World Trip 2010 – Chile Part 2

23.02.10


Up early and off to the Los Robles vineyards in the Colchagua Valley.These vineyards are both biodynamic and organic. They have their own farm animals for manure and have replanted the surroundings with myriads of native wild flowers. Chickens and bees share the surroundings picking and pollinating as they go.


Emiliana use nine biodynamic preparations to attract cosmic forces and animal energy. These are:
Horn Manure
Silica or quartz
Yarrow blossoms (Achillea millefolium)
Chammomile blossoms (Chamomilla recutita)
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
Oak bark (Quercus pedunculata)
Dandelion flowers (Taraxacum officinate)
Valerian flowers (Valeriana officinate)
Horsetail plant (Equisetum officinate)


The medicinal herbs help the micro-organisms in the compost to digest the organic matter (the same as drinking herb tea after a meal aids in human digestion).


Colchagua is in Chile’s 6th Region and is part of the larger Rapel Valley. The four seasons of the year are clearly differentiated, and the grapes ripen easily and uniformly. A unique combination of marine breezes and Andean winds makes this the perfect place to grow red varietals such as Merlot, Syrah, and especially Carmenere. It has an average temperature of 22ºC (72ºF) and low annual precipitation. The soils are alluvial in origin, fairly deep, and are uniformly silty-loam in texture.

After touring the vineyards with Cesar Morales – Chief Oenologist, Cristian and Alvaro Espinoza ‘King’ of winemaking as Anthony puts it!AT moved on to the tasting room to sample the jewels in the crown of Emiliana. They tasted:

While out there Anthony also blended for West Cork Bottlers, their own label – Seven Rivers Estate a Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.