers, our suppliers and customers alike. Over the past few years, we have begun to rent and in some cases acquire the property underneath the old vines. Today one-third of our production is worked our way with our own people.

Necessity was the mother of sustainability

Sustainability for us was never about seals and certifications. We became sustainable just trying to survive being small in an industry geared to the big. Vintage after vintage we made our way through a series of necessary work-arounds, finding a way forward, that only later would be seen to be sustainable.

Recycled bottles – Because our production runs were small we were challenged when it came to dry-goods. When bottle makers refused to deliver to us, we found a local bottle recycler who became a trusted partner. This small business employs workers in a rural part of the country where stable and safe work is hard to find. What we learned is that when bottles are manufactured they have a limited shelf-life on the factory patio—a best before date if you will. Today we buy these bottles and wash them before use. This is glass that would otherwise have been smashed and melted and remade—without ever having been used. What is the carbon footprint of a bottle manufactured twice to be used once?

Labels & Packaging— We learned to paint / silk-screen bottles because our bottlings were so small that the label printers did not want to work with us. The industry was geared to long print runs and said there was no money in printing 1200 labels. So we built a custom machine and found experienced hands with silk-screening. Luis, our bottle painter, has been painting bottles for us for 11 years now. (Chile’s first hotel built entirely of recycled materials: The WineBox, has adapted out bottles for their lamps today.)

What’s with the wax? - Regular capsules were also sold with a minimum far larger than our needs, so we found a school supply firm that would make us food-safe wax for seals from crayon wax.

All of these workarounds-- bothers slash hassles at the time, led to a positive and durable differentiation in packaging. We have continued to work with earth-friendly inks for silk screening and recycled materials for cases.

Fermentation tanks: Unable to buy new tanks— designed to make mainstream wines, large, expensive and inflexible in their design, we took the leftover cuttings and scraps of a large stainless manufacturer and pieced together Lagars (traditional word for open tanks). We did it for far less money and the upcycling created opportunities for local welding shops.

Fruit: Years ago we bought from mainstream growers. When we made a crackerjack wine, the grower would use the prestige with critics to sell our fruit to someone bigger / better known leaving us without said fruit and without continuity in our portfolio. After two or three experiences such as this, frustrated, we went South to the Secano to work with growers unknown, unpolished, and disconnected from the mainstream. Working closely with small growers far from the beaten path, we found diamonds in the rough. When the polishing was done we had forged a bond with the growers—partnerships that we have continued to build upon with others in the neighbourhood.

Diverse leadership

Let’s face it, the wine business can be conservative, clubby and patriarchic. Having a female lead our work helps us work with our growers and suppliers on a different footing. We also like to mix scientists with field hands. Instead of contracting the cheapest bused-in labour, we keep it local where there are more experienced hands. Mercenary piecework doesn’t work — proper sourcing does. It’s a mouthful, but in a phrase: the difference created by the discretionary effort released when you work in good faith with local farmhands is so much more than the savings that might be achieved from cost-cutting, that there’s no comparing the two. We have never looked back.

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Email: info@garagewineco.cl

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