GRAPES Full circle: reviving Criolla The oldest grape varieties in South America have been sidelined for the past hundred years, but a new generation is now reclaiming its lost winemaking heritage as Criolla varieties re-emerge from the shadows. Amanda Barnes has the inside story WHEN THE SPANISH first conquered the Americas in the 1500s, they brought the holy trinity of cultivars – olive trees, wheat and grapevines. Whether planted as sticks or seeds, the first grapes to grow were known as the Criolla, or Mission, varieties: a select handful of varieties picked for their high- yielding and resilient nature, and destined to Above: manual harvest conquer the New World. Forgotten patrimony Spain – with only a dozen hectares surviving of old País vines that Of these founding varieties, which included In the mid-1800s the first French varieties in the phylloxera-free haven of the Canaries.) grow wild among the Criolla: what does it mean? Moscatel, Pedro Ximénez and Torontel, the arrived on the continent and plantations of The only remaining stronghold for Listán trees at Bouchon’s most important was a red grape commonly Criolla varieties have been in decline ever Prieto is in Chile, where 9,600ha of vines Criolla (or Criollo in masculine vineyards at Mingre in known as Listán Prieto in Spain, Mission in since, replaced by international varieties or (locally called País) can be found piecemeal in form) is a term that was coined in Chile’s Maule Valley the US, País in Chile, Criolla Chica in Argentina relegated to bulk wine, juice and table grape the properties of some 6,000 growers, mostly the colonial era for people, animals and some 45 other synonyms in-between. production. in the southern regions of Maule, Itata and Bío or plants of Spanish (or sometimes The foundations of South America’s wine According to a study by the University of Bío. It is here, where grapes are cheap and land European) descent, developed or industry were built on these early Criolla Santiago, in 1833 the finest Criolla variety, plentiful, that replanting didn’t happen to the born in Latin America. varieties as viticulture spread upwards from Listán Prieto, accounted for more than 90% of same extent as in other regions, leaving a Among its many other meanings, Mexico to the US, and southwards to Peru, Chile’s and Argentina’s vineyards. Today it is treasure trove of old vines. Most País vines are Criolla is used to refer to a set of Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and beyond. Crosses just 7% and 1% respectively. It, and the other more than 100 years old (planted before the grape varieties that were brought spawned South America’s first native grape Criolla varieties, have similarly fallen into landslide of French varieties) and some from Spain and planted in the varieties – including Argentina’s Torrontés – severe decline across the rest of the Americas. vineyards date back to the late-1500s – a fact Americas during the colonisation. an extensive family of crossings with more than 100 Criolla varieties identified (Incidentally, following phylloxera, Listán that enchanted a new wave of winemakers Criolla varieties today also include between these original varieties. Photograph: Bouchon Family Wines Family Bouchon Photograph: in South America today. Prieto has all but disappeared from its native coming into Chile. ➢ 84 | October 2018 • DECANTER DECANTER • October 2018 | 85 GRAPES Pipeño revival That generation includes his son, Julio Growers never stopped making their own Bouchon Jr, who says: ‘País has nothing to do wines – their Pipeño, made from País or white with the Bordeaux winemaking style. We have Criolla varieties. Named after the large ‘pipes’ to respect the grape with low intervention.’ (local raulí wood barrels) they were vinified Bouchon’s winemaker Christian Sepúlveda in, Pipeño is synonymous with artisanal adds: ‘We try to be very gentle with the methods and proportions and is usually sold extraction…to show that País doesn’t have from a back door or roadside, and almost rustic tannins – the structure is elegant.’ always by the jug. Winemakers today are treating País less like Tradition here didn’t die, it just got sidelined. Bordeaux and more like Pinot Noir. As the Bordeaux influence took its grip over Chile during the latter half of the 1900s, Uniting South America Pipeño was shunned as a poor man’s beverage. There is a Criolla revival happening on the Interestingly it is two foreigners – two other side of the Andes too, but Argentina’s French men – who have been among the Criolla gene pool is more diverse, with a greatest advocates for the revindication of greater spread and quantity of white and red Pipeño and thrust it into the limelight. Criolla varieties. Some 75,000ha of vineyards Burgundy-bred Louis-Antoine Luyt started planted with Criolla varieties survive today, working with the underappreciated accounting for more than a third of the centenarian País vines in 2007. Mentored by national total – however, the Criolla varieties Morgon’s great Marcel Lapierre, Luyt made it Above: harvest at account for less than 5% of Argentina’s varietal his mission to reinstate not only the vines but Miguel Torres Chile’s or premium wine production, mainly as also the traditional use of zarada (a bamboo Cauquenes estate, Torrontés. Part of the problem is that the destemmer), grape-stomping and fermentation where old-vine País finest red Criolla grape, Listán Prieto (aka in raulí pipes. His wines were a hit in Europe’s grapes are grown Criolla Chica), has dwindled to less than natural wine scene, opening the export market 360ha today, superseded by lower quality and setting a benchmark for this little-known Left: Manuel Moraga of varieties such as Cereza. Criolla varieties are (but widely grown) variety. Cacique Maravilla, one rarely planted as single varieties, meaning An element of carbonic maceration is of the winemakers they either have to be vinified as field blends common in Luyt’s wines, and this light and leading the revival of or require careful selection in the vineyards juicy direction is the same as that taken by the Pipeño wine style (to make a single-variety Criolla wine). another French expat, David Marcel, for his Site selection is, however, what is driving Aupa Pipeño in 2012. Sold in beer bottles, the current excitement about Criolla in Aupa emphasised to the local market that this Argentina. ‘Criolla Chica is a variety capable of wine should be drunk young and chilled – expressing places, climates, soils and people, celebrating Pipeño as Chile’s equivalent of while maintaining its personality intact,’ says Beaujolais Nouveau. Sebastián Zuccardi, who has been producing The radical re-evaluation of Pipeño ‘País has nothing to do with the Bordeaux ‘The major challenge is actually finding ‘País is a Cara Sur Criolla Chica from high-altitude ignited a spark in the industry and vines with quality potential,’ says winemaker Barreal since 2014. ‘It has great winemaking several winemakers are driving a winemaking style – we have to respect the Fernando Almeda. ‘Slopes with granitic poor great grape attributes, not only for the quality of the wines grass-roots movement to reclaim the soil conditions and ocean influence are you can make, but also for its high yield.’ patrimony of País in the smallholdings important, in order to get balanced yield, Historically Criolla varieties were favoured grape with low intervention’ Julio Bouchon Jr to grow, but of the south. José Luis Gómez Bastías, maintain freshness and achieve ripe tannins.’ for their generous yield and today winemakers Juan José Ledesma, Leo Erazo, Manuel The rediscovery of País also marks Chile’s not an easy are falling for their sensorial charms too. Moraga Gutiérrez, Mauricio González, Left: Bouchon’s País asked by Chile’s foreign affairs minister to departure from high-octane red wines with ‘Criolla grapes yield four times more than a Renán Cancino and Roberto Salvaje Blanco (see look into making quality wine from the ripe fruit concentration and significant oak wine to make fine grape would,’ explains Cadus winemaker Henríquez are at the forefront of p88) is sourced from surplus of País vines in the south (see ‘Letter ageing, towards a more sensitive approach. Santiago Mayorga. ‘They were a boon in the producing artisanal, grower País old, untended wild País from Chile’, p18) that were being replaced by ‘País is a great grape to grow – super-low in the cellar’ 1970s when people were drinking 90 litres per and Criolla wines, from both red vines averaging 120 industrial forests. Torres’ proposition was to maintenance – but País is not an easy wine to capita. Today people are looking for quality and Derek Mossman Knapp, and white varieties. years in age make sparkling País using the traditional make in the cellar,’ explains Derek Mossman terroir-driven wines. With precise vinification Garage Wine Co (above) method, somewhat akin to Cava, for which he Knapp of Garage Wine Co. ‘If you are too rough, we can achieve an interesting wine – pure, The bigger picture had a deft winemaking team in place. it becomes harsh and tannic; too much time subtle and fresh with some earthiness.’ País has always been a large-scale Today Torres produces 30,000 cases of on the skins and it tightens up very quickly.’ Argentina’s winemakers are embracing the variety in Chile, and there has sparkling País and its Fairtrade rosé is the Julio Bouchon Sr of Bouchon Family Wines different dimension Criolla varieties offer – as simultaneously been a significant biggest selling País in the world. But the team had been making País for more than 30 years white, red and orange wines – adoptees across movement to readopt País into also came up with a light and juicy carbonic with little satisfaction: ‘I admit I did it badly.