Amsterdam, November 21, 2017.- The capital of the Netherlands learned about the of Chilean wines that are newly available in Holland. Chile’s heritage wines took center stage.

A delegation of 11 vineyards from the Maule, Itata and Biobío valleys accompanied by sommelier Héctor Riquelme and led by ProChile Director Alejandro Buvinic, presented still and sparkling wines made from what are known as heritage varietals, including Carignan, País, Cinsault, Semillón and Muscatel.

The activities in Amsterdam began on November 20 with a tasting guided by Riquelme of the mission’s featured wines. In attendance were specialized journalists, bloggers, sommeliers and representatives of Holland’s Horeca industry. Each of the wineries also offered an official presentation of its wines.

On November 21, the wineries met with Dutch importers and distributors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., demonstrating their great interest in learning about the new products. Nearly 200 meetings were held.

“As a market, Holland is in search of new experiences and approaches to wine. They are interested in learning about different varietals and seeing more natural wine production. These varietals are perfect because they offer those characteristics, and we are sure that they will be well-received by Dutch consumers,” noted ProChile Netherlands Trade Attaché Osvaldo Marinao.

“We are very pleased with the interest that the Dutch market has shown in the new wine offering we are showing. The tasting and business meetings were very successful. These wines will renew our presence on international markets,” said ProChile Director Alejandro Buvinic.

He added that, “ProChile is constantly seeking to expand the country’s export portfolio and we see a great opportunity in our small businesses. As part of Chile’s history, these wines are included in a sectorial plan that has already had an initial mission in Colombia and they are now being presented in Europe. Our country is currently the world’s fourth largest wine exporter. We want to use products and varieties that are part of our identity to complement the offering with which people familiar.”

This mission, which began in July with events in Bogotá, Colombia, will continue in other European locations, including Belgium (November 22-23) and France (November 24).

What are heritage wines?

Hidden in older vineyards in Maule, Ñuble and Biobío in southern Chile, white and red varietals like Cinsault, Carignan, País, Moscatel and Semillón have begun to receive praise from critics and consumers.

According to the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA), agrarian heritage includes products and/or processes that have social and symbolic meaning and are also part of the unique history and development of a community associated with a specific territory.

The definition encompasses grapes or winemaking processes that meet these characteristics. More than this, “heritage varietals” draw their identity from traditions and history that reach back several generations.

In Chile, these varietals are Semillón, Carignan, Cinsault, País, Moscatel de Alejandría and Malbec, which come from the dry interior valleys of Maule in the Maule Region and Itata in the Ñuble and Biobío Regions.

Direcon-ProChile Communications