New Releases from Chile

The growth and diversification of the Chilean wine industry continue apace.  Most of the country's best producers are now working with American importers, which until recently wasn't necessarily a given, and most of those importers have distribution that puts the best Chilean wines within the reach of more American wine lovers than ever before.  Chilean wines at all but the highest price points are moving well, worldwide, and this success has encouraged a growing number of producers to become more adventurous, whether in site selection, choice of varieties to plant or, especially, styles of wine to make.  I saw more wines of real individuality, of real character, this year than ever before--as opposed to merely "safe" wines.

At the same time a growing number of small producers has been emboldened to produce wines on what would have been considered an untenably small scale just a few years ago.  Many of these "garage" wineries are part of a new trade group known as MOVI (Movimiento de Viñateros Independientes; www.movi.cl/), and, in finding international distribution, they have overcome the stereotype of Chilean wine being large-scale and commercial.  In fact, most of the large wineries themselves have taken a leap into limited-production bottlings, usually with positive results.