Vertical Tasting Highlights Aging Potential Of Chilean Wine

Wines of Chile’s Inaugural ‘Vinos Verticales’ Event Provides Exclusive Tasting to Industry Influentials

An intimate vertical wine tasting and luncheon was held yesterday by Wines of Chile to highlight the aging potential of premium Chilean wines. This event, entitled Vinos Verticales, was the first of its kind in the U.S., demonstrating the longevity of Chilean wines through a tasting of ten wines from five participating wineries. Each flight included two vintages from one winery, complemented by custom food pairings from the acclaimed New York City restaurant Per Se.
Press members, sommeliers and buyers attended the event, which was led by Master of Wine Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, who offered her expertise on the flavor profile and evolution of the world-class wines. Simonetti-Bryan is the fourth woman to ever attain the international title of Master of Wine, and is among only 30 recipients in the U.S. She was honored in 2008 with an international tasting trophy for her palate and holds an additional five wine and spirits certifications.

Wines of Chile Educator and Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer joined Simonetti-Bryan to moderate the event. Dexheimer brought an intimate knowledge of Chilean wine to the educational tasting, as well as emphasized the unique characteristics that reward aging in each wine, including terroir, grape variety, viticulture and winemaking techniques.

“The Vinos Verticales event provided an opportunity to highlight the quality and aging potential of Chilean wines,” says Claudio Cilveti, Managing Director at Wines of Chile. “The geography, soil and climate in Chile’s wine-growing regions create ideal conditions to produce complex and unique wines that continue to improve through the decades.”

In addition to industry influentials, Chilean winemakers were in attendance to answer questions about winemaking conditions and their respective processes. Wines tasted at the event included Errázuriz Don Maximiano 2001 and 2010; Santa Rita Casa Real 1997 and 2007; Concha y Toro Don Melchor 1999 and 2009; Altaïr 2002 and 2011; and Montes Alpha M 1999 and 2009.

About Wines of Chile
Wines of Chile is an organization committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Ireland and Denmark. Wines of Chile also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional and educational programs in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wines of Chile’s 95 member wineries belong to Vinos de Chile and represent 88% of Chile’s bottled wine exports.

For more information on the event or on Wines of Chile, please visit www.winesofchile.org or the company’s Facebook and Twitter.