We first met Polkura Proprietor/Winemaker Sven Bruchfeld on a trip to Chile not long before the global pandemic shut down the world in terms of travel. We recently sat down with him again (virtually) and covered everything from Harvest 2021, to dry farming (combined with creative irrigation techniques), the purpose behind MOVI (the Movement of Independent Vintners) and what he’s working on next. Click on the video below for the full interview:
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Chile’s climate provides ideal conditions for Carménère.
There are certain wine regions in the world that are known for a particular grape variety. For example, the Napa Valley is synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon, Burgundy for Pinot Noir and Argentina for Malbec. Then there are the regions that have so many different unique micro-climates they can produce a much greater variety of high-quality wines. Sonoma is one that comes to mind with its 17 different AVAs and 259 different soil types. On a recent trip to Chile, we discovered that although it’s a place often associated with Carménère, it’s finally gaining notoriety for its quality with respect to a diverse range of varieties. For the last 3 decades, Viña Montes has been at the forefront of this transformation helping to reposition the country’s reputation worldwide both with quality and diversity.
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Casa Real Hotel
Chile’s Maipo Valley is home to some of the most recognized wineries in the country. Arguably one of the most famous is Viña Santa Rita which is not only one of the oldest and largest wineries in Chile, it is home to one of the most spectacular hotels we have ever had the pleasure of staying at.
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Concha y Toro’s Icon wine, the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chile is one of the top 10 wine producing countries in the world and the majority of their wine is made by a handful of wineries. At the top of that list is Concha y Toro with over 1 million litres produced from 15 facilities across the country, along with 1 in Argentina, and 1 in California. While we typically search out small, boutique, artisanal wineries (and we found some gems in Chile), Concha y Toro has proven that size doesn’t always matter when it comes to making high quality wine.
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Sven Bruchfeld
We first encountered Polkura when Sven Bruchfeld, the winery’s founder, joined us and our group of wine travelers for lunch while we toured the wineries of Chile and Argentina. This particular lunch was the kick-off for our tour, and what a kick-off it was. On the edge of downtown Santiago is the incredible restaurant called Pinpilinpausha. Pinpilinpausha is the Basque word for butterfly. The restaurant was started in 1940 by the Sanz-Raab family of Spain. Their goal was to bring the style and flavours of Basque cooking to South America. For almost 80 years it has been one of Santiago’s, and in fact, one of Chile’s, top restaurants.
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