Chile: Vina San Esteban / In Situ - A Beacon of Quality

Sometimes everything comes together just perfectly. A winery that doesn't have to outgrow its comfort zone because it is family owned. Vineyards that were planted on the hillside, a decade before it was fashionable. Grape variety and clone choices that many advised against, but ended up working out.

This is the legacy of Vina San Estaban winery in the Aconcagua Valley north of Santiago. Originally, the family grew fruit and grapes for others. This can still be seen in their thriving table grape business. Now they have to buy grapes to meet the demand for their lower end wines. The estate grapes go into their own In Situ line.

In Situ literally means in place, and while the term refers as much to the archeological finds on the property, that can be view "in place" it is also appropriate for these wines which reflect a sense of place more than most. One of the local hieroglyphs grace the label and it is a strong reminder of the people that have lived in this valley, not only thousands of years ago, but for the last few generations.

They have managed to carve a world class winery operation out of the steep hillsides they have planted with vines. The 2,400 feet of altitude help keep the grapes cooler than most vineyards in Chile, but it is the attitude, more than the altitude that is most refreshing.

As with so many others in Chile the winemaker and vineyard manager at San Estaban are not content to leave well enough alone. They are constantly striving to find new and better ways. Where they rise above the norm is in the execution of their desires, and how it is reflected in their wines.

New wine drinkers tend to enjoy the obvious flavors of oak, and so too do nascent wine drinking regions. Chile is at this point of their evolution, as the US was not long ago, and Australia even more recently. The market here clamors for over oaked wines with hardly a hint of fruit. Many winemakers recognize that the need to propel more of the fruit flavors, but few do much about it, driven by market realities.

San Estaban has solved this problem by simply exporting almost all of their wine. Except for visitors to their estates, you can only find the wines in Europe or the US. Not feeling compelled to create a wine style that would sell well in Chile Horacio Vincente Mena has taken his family's winery to a world class level.

The wines are a near perfect marriage of structure and fruit, with oak playing a supporting role instead of the all too often lead. Here the ubiquitous Carmenere of Chile has found a champion who understands how to balance the potentially overwhelming green flavors without loosing the character of the grape.

With a strong emphasis on organic farming and keeping yields lower than what almost anyone else in this country would consider viable, Horacio is making the wines in the vineyards without having to resort to the heavy handed practices of so many of his contemporaries.

Acidification is a common in this land of great heat and over ripe grapes, but Horacio has sought balance by allowing some of his crop to remain less ripe, thus adding acidity from the grapes, and not from chemistry. The results are evident in his wines which have the layers of complexity I have been searching for throughout Chile.

I came here in quest of the future of Chile. Hunting for those that recognize the potential of this mammoth wine making region. Many have glimpsed the future that lurks just ahead, but Horacio Mena and Vina San Estaban are living examples of what can be done.

Cooler vineyards, careful attention to growing practices, a light hand in the winery and a scale that does not have to resort to the industrial methods employed by the enormous wineries that dominate the industry here. These are the keys to quality, and for many it may remain out of reach as long as they continue to make inexpensive wines for an unappreciative local market.

Chile has a great future as a world class producer, but until the Chileans themselves learn to demand quality over quantity, and are willing to pay the difference, craftsmanship may remain the purview of those few who eschew their own market.

It is not only San Esteban that has learned that their wares are most appreciated overseas, almost without exception all of the wines I have been most impressed with are created with these foreign markets in mind.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Exporting brings money into the country and is great in an age when so many are looking for ways to prop up their economy. None the less, we have already heard the laments of the locals that all of the great fruit that is produced here can only be found in supermarkets abroad, and so it seems, that the best wines too are not to be found at home.

Chile: Wine Store Review - Wain

I have been in a lot of wine stores. From the mom and pop liquor shop that grudgingly carries a few bottles of indifferent wine, to the mega-mart style of outlet that does their best to stock everything under the sun.

Most of the best fall in the middle, small enough to give personal service, but large enough to have a decent selection. I recently visited a shop that is on the larger side, but it was more than the diversity that made it stand out.

In the upscale Vitacura neighborhood of Santiago a new player in the wine biz has just opened. Wain's visual appeal from the outside beckons you. As you walk into the store you are greeted by a modern open style of merchandising that is equally pleasing to the eye.

Looking more like an art gallery than the ubiquitous overcrowded bottle shop, Wain goes to great lengths to make their visitors feel at home. The wines are arranged by variety, over two floors and each in their own room. The temperature controlled wine bars in each section are your next hint that this is not your average vinous vendor.

Indeed, almost every wine they sell can be sampled before purchase. An outdoor seating area even allows you to taste in a relaxed comfort that seems more akin to a cafe than a retailer.

Tall tables for standing and sipping make it easy to stroll from room to room, sampling as you go. The decor is easy to look at, but my one complaint is that the wine is not. The sensual dark woods and dim lighting make for great ambiance, but without anything white to look through your wine at it is hard to judge its color.

A handy napkin or iPhone can solve this problem, and I am probably one of the few who would balk at this omission. For most guests the overall effect is one that is perfectly conducive to enjoying the usually daunting task of purchasing wine.

The selection is almost exclusively Chilean, as is the case for most wine stores in the country. Imports are all but impossible to find here. The price range is also typically Chilean. This boutique treatment is afforded to as many wines under $10 as over.

Time will tell if the consumer appreciates the approach of Wain as much as I do, but it is a great attempt to remove the fear inherent in wine shopping, and I am all for that.