Fascinated by rediscovered grape varieties, I was eager to learn more about País on my work trip to Chile. Before travelling to Chile, all I knew was that País had once been the country’s most planted grape before Cabernet Sauvignon took over.
Once a source for thin, robust and bland jug wines, dark-skinned País has experienced one of the most remarkable comebacks in the Chilean wine scene. A great example is Santa Digna Estelado Rosé, launched by Torres Chile in 2011. Delicate in style, traditional-method Estelado is the first 100 % varietal sparkling wine made from País. And it’s damn delicious.
As far as I know, Chilean wines have long been among the best-selling imported red wines in Finland (my home country), thanks to their very good value for money. But over the past years, there has been a lot of talk about what is the real essence and uniqueness of Chilean wines? Could País grape be an answer to that question?
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE PAÍS GRAPE
Until international grapes invaded the Chilean winelands in the 1850s, País was the most planted variety for nearly three centuries. As Cabernet Sauvignon adopted the prominent role, the acreage of País began to shrink rapidly. Already fighting for survival, the País growers of Bío-Bío and Maule Valley found themselves in an even more challenging situation.
But Cabernet was not the only one to blame. As winemaking in Chile took giant leaps in the late 1980s, it became apparent that the quality of País wines left a lot to hope for. It often resulted in simple table wines that were thin, harsh and far from charming in their pronouncedly robust character. Neither did their brownish colour attract anyone. Something had to be done.
Thinking about those descriptions, Estelado Rosé comes from another world. Beautiful onion peel colour and charming nose, this bottle-fermented sparkling wine exhibits subtle strawberry and cranberry aromas. On the palate, it is a light, dry and well-balanced ensemble of red berries. Nice, salty lime flavour makes its finish super fresh. In this bottle, I don’t taste that much autolysis-derived creaminess typical of the Estelados I have tasted before.
THE SOCIAL PROJECT AROUND PAÍS
Along with technical progression and stylistic precision in winemaking, Fair Trade has played a major role in the renaissance of País in Chile. Established by Torres Chile in 2007, the País project of Curicó Valley is called Esperanza della Costa.
Over the past years, Esperanza has improved the standard of living by paying local growers three times more per a kilo of grapes. Besides, this Torres project provides concrete support and winemaking consultation for these growers.
However, the start of the project was tough as only one third of growers wanted to participate. But in 2009 they managed to sell their entire harvest to Torres Chile, thus enabling the birth of País-based Estelado Rosé. After that, many País growers were willing to join.
In Curicó, we met two intriguing characters around the País grape. Secundina Vásquez is the woman to thank for uniting 19 coastal growers to form Esperanza della Costa.
“In the beginning, I was on the verge of despair. The isolation of our vineyards turned out to be an insurmountable logistic challenge for most wineries I tried to sell our País grapes to. On the other hand, our isolation is the reason why very old País vineyards have remained intact until today.”
Looking back now, it is easy to see that Secundina was right. Amongst the international varieties dominating Chilean vineyards, País feels like a fascinating novelty, although it is genetically identical to a historical grape known as Listán Prieto. Originally from Spain, this old variety arrived in Chile with Spanish settlers in the 1500s and was later spread by Catholic missionaries.
Another unforgettable person on our trip was Limbado Medina Albornoz, one of the 19 contributors to the País renaissance. A crystallisation of sturdy País growers, he talks of his 120-year-old vines with great pride.
ORGANIC FARMING, RESTRICTED YIELDS
Today, long-neglected and nearly forgotten País grape attracts more and more interest among Chilean winemakers. Many estates are now looking for these grapes that once produced rustic and dull red wines. Grapes that still suffer from this reputation to a certain extent.
Albornoz reminds us that the key to good results is adamant control of the yields. Since País vines are very vigorous and resistent to heat and fungal diseases, they easily produce far too big crops which result in mediocre wines.
Ten months after the trip to Chile, I suddenly remember that in March 2016 only five of the Esperanza growers were certified organic. The remaining 14, now in conversion, should be certified for the upcoming harvest. This means that in Finland we will be able to buy organic Estelado Rosé from next summer onwards.
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR PAÍS
Looking back now, it is easy to understand that Torres Chile believes in País as a grape that can help define Chile’s wine identity. What’s best, Torres is not alone in this belief.
Wine professionals have started to notice that with strictly controlled yields and in skilled hands, País can produce elegant wines. The best recent proof is Estelado Rosé’s triumphant performance at CSWWC 2016. This sparkling rosé won the World Champion Classic Brut Style from a Non Classic Grape award.
If you ask me, I gladly vote for País as the national grape of Chile instead of the often way-too-heavy-Carménère. Besides, I give my vote for Secundina Vásquez who tirelessly continued selling the País grapes despite dozens of refusals from Chilean wineries.
My warmest thanks to Torres Chile and Winestate (the Torres importer in Finland) for inviting me to this eye-opening trip. For more information on País and the Fair Trade project, read this or visit the Torres winery in Curicó (Almirante Pastene 333, Providencia, Región Metropolitana), 200 km south of Santiago de Chile).
