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Five minutes with Guillermo Calderón, Casas del Bosque

What are the main points of evolution in Chile and what is driving that?

Chile is moving towards finding its own identity. For a long time we have been pursuing things that work elsewhere. For example, Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon – many wineries were pursuing a Bordeaux or Napa style. With Pinot Noir, again, you are always going to look to Burgundy, but we don’t have the same conditions, so most winemakers are in a new mindset now, trying to highlight the sense of place. We are trying to produce a Casablanca version of the variety, not a Dijon version. There are also interesting things we are finding – Maipo Cabernet tends to develop a mint aspect, which makes it unique.

Should there be a greater focus on promoting one benchmark variety from each region?

I think it’s happening naturally. We are a winery well known for Sauvignon Blanc and we are starting to see coastal Sauvignon Blanc become a category in markets abroad. There’s a huge opportunity for Chilean Pinot Noir also. But rather than turning every appellation into a rigid thing, it’s happening organically, highlighting what is unique about these places. Our Syrah, for instance, is an interesting example. When I present this, I talk about a hillside of granitic soils, with thin red clay, and people picture Hermitage. But we have a wildly different climate, so it’s completely different wine. We shouldn’t say ‘this is our version of something else’, we should say these wines are Chilean, reflecting that terroir.

• Chile
• Sauvignon
• pinot
• cabernet
• Guillermo Calderón
• Chilean Pinot Noir
• Casas del Bosque