The Journey of the Carmenere

Since the rediscovery of the Carmenere in Chile 15 years ago, it has become necessary to improve the quality of mass produced wines and to harness the marketing power of this variety.

The relationship of Jacques Begarie (winemaker of Casa Lapostolle), with the Carmenere was not love at first sight. He was aware of it in his native Bordeaux, as well as in Friuli, Italy. Its herbaceous notes bothered him.

When Begarie arrived in Chile (2004), he came as the new winemaker of the prestigious Casa Lapostolle Winery. A large majority of the international wine critics shared his opinion about it. It was argued that, in the majority of cases, it was a secondary variety. Other critics were more drastic in their assessment and complained against the excessively vegetal character and the capsicum notes that this variety had presented in the past.

However, Begarie found a very different reality in the vineyards of Casa Lapostolle in Apalta, in the Sixth Region of Chile. “The Carmenere has a density, a character of elegant fruit and a silkiness that I felt in love with”, the French winemaker explained.

In 2005, Begarie ran his first vintage in Casa Lapostolle with the Chilean winemaker Andrea Leon as assisstant, both beside the well-known French winemaker Michelle Rolland, who is an international adviser and chief winemaker of the estate . Together they made the icon blend “ Clos Apalta ”.

The main variety used was Carmenere. In 2008 the influential magazine Wine Spectator awarded Clos Apalta 2005 ‘Best wine of the Year’.

Never before had a Chilean or South American wine won this award. Finally recognition was awarded to their great achievement. The critics realized that the carmenere is not only an important variety it also produces exceptional wines.

“Chile has an increasing number of wineries making very good carmeneres, for example Carmin de Peumo (Concha y Toro). It has been important in changing the view of the critics in relation to this variety”, Begarie affirms.

Although in the last period of time it has advanced in big steps, there are still several urgent tasks to consolidate the advancement of the Carmenere.

Even 15 years after its rediscovery in Chile there is still a lot to improve, especially the quality of the cheaper wines and the marketing of this variety. These tasks concern wineries and the overall Chilean wine industry.

More and Better

15 years ago, the great Alvaro Espinoza, who was winemaker of Carmen Winery, bottled the carmenere for the first time, and identified it as such on the label. The decision created sorrow in the industry, because many wines of this variety were sold as merlot.

However, the initial success of this variety made a new tendency in the Chilean wine industry, with every winery trying to make their version and present it to the market.

That tendency became a problem, because many of the vineyards were planting in wrong spots, without the appropriate management. This created a negative perception of the carmenere as an herbaceous wine with notes of capsicum.

The Chilean Wine industry has had to pay for these wrong decisions in the past for many years. That’s why the success of the Carmenere nowadays, due to many international awards, requires an additional effort to get as much profit as possible.

First of all, is necessary to increase the productivity in the vineyards, especially in the price range of between 5 to 15 USD)

Until now, superb quality has only been evident in the higher price brackets. For example Clos Apalta costs 180 USD and Carmin de Peumo costs 200 USD.

The Challenge is to find wines in any price range of a notable quality. This is the direction that all wineries should be aiming for. Is necessary to understand that the requirements of the Carmenere are far stricter than Cabernet Sauvignon and the “Flexible” Shiraz.

“The costumer wants to escape from the over ripe fruit, everyone is looking for fresh ripe fruit, which gives some benefits to the Carmenere” said Marcelo Retamal, winemaker De Martino.

Carmenere demands soil with good drainage. The key point is to allow the grapevine to be irrigated well in the growing period, but when the fruit colouring starts (around January) decrease the watering sensibly to stop the vigour of the plant. In climatic terms, it grows well in sunny, warm weather. “We should pull out all the Carmenere growing in cool climate valleys such as Casablanca” argues Francisco Baetting, winemaker of Errazuriz Estate.

The main effort must be to create a better offering in relation to the price range, i.e. good carmeneres in every price bracket. It is not just all about premium wines, it is also about satisfying every costumer, no matter what their budget.

Consistency is another very important factor. Chile is now known worldwide for reliable Cabernet’s and Sauvignon’s, i.e. somewhere you can find great bottles for good value.

In order to take the next big step it’s necessary to work on a cooperative level within the Chilean wine industry, rather than the current individualistic approach. Several wineries have done studies on different production variables. An effective circulation and discussion of this information is key to generating a critical mass of good quality carmenere with accessible prices.

Commercial support

The task of the Carmenere is also in the area of marketing. It is important that wineries finally decide to aggressively market it. “The problem is that many wineries have positioned cabernet sauvignon in the list of the most ambitious wines. For that reason, it costs them to gamble with the carmenere” explains Ignacio Recabarren winemaker of Carmin de Peumo, Concha y Toro.

From the exporting boom at the beginning of the 90s, Chile has positioned itself as the country with very cheap and very good Cabernet Sauvignon. “It is necessary to bet with our Carmenere. Cabernet Sauvignon is everywhere in the world. We have to compete with Australia, Argentina and France. It is hard to differentiate ourselves. Carmenere must be our flagship wine, as the Argentineans have done with the Malbec or the Australians with the Shiraz“, explains Rene Merino, president of Wineries of Chile.

In fact, Merino explains that, as part the project of “The Development of the Chilean Wine industry for the 2020” (that Wineries of Chile is currently developing) the Carmenere is key.

What to call the variety Carmenere ??

Rene Merino, President of Wineries of Chile says: “I am of the opinion to give local character to the variety, as the Argentineans with the Malbec. I would leave it as ‘Carmener’ as the Chileans pronounce it. The important thing is that the industry decides a single name for it. We must arrive at a consistent message, starting off with the name”

Most information from the Article of Eduardo Moraga, Revista del Campo 9/11/2009