[Akyung Wine Cellar] Standing Tall on the Andes' Highest Peak... The Chilean Icon That Surpassed Bordeaux

<25> Chile's 'Vina Errazuriz'
Winery established in 1870 in Chile's Aconcagua Valley
'Berlin Tasting' that proved the excellence of Chilean wine
'Don Maximiano,' a Bordeaux-style premium red, among the world's top 10 wines

Editor's NoteNo two wines are ever the same under the sky. Even when grapes are grown on the same land and vinified and aged in the same way each year, the results are always different. Wine is a 'serendipitous drink' born from the harmony of humans and nature. Every wine that disappears silently after leaving behind just one vivid memory carries a fascinating story. 'Akyung Wine Cellar' brings you stories of wines, each crafted and matured under different circumstances, one by one.

A view of Mount Aconcagua in the Andes Mountains, the highest peak in the Americas.

'Aconcagua'

This is the name of the highest peak rising from the Andes, the longest mountain range in the world. Aconcagua derives from the indigenous Quechua language, 'Ackon-Cauak,' meaning 'Stone Sentinel.' This rocky mountain, nearly 7,000 meters high and covered in snow, is as difficult to climb as its name suggests. In fact, since the beginning of the 21st century, dozens of people have lost their lives after failing to reach the summit.

Eduardo Chadwick, a pioneer of premium Chilean wine, set out to climb Aconcagua with a bottle of wine in January 2002. He risked his life to carry the wine up the highest peak of the continent, driven by his earnest hope that his wine would stand tall like the summit of Aconcagua. When he finally reached the top, he held 'Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve' in his hand.

Eduardo Chadwick, chairman of Errazuriz, standing at the summit of Aconcagua with Don Maximiano.

"The best wine comes from the best land"

The story of Don Maximiano goes back nearly 200 years. Born in 1832 in Santiago, the capital of Chile, Don Maximiano Errazuriz Valdivieso was an entrepreneur who amassed great wealth through the copper mining industry. At that time, copper was one of Chile's most important natural resources, and his company once accounted for one-third of the world's copper production.

He was also actively involved in public service. At the age of 25, he entered politics as a member of the House of Representatives, later serving nine years as a senator, and represented the Chilean government as a diplomat in the United States and the United Kingdom.

After working in various fields, Don Maximiano expanded his interests into the wine industry. The late 19th century was a period when the Chilean wine industry was emerging, with a large influx of French immigrants. At that time, French immigrants and the first generation of Chilean wine producers were focused on the Maipo Valley near Santiago, which has a climate similar to Bordeaux. However, Don Maximiano was not content with the Maipo Valley. Driven by his belief that the best wine comes from the best land, he set out in search of a better site.

Don Maximiano Errazuriz Valdivieso, who founded Vina Errazuriz in 1870.

After searching for the best terroir, his eyes turned to the Aconcagua Valley, overlooked by Mount Aconcagua. Located about 100 kilometers north of Santiago, the Aconcagua Valley benefits from cool mountain breezes blowing toward the coast in the early afternoon, which cool the hot air, and in the evening, sea breezes rise from the river estuary to chill the western foothills of the Andes.

Captivated by the terroir of Aconcagua, Don Maximiano established a total of 300 hectares of vineyards in Panquehue in 1870, marking the beginning of 'Vina Errazuriz.' He was the first Chilean producer to visit France, where he personally selected and imported grape varieties for planting, making great efforts to produce high-quality wine. Later, his son Rafael Errazuriz expanded the vineyards to 700 hectares, which was recorded at the time as the world's largest winery under a single owner.

Map of the vineyards of Vina Errazuriz located in the Aconcagua Valley.

The Berlin Tasting: Changing Perceptions of Chilean Wine

It was Eduardo Chadwick, the fifth-generation descendant and current owner, who elevated Errazuriz, with its history of more than 150 years, to the ranks of Chile's top wineries. However, when he first joined the family business in 1983, he was just 24 years old and had just graduated from university. Above all, he had majored in engineering and knew little about wine. He went to Bordeaux, France, to study under the renowned winemaker Emile Peinaud, focusing on building the foundation of his own winemaking skills and philosophy. The wine he created upon returning to Chile, armed with knowledge and experience from the home of wine, was the Bordeaux-style icon wine 'Don Maximiano.' To realize his strong determination to make Chile a world-renowned wine region, Eduardo devoted himself to producing a variety of other high-quality wines in addition to Don Maximiano.

When he began his career as a winemaker, the Chilean wine industry was raising its quality, thanks to its exceptional natural environment. Since the 1990s, Chilean wine began to be exported, gradually gaining international recognition. However, in the global wine market, Chile was still perceived as a country that produced inexpensive bulk wine based on low labor costs, and few associated Chile with premium wines. For Chairman Eduardo, who had the deepest conviction in the potential of Chilean wine, this perception was a prejudice that motivated him to devote himself entirely to improving quality.

Eduardo Chadwick, chairman of Errazuriz, who visited Korea, is explaining about his company's wine.

Ultimately, Chairman Eduardo took on a bold challenge to break the prejudice against Chilean wine: the 'Berlin Tasting.' Inspired by the 'Judgment of Paris' in 1976, where American wines outperformed French wines, the Berlin Tasting was organized to introduce Vina Errazuriz wines and receive objective evaluations through blind tasting, which is recognized as one of the most professional and fair wine assessment methods.

The Berlin Tasting was organized by British wine expert Steven Spurrier, who also oversaw the Judgment of Paris, and was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Berlin, Germany, in 2004. In the blind tasting, Chilean premium wines competed against world-renowned wines such as Bordeaux Grand Cru and Italian Super Tuscans, and the results were astonishing.

'Vinedo Chadwick' and 'Sena' from Vina Errazuriz took first and second place, while Don Maximiano was named among the world's top 10 wines. Subsequently, 22 additional blind tastings were held in 18 countries, and in 20 of these events, Chilean wines ranked in the top three. In particular, Don Maximiano took first place in five events, the most first-place finishes during the tour.

'The Berlin Tasting' held in Berlin, Germany in 2004.

The Berlin Tasting became a significant milestone not only for Vina Errazuriz but also for the Chilean wine industry as a whole. Until then, the global wine industry had been reluctant to recognize Chilean wines as premium wines, but starting with the Berlin Tasting, industry perceptions changed completely. The Berlin Tasting provided empirical evidence that Chilean wines could compete at the highest level with the world's best premium wines, and it solidified Chile's image as a producer of world-class, high-quality wines.

Don Maximiano... The Beginning of Chilean Premium Wine

Aconcagua Valley panorama.

The vineyards of Don Maximiano, the flagship wine of Vina Errazuriz, are located in the Aconcagua Valley, a wine region stretching along the Aconcagua mountain and river basin. The Aconcagua Valley enjoys more than 240 to 300 days of sunshine each year, making it a region with abundant sunlight and dryness. However, cold sea breezes flow through the narrow valleys of the western coastal mountains, and cold air from the eastern Andes creates a large diurnal temperature variation, providing ideal climate conditions during the grape growing season. As a result, the wines produced here are highly concentrated, with elevated alcohol levels and tannins.

The microclimate is divided into the very hot and dry inland area and the cool coastal valleys. In the inland area, varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Carmenere are cultivated. Traditionally, Cabernet Sauvignon has been the dominant variety in this red wine region, but recently, the cultivation of Syrah and Carmenere has also been expanding.

In the coastal valleys, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir are grown. Vina Errazuriz focuses on cultivating grapes on slopes or coastal-facing sites rather than on the fertile valley floor, in order to add fresh and complex fruit flavors.

Erauzis Icon Wine 'Don Maximiano Founders Reserve 2021'

Don Maximiano, the signature wine of Vina Errazuriz, was initially made only from Cabernet Sauvignon. However, as research into the terroir deepened and understanding of the soil and microclimate increased, since the 2000s, various varieties such as Carmenere, Syrah, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc have been blended.

'Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve 2021' is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malbec, 8% Carmenere, and 7% Petit Verdot. The year 2021 was moderately cool, allowing for long and slow maturation, resulting in a fresh and elegant wine with intense color, complex aromas, and smoothly ripened tannins. The wine has a striking deep purple appearance and a moderate alcohol content of 13.5%. On the nose, there are notes of blueberry, fresh strawberry, and blackberry, wrapped in soft hints of nutmeg, caramel, and vanilla. On the palate, ripe blueberry, bitter chocolate, and black cherry are accompanied by delicate hints of tobacco, rosemary, and a touch of licorice. The wine opens with broad depth, and the soft tannins provide finesse and outstanding persistence.

Carm?n?re Wine 'Kai' by Erajuリ?ズ

Alongside Don Maximiano, another key wine in the Errazuriz portfolio is 'Kai.' Named after the Mapuches word for 'plant,' Kai is a wine centered on Carmenere. Although Carmenere originated in Bordeaux, it has now disappeared from Bordeaux and is recognized as a signature variety of Chile. Wines made from Carmenere are characterized by spicy, pepper-like aromas. If made from under-ripe grapes, they exhibit pungent flavors such as green pepper, but well-ripened wines display notes of chocolate, coffee, and cigar.

The 2021 vintage of Kai is made from 85% Carmenere, 11% Syrah, and 4% Malbec. The wine features rich aromas of ripe black and red fruits, with subtle bitter chocolate notes accentuated by strong minerality. In addition to chocolate, there are aromas of blackberry and blueberry, along with intense spicy notes of pepper, paprika, and herbs, as well as fresh fig and roasted coffee bean. On the palate, olive, fresh fig, and blueberry are present, accompanied by touches of nutmeg, white pepper, and roasted red bell pepper. This is a complex Carmenere wine with good acidity and soft, mouth-coating tannins.

Vina Errazuriz winery view.