The Elqui Valley wine region is located 400 kilometers (250mi) North of the Chilean capital, Central-valley/maipo-valley/santiago">Santiago, at the very southern edge of the Atacama Desert. Its latitude of 29° makes it Chile's northernmost wine region, for now at least; the country's determined wine pioneers are now setting their sights as far north as the Atacama. Traditionally the region focused exclusively on producing Chile's trademark brandy, Pisco, but today Elqui Valley vineyards are producing Bright, intensely Aromatic wines, most notably from Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah.
As might be expected in an arid, largely uninhabited region surrounded by desert, the valley is hot and Dry making irrigation essential in all vineyards here.
The Elqui province is famous for its bright sunshine, pure air and Clear skies as well as a number of astronomical observatories. Vineyards here receive far higher levels of solar radiation than any European wine region, and this seems to translate into the wine style. The vibrant intensity of Elqui Valley wines, when yields and potential Alcohol are kept in check, can be quite remarkable.
The secret to successful viticulture this close to the equator is altitude.
Elqui's vineyards sit up to 2,000 meters (6,550ft) above sea level, which means that the Warm, bright, days are followed by cool, fresh nights. This diurnal temperature variation lengthens the grape growing season, of which allows grapes time to develop intense varietal character, while retaining refreshing levels of acidity.
Wineries all over Chile now focus heavily on the altitude of their vineyards. Altitude has become as much a marketing tool as a key element of terroir.
A new-look Napa Valley barrel auction saw 75 lots raise a total $1.5m in aid of children’s mental health, organisers have announced. Many wines were from the 2021 vintage, and Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) reported an average price per lot of $18,683, which it said was a new record. The barrel auction is now part of Collective Napa Valley, a philanthropy-focused initiative created to offer events and sales for wine lovers throughout the year – replacing the previous Auction Napa Valley event that s ...
Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Mayacamas and Spottswoode are among the major names featured in the Napa Valley Library Wine Auction via Sotheby’s. More than 50 lots have been assembled for the sale, which began online this week and will culminate in a live auction on 5 February in New York. Organised in partnership with trade body Napa Valley Vintners, the auction includes vintages back to 1978 and wines have been sourced direct from winery cellars. One rare lot involves a magnum of each of Scr ...
Of all the columns I’ve written this year, this one should have been the easiest to write: open my tasting notes file, sort by year 2021, sort by score, select the top ten highest scoring wines, copy and paste. Go to the pub. But it’s not that simple. Some wines are technically perfect and undeniably excellent, wines I respect greatly that deserve their high scores – but on a personal level, they leave me a little cold. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top ...
