In early March of this year, a contingent of Satek Winery luminaries, including Shane and myself, along with a large diverse group of Indiana-centric (but by no means exclusively) wine professionals as well as the Purdue Wine Grape Team, traveled south of the equator to

Vineyard view from the top of the Mayan-inspired building of Catena Zapata Winery in Agentina

Chile, and later Argentina. This was, by parts, a goodwill trip, a fact finding mission, team building exercise and "opponent" scouting. From the benefice of the Winery, what did we learn?

 

Many of the dozen or so wineries we visited were much much larger in production capacity than we, and, due to the South American climate (very comparable to California), were able to grow varietals (Malbec, Carmenère, Torrontes, etc.)that would not be possible in our neck of the woods. Most were leveraged towards international distribution versus domestic consumption. Many of these businesses had familial origins in 19th

A 400 year-old grape press at Veramonte Winery

century mineral fortunes and despite turbulent times (government privatization, Coup d'état and their own form of prohibition), they had endured, and eventually prospered. And herein lies the most important lesson I took away.

 

The United States of America is a young country, having existed as such for 236 years. Indiana became a state in 1816. Satek Winery opened in 2001. All these numbers are smaller than other countries, states, and wineries. They are smaller, but they "are", so to speak. There is an old saying I like to repeat- "When is the best time to plant

The production room at Errazuriz Winery. Just massive.

an oak tree?" with the answer being 30 (or whatever) years ago. The second best answer is today. What we couldn't take away as comparison, we definitely could take away as inspiration. Our oak is planted.

~ Jason Satek

 

 

I thank Jason for providing the background on this trip, in addition to the handy Spanish travel dictionary that allowed us to tiptoe around the thick language barrier. This trip to South America gave this Hoosier kid a new scope on the art and dynamics of wine production. However, in order to understand South America on that level, I am convinced you need to absorb their culture, their people, and their land.

A grape arbor leading to Concha y Toro, supposedly the 2nd largest winery in the world

 

That was a main focus of mine.  Although I don't have nearly enough time (and space) for all the highlights, I would like to make one assertion.  It could be a dirt floored bodega in Maipu or the crystal clarity of Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc, the diverse memories of this trip are bottled and stored safely in the cellar of my mind.  

 

Along with a Pisco Sour or two...

 

~ Shane Christ