Extreme Chilean Winemaking (+ Beer + Cider)
These wine tours are at the extremes of winemaking in the south of Chile. It is true that there are some experimental vineyards much farther south, the most southerly on the planet in fact. Some producers are making serious efforts at viticulture a long way south. The Torres family is planting cool-climate varieties near Coyhaique at around 45 degrees south for example, and Undurraga has some vineyard plots in production even further south at 46 degrees.
The Villaseñor winery has a small plot of Pinot Noir growing to the south of Puerto Montt, and some powerhouse wineries like Montes and Casa Silva are now experimenting in Chiloe at a similar latitude. Little by little, with the effects of global warming being felt, vineyards and wineries are creeping further south. However, for our clients right now we are only visiting places that satisfy the following criteria:
1. They have their own production facilities on-site, so estate wines and/or purchasing grapes locally.
2. Have visitor infrastructure, or where we have special visitor access that the general public does not.
With these criteria in mind, we are focused (at least for now!) on three areas that are more southerly than Itata. These areas are Yumbel (in Bio-Bio), Malleco/Cautin Valleys and the Osorno region.
From Concepcion – for Yumbel and Itata
Yumbel is not considered the extreme south, in fact, it is only 37.8 degrees south, so at about the same latitude as Melbourne. But it is a long way from winemaking regions that international wine tourists to Chile would normally visit, such as Colchagua or Casablanca. Yumbel is also culturally and historically removed from these well-known, and more contemporary wine regions, which is another great reason to visit.
Logistically it is easy to combine Yumbel with Itata, making for a diverse and delicious experience. It is a simple hop on a one-hour flight from Santiago to Concepcion. Based in a comfortable hotel in this port city, we would take you on day trips to explore both Itata and Yumbel. The journey in either direction is just an hour, so you can visit 3 wineries and have lunch during each excursion.
Our Itata page mentions a road trip that includes Maule as yet another combination. The visits here will introduce you to some of the original winemaking histories of Chile. Yumbel is becoming known as the epicentre of Pipeño production and apart from being absolutely lovely to look at, is covered with remote old vine vineyards. Two visits that we highly recommend in the Yumbel area are Cacique Maravilla and Estacion Yumbel, you can see them above and read all about our time with the owners on our Blog here!
From Temuco (or Pucon) – for Malleco/Cautin Valleys
This region is usually visited by outdoor enthusiasts who spend time in Pucon. There are wineries in this region of the south of Chile which we can visit, such as the Charkanes winery located not far from Temuco, and two visits that we really love to include are a micro-brewery and a premium level cidery near Villarica.
We will take you to meet Matias (pictured below), and you will spend some time learning about beer production and tasting his delicious creations at the Blau Brewery. There are plans to scale up from the current micro-production of high-quality British style beers to something a little bigger, over the next couple of years. With this brewery being really micro you can easily see close-up-and-personal how things are done and what the process involves. Then enjoy the fruits of his labour.
The Blau brewery sits right next door to the Quebrada del Chucao cidery. This cider producer harvests from old apple orchards found in the surrounding region, they insist on organic farming and pay fair trade prices by choice. A really interesting feature of this cider is that it is produced using the traditional sparkling method, like Champagne or Cava, with the second fermentation (which produces the bubbles) done in the bottle. Plus the “reserve” cider is aged in the oak barrels you see, really delicious!
From Puerto Varas – for the Osorno region
Osorno is actually a long way south geographically, on the 41st parallel that also runs through Tasmania and Wellington, NZ. The big difference with the winemaking in the Osorno region in this part of the south of Chile is its isolation and lack of infrastructure, in great contrast to these developed world destinations, and this is a great part of its charm.
This is a more logistically challenging trip, but one that our clients can enjoy if they are visiting Puerto Varas and the Chilean Lake District. We would include a visit to two wineries in this volcano-strewn region and the Coteaux de Trumao winery will be one of those. This small winery is a little slice of heaven which you can see in the photo above. Set on the banks of the Bueno River, it is owned by a French family who also owns a sawmill in Osorno. Olivier Porte, one of the owners, has a French winemaker fly over to Chile each year to make sure his Pinot Noir and several white varieties are harvested and vinified correctly.
You will taste from the barrels, each of which is vinified from a separate parcel and then blended to make the one offering of Pinot Noir. Also, Olivier is planning to make a “grand cru” from his best vineyard shown below, so that is definitely something to look forward to. His white blend has 5 varieties that also spend time in oak, so this is not a penny-pinching operation as you can imagine. The winery is set in lovely scenery and the views from his guest house are spectacular and we can arrange for you to stay here if your budget allows it!
Another visit we will offer to clients in the far south of Chile is to Casa Klocker Prambs to witness the production of the most southerly sparkling wine in Chile. They have a small-scale winery not far from Frutillar where they create traditional method bubbles from Pinot Noir currently, with Chardonnay becoming available next year. They also grow Gewurtztraminer for still wine.
There are so many tasty things to eat and drink in the Austral region, local cheeses, marmalades, game meats, etc plus new craft breweries are popping up all the time, if you are thinking of the Chilean Lake District then remember we have some great options for you so feel free to get in touch to discuss your plans.
