Why Chile?
Cue the theme from “Out of Africa”
We…bought a farm…in Chile, at the foot of the Andes mountains.
Chile? Why Chile? It’s often the first question or comment out of people’s mouths when we tell them we bought a vineyard in Chile. It’s just not a place on many American’s radar I suppose, and certainly few people know anyone crazy enough to buy a vineyard, much less one in a somewhat obscure country. So what is the reason? How do we respond to the inevitable “why Chile?” Well…We adore it—the country we almost cancelled visiting because we felt certain we found “the place” elsewhere, the ideal spot, the unexpected yet perfect getaway. But how and why did we end up buying a vineyard here?
In our earliest visions we traipsed through the Tuscan countryside, picked grapes from a hillside just beyond a Roman fortress, and played “O Sole Mio” while cooking up delectable pasta to drink with our classic Italian wine. Yes, Europe seemed the best place to start. After all, I am Italian with a passport to prove it. Italy is absolutely stunning, filled with history, loaded with amazing cuisine, and the beautiful people, well… So off to Italy we went only to discover that while the views, and the food, and the people all exceeded our expectations, the vineyards were costly and restrictive. Italians love regulations, and vineyards are no exceptions. They have regulations restricting water usage, regulations stipulating the variety of grapes one can grow, regulations mandating when to harvest and how much to harvest. One could easily drown in the sea of regulations—and then how would our dreams of crafting great wine fit with all of these? We could hardly be pioneers amongst all that.
Then there was nearby France. French wine is considered to be the best wine in the world after all (our Belgian friends certainly tout as much). Soon there were dreams of lavender growing near the vines and Sundays spent meandering through Provencial farmer’s markets. Alas, the French rules give the Italian rules a run for the money. Again, depending on the vineyard location, unless we wanted to make wine to be marketed and sold as simple table wine, France wouldn’t do.
How about California? I grew up in California. I love it there and I still have family there. Alas, the prices! Crazy, expensive prices and not much on offer. Texas makes wine, but we wanted a property away from our home state and in a place with the beautiful weather that often accompanies flourishing vineyards.
We visited Argentina—several areas on several trips. Beautiful country but not the most secure place. Our trip to northern Argentina took hours and multiple connections. Cafayate we loved, but getting there we did not. We took a ferry to neighboring Uruguay. Another lovely country. Friendly helpful people, but it is really much better suited for cows than wine (tannat being the one exception). So next trip we were off to Mendoza, Argentina, to check out their vineyards. It’s a quick flight from Santiago and known for its wine. The Andes Mountains offer stunning views at every turn. Yes, it was quite warm. Yes, the roads had seen better days, Yes, the currency exchange fluctuated daily and by vendor. But oh the wine! The land prices meant we could afford something. Great people! Loads of amenities in Mendoza. We thought it was “the place.” Until we hopped on a flight back over the Andes and exited the airport in Santiago.
Mediterranean climate exists in five places in the world—the Mediterranean, California, the Western Cape of South Africa (too far to travel), Western and Southern Australia (again, too far to travel), and central Chile. United Airlines flies directly to Santiago from Houston and then it’s just a quick drive to wine country. We decided to visit the Colchagua Valley, about 90 miles south of Santiago. As we exited the city, we noticed agriculture everywhere! No wonder so much of our winter produce in the states comes from Chile. The Chileans know how to farm. The road was in great shape. And oh, the weather! I felt like I was back in Southern California. Cool nights and pleasant days. Clear skies. No humidity (while they might argue, as a Houstonian, I know humidity and there’s virtually none in Colchagua). Few bugs. And remember how I mentioned farms everywhere? Well, exiting the 5 freeway onto highway 90 towards Santa Cruz and one sees vineyards in every direction.
We made that first trip in 2015, staying in a rather dumpy Air B&B for a few days, but it was enough. We banished all thoughts of Mendoza and began searching in earnest for property in the Colchagua Valley of Chile. Seven years and nine trips later, we found our place, and it’s in Palmilla, Chile.