Wine Tours - Chile

Visit to Concha y Toro Innovation Centre

The bus ride from Talca was impressive in itself. Before we even left the town of Talca, the bus driver had to back up a bit to prevent the roof from literally blowing off on the second day. On the way to the Innovation Centre in Maule Valley, we drove through a stunning landscape of hills, vineyards, and forests. It was striking how dry it was; only the vineyards were in full bloom thanks to drip irrigation.

A warm welcome with coffee and water preceded the presentation "Update on the Chilean Wine Industry and New Projects" by Gerard Casaubon. He is a researcher at Concha y Toro. It was a special experience to be able to peek behind the scenes at a progressive wine research and innovation center in Chile.

A research and development program with a particular focus on:

• Maintaining quality with climate change, more altitude for cooling and bright sunlight stimulates color and tannins, thus high quality of blue grapes;

• Productivity of the perfect grapevine in the right location through microvinification. Most soils consist of gravel, sand, or limestone with clay. Each type imparts its own distinct flavor to the wine.

• Sustainability in the vineyard, plant cloning (epigenetics) and soil improvement.

Attention was also paid to consumer and product innovation, such as less alcohol and more antioxidants. Chilean local wine enriched with resveratrol with DO Maule.

After the presentation, we visited the laboratory where genetics and epigenetics research is conducted. Grape cuttings are being cultivated there in refrigerators. Mostly young lab technicians were working there.