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Some of the award-winning wines.
Fine Wines
BY CATHERINE CHONG (The STAR, 5 April 2003) |
Munoz (left) and Ruiz showing off some of the wines. |
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Chile may be a relatively young winemaking country but its wines are already making waves. Described as a paradise for wine growing because of its ideal climate and conditions, Chile is currently the fifth largest wine producer in the world. With over 800km of vine planting area, it is also the only wine-growing country that is free of the destructive phylloxera pests that attack the roots of the grapevines. And one of the best vineyards in Chile is the Italian-owned Santa Ines in the Maipo Valley, located 50km from Santiago and the Andes Mountains. Maipo Valley has earned the first-class reputation in the production of fine wine. The soil have good texture characteristics, light and sandy with medium fertility. The spring and summer seasons are dry with a light intensity, and there are ideal temperature differences between night and day. In addition, there is no rain for six months which is vital during the harvest season. In the summer, maximum temperature stays in an optimum range, perfect for the formation of the aromas and acids and the production of colouring agents. Santa Ines director Luis Enrique Ruiz said weather plays a big part in winemaking as 99% of the wine depends on the quality of the grapes and only one percent on technology. "Our philosophy is to be a 'boutique' winery with strong emphasis on quality rather than quantity," he said during the winemaker's dinner at Penang Shangri-La Hotel's The Brasserie recently. Executive Chef Gael Moureau specially prepared the semi-buffet dinner, expertly matching
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food with wine. The vineyard's award-winning vintage were featured, including the Santa Ines Late Harvest Semillon 1998, a dessert wine that won a gold medal at Malaysia WINEX-1 Challenge in Kuala Lumpur last June. The deliciously rich and concentrated wine is the latest addition to the winery's impressive range of wine including the Santa Ines Legado de Armida Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 ("Great Value Red Wine of the year" at The International Wine Challenge, London) and Santa Ines varietal Line Sauvignon Blanc 2002 (gold medal at The Cata D'or, Chile) Santa Ines produces cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and carmenere (reds), as well as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and semillon (white). Ruiz said a favourite with Malaysians is the pinot noir with a good volume, ripe, smooth and silky tannins to complement the local cuisine. He said Santa Ines wine have been available in Malaysia since 1998 through its sole agent here, Westport Intertrade Sdn Bhd. Santa Ines winemaker Jaime Munoz describe their wine as "honest", as the taste and quality reflect the perfect Chilean climate and soil. "A study conducted revealed that Chile's red wine are also healthy for the heart as they contain the highest concentration of the anti-oxidant phenolic," he said. The Santa Ines vineyards, he added, was also noted for its environment-friendly conditions. "It took us seven years to receive the certification for our organic vines," he said, revealing that the vineyard would be fully organic by next year. |