THE Essential Guide TO IMPORTED BY Vine Connections All content provided by Do not reproduce or copy. October, 2015 ATACAMA ATACAMA DESERT CHILE La Serena Elqui River Chile Map Key Capital Elqui Valley City Large Town Small Town Winery/Bodega Limarí River Vineyard Limarí Valley Highway AREA River ENLARGED SANTIAGO PACIFIC OCEAN Choapa River S N CHILE Aconcagua Valley I A SANTIAGO TO MENDOZA = 226 MILES NE T N SANTIAGO TO A ERENA MILES L S = 296 N U SANTIAGO TO ALLECO MILES M = 383 S O Casablanca Valley M San Felipe Mt.Aconcagua S Elev 22,841’ MENDOZA Aconcagua River E Valparaíso Mt. Tupungato Elev 21,500’ San Antonio Valley S (Leyda Valley) N I Maipo River SANTIAGO A ARGENTINA T San Antonio Maipo Valley N U WINERIES: O Rancagua M Rapel River MAYU S E MERINO Cachapoal Valley D N Santa Cruz A AQUITANIA S N AMAYNA & BOYA I Curicó A Colchagua Valley T CASA SILVA N Maule River U J. BOUCHON Talca O M CLOS DES FOUS Maule Valley S E D N A S VINEYARDS: Chillán N Itata Valley I Itata River A GARCIA & SCHWADERER VYD T N CLOS DES FOUS VINEYARD U Concepción O CASA SILVA VINEYARD Bío Bío Valley M S SOL DE SOL VINEYARD Bío Bío River E D MAYU VINEYARD Angol N Malleco Valley A AMAYNA & BOYA VINEYARD GET TO KNOW VINE CONNECTIONS Leading Importer of Premium ArgenƟne and Chilean Wine and Japanese Sake In 1999, Vine ConnecƟons pioneered the Įrst naƟonally imported porƞolio of arƟsan wines from Argen- 1 Ɵna. Of the iniƟal 5 brands and 12 wines released, the least expensive was $24 retail. In 2001, Vine ConnecƟons became the US’ premier Japanese ginjo sake importer, oīering sake from 11 family-run breweries spanning the length of the country from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Today, VC represents 2 16 family breweries and more than 30 diīerent sake. In March 2013, Vine ConnecƟons introduced the world to “The New Chile” with a porƞolio of 9 family-run 3 wineries with 11 brands from 11 diīerent regions within Chile. The prices range from $15 to $200 retail. In 2001, Food & Wine Magazine named Vine ConnecƟons as one of three “Importers to Watch.” The com- pany was also recognized as an “Importer You Can Trust” by Slate Magazine (2009) and Details Magazine 4 (2010). In 2014, Wine Enthusiast Magazine nominated Vine ConnecƟons for “Wine Importer of the Year.” When Ed y Nick started Vine ConnecƟons, they told themselves, “When people who represent us go into an account, we never want them to have to worry about the quality of the wine in the boƩle.” This 5 mantra sƟll drives their daily pursuit to represent the best wines at all prices. MEET ED MEET NICK 1. I have been a wine lover since college and have worked in the 1. At 16, I lived in Fixin, France as an exchange student. I would wine business since 1986. I am geƫng preƩy good at it, but I sƟll enjoy a boƩle of Burgundy with my host family, and it was my Įrst learn something new every day. step into the world of wine. 2. My wine career has been in retail sales, wholesale sales, naƟonal 2. While aƩending Berkeley, I needed a job and found an opening at the North Berkeley Wine Co. I have never worked outside of brand markeƟng, direct-to-consumer, and naƟonal imporƟng. the wine industry since. 3. My boss once told me, “Edward, you should spend more Ɵme 3. I started Vine ConnecƟons as a brokerage/distributor in 1995. drinking Mouton-Cadet and less Ɵme drinking Mouton-Rothschild.” My Įrst client was Billington, the importer for Catena, and I grew That was 1993, and I have been my own boss ever since. California into a top-3 market. 4. I like wines that have the following three characterisƟcs: 4. I met Ed aŌer hearing a KFOG radio ad for his direct mail company 1) balance, 2) balance, 3) balance. "Passport Wine Club" while driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. 5. My favorite hangover quote: “You can never say, ‘I drank too much 5. I have been in the wine business for almost 30 years, but it feels wine last night.’ You CAN say, ‘I drank A LOT of wine last night!’” like yesterday when I was driving cases of wine in my Nissan Sentra making sales calls and deliveries to Southern California. CHILEAN WINE: TOP TEN FACTS 1. GEOGRAPHY Chilean wines are made from as far north as the Atacama Region (27° S) and as far south as the Austral Region (41° S) – a span of 1,100 miles. The Elqui Valley (30° S) and Malleco Valley (38° S) are the current northern and southern limits for exported wines. 2. PRODUCTION Chile is the world’s 9th largest producer of wine and the 4th largest exporter (in dollars) behind France, Italy and Spain. 3. REGIONS Chilean wine regions are typically organized by valleys from north to south: Elqui, Limarí, Choapa, Aconcagua, Casablanca, San Antonio, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Maule, Curicó, Itata, Bío Bío, and Malleco are the core valleys for exported wines. 4. APPELLATIONS Chilean wine laws are more similar to the US appellation system than the European system (where grape varieties are often restricted based on region). 5. VICTICULTURAL ZONES Wines are often defined by proximity to the Pacific Ocean coast and the Andes Mountains – the three zones designated by the government are the Costa, Entre Cordillera, and Andes. 6. CLIMATES Cool air currents coming off the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean surround the warmer mid-valley and create a vast array of micro-climates spanning the length and width of Chile. 7. PROTECTION The Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and the Patagonia glaciers to the south have long provided isolation from grape diseases like phylloxera. 8. HARVEST TIME Harvest typically begins at the end of February for varietals like Chardonnay and is followed by red varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon in April. Carmenere often stays on the vine until May. 9. RAINFALL With the exception of areas directly on the coast and in the southern valleys, Chilean wine regions have dry conditions with low ambient humidity and rainfall. th 10. HISTORY Although Chile’s wine history goes back to the 16 century, the early 1990s marked Chile’s entrance into premium production of fine wines on the world stage. Today there are 250+ wineries in Chile. d,͚Et͛,/>d/D>/E What makes The New Chile ‘New’? The New Chile’s winemaking timeline is just over 20 years old. These are wineries that have gained incredible stature in a short amount of time and have unparalleled potential in what they will be capable of producing in the years to come. &/Z^d s/Ed' 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 WZKhZ ^/DddZ^ In winemaking, bigger doesn’t mean better. While industrial size wineries focus on volume and uniformity, The New Chile focuses on creating wines with character and producing them on a small, human scale. The difference in imported case numbers alone is an astonishing way to compare The New Chile production size to the larger producers in Chile. d,Et,/>/DWKZd^dd^ ,/>͛^>Z'WZKhZ^ Chilean Imports Total US Imports to US 2015 (cases) Winery 2015 (cases) 2,500,000 MAYU 3,957 2,589,078 MERINO 2,664 2,000,000 GARCIA & SCHWADERER 750 1,500,000 AMAYNA 488 BOYA 2,656 1,000,000 648,037 356,824 AQUITANIA & SOL DE SOL 1,508 123,684 500,000 21,820 CASA SILVA 5,051 CLOS DES FOUS 1,715 Winery J. BOUCHON 3,031 SAN PEDRO SANTA RITA SANTA ALL NEW CHILE CONCHA Y TORO SANTA CAROLINA WINERIES COMBINED CAPTIVATING CARMENERE PRONOUNCE IT LIKE THIS: THE LOST GRAPE 1 OF 6 OF BORDEAUX CAR-MEN-AIR CARMENERE IS ONE Carmenere was widely planted OF SIX ORIGINAL in Bordeaux until Phylloxera BORDEAUX VARIETALS wiped out French viticulture in the mid 1800’s. Luckily, Car- DUCTION O I menere vines were brought to R N P C 1851 Chile before Phylloxera. E OTHER H YEAR CARMENERE N CABERNET I I 20% L WAS BROUGHT Due to similar leaf and cluster SAUVIGNON E TO CHILE FROM W CHARDONNAY shape, Chileans mistook Car- 9% 35% FRANCE menere for Merlot... until 1994! 9%MERLOT SAUV 12% BLANC 21 Carmenere was officially 15% YEARS SINCE identified in 1994 at Viña CARMENERE WAS Carmen, Chile’s oldest winery. CARMENERE REDISCOVERED FAST FACTS ON CHILE’S SIGNATURE GRAPE 4TH “Carmenere” comes from the French word for LARGEST crimson, “carmin,” due to the fiery color the PRODUCED VARIETAL BY leaves turn in fall. VOLUME IN CHILE Chile’s long, dry harvest season is the perfect terroir for Carmenere to fully mature. x3 Carmenere is the last grape harvested – into CARMENERE VINES IN May and June in many valleys. CHILE HAVE TRIPLED SINCE 2000 (DUE TO DISCOVERY A dark purple color, Carmenere has a spicy, OF MISMARKED VINEYARDS earthy undertone rounded by soft, sweet tannins. AND NEW PLANTINGS) CARMENERE VS. MERLOT 23+ MILLION NUMBER OF BOTTLES OF UNDERSIDE HUE HARVEST TIME CARMENERE PRODUCED IN Young Carmenere leaves Carmenere is harvested THE COLCHAGUA VALLEY have a red hue. Merlot’s up to three weeks after IN 2013 underside is white. Merlot. LEAF LOBES FALL COLOR 8,827 Lobes of a Carmenere Carmenere leaves turn NUMBER OF HECTARES leaf overlap at the stem.