A Matter of Balance

Fermentations

Cecile G. Mauricio

IT was four years ago when I brought home the two empty bottles of Seña—souvenirs of an enjoyable lunch and the great wine that had made it memorable. That was the time I met Nicolás Saelzer, regional director of Caliterra, producer of the celebrated Seña, Chile’s first iconic wine. Many developments have taken place since then, said Mr. Saelzer, over the impromptu luncheon Tita Trillo hosted, as I had missed the recent welcome dinner for him—and his presentation of the latest from Viña Caliterra.   

There was the January 2004 blind tasting in Berlin conducted by wine expert Steven Spurrier, where the Viñedo Chadwick 2000 and Seña 2001 placed first and second, respectively, besting famous appellations from France and Italy. The event, now recognized in the international wine industry as the “Berlin Tasting,” became a milestone in the Chilean wine industry, demonstrating that its wines are comparable with the world’s best. Also in 2004, the Eduardo Chadwick family acquired the 50-percent share of the Robert Mondavi family in Caliterra, making the former the sole owner of the winery that was formed in 1996 by the partnership of the two illustrious names in winemaking. By 2005 Caliterra had increased new plantings to almost 300 hectares, mostly in the cooler hillsides. And because of concerns with cork taint and freshness, all Caliterra white wines are now bottled under screw cap. 

Mr. Saelzer, I realized, was as enthused as ever about the wines of Chile and Caliterra. Gone are the days, he mused, when Chilean wines were only thought of as good value wines—they still are, but now there are icons like Seña, Almaviva, Montes Alpha and Casa Lapostolle. And Caliterra is soon to release another icon wine, the ultra-premium Cenit 2005, its first vintage, with just 400 cases made. Aged 18 months in a combination of French and American oak, Cenit (as in “zenith,” the highest point) is composed of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and petit verdot, although the winemaker has the flexibility to adjust the blend and the grape varieties according to the vintage. Also to be released soon is the Tributo Edicion Limitada, another high-end range with only 2,000 to 3,000 cases made, in variants that will include a unique carmenère-malbec blend. These two new bottlings, together with the Reserva and the Tribute lines, will be available in a couple of months in their new labels and packaging—all produced within the precepts of environmental concern. The latter was the subject that Mr. Saelzer warmed up to.

Caliterra has moved forward in the practice of sustainable viticulture in a deeper way, extending from the vineyard to the community that surrounds it and then even further out to the company’s suppliers. On the one hand, while Seña is now produced via biodynamic farming and specific lots of the Caliterra vineyards are being certified organic, the company is also supporting the community school with computers and instruments for its music program. The paper for the new labels and packaging material have been especially sourced from certified organic producers. In the end, Mr. Saelzer averred, sustainability is a concept of balance involving the vineyard, the community and profitability.

What are we drinking with lunch? So was the next question that needed to be asked after my one-on-one with Mr. Saelzer. We were at La Vigne, Tita Trillo’s domaine, the wine cellar-cum-restaurant she had so carefully furnished with the things she holds dear—fresh flowers and potted orchids, antique wooden tables and armoires, framed family photographs and news clippings of memorable occasions. There was a salad of arugula and pear slices with crumbled goat’s cheese, and linguini with salmon and a delicate cream sauce. Madame Trillo had chosen the Caliterra Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2006, subtly floral with an herby, citrus-y edge, crisp and bracing, yet soft on the palate. Mr. Saelzer was beaming in approval over the judicious pairing of food and wine. Did I know that Caliterra’s Reserva range is retailing at about P594? From the low-priced offerings to the top of the product pyramid, Chile is a world-class wine producer, declared our elegant host, as she refilled our glasses.

There is more where it came from.

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Fermentations: A Matter of Balance

IT was four years ago when I brought home the two empty bottles of Seña—souvenirs of an enjoyable lunch and the great wine that had made it memorable. That was the time I met Nicolás Saelzer, regional director of Caliterra, producer of the celebrated Seña, Chile’s first iconic wine. Many developments have taken place since then, said Mr. Saelzer, over the impromptu luncheon Tita Trillo hosted, as I had missed the recent welcome dinner for him—and his presentation of the latest from Viña Caliterra.

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Many moons ago in ‘Cook Magazine,’ we did a feature on the mojito. It was a fairly new drink in town (by that, I mean not everyone knew what the drink was all about), so we were testing some recipes. A little white rum here, some lime there, a little more rum, some soda, more lime, crushed mint leaves, a lacey stream of syrup...a little more soda...oops, too much soda...more rummmm....

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