Felipe Toso knows his label's artists. Syrah, chardonnay, sauvignon: he raises them in the finest styles, mono or in the blend. Consequently, the Viña Ventisquero winemaker possesses unparalleled flavour ability.
Hello Felipe, can you hear us?
If you can speak to the head winemaker during the hustle and bustle of harvest, you're in luck. We call to Chile where Felipe Toso is surrounded by a ten thousand-strong crowd. Of grapes, that is, and they are bursting, full of juices. Felipe sends us a selfie. The fog means we can barely see the Andes mountains in the background, but it is there. Ventisquero's vineyards stretch from the coast to the plateau. Felipe: "As we speak, I am tasting grapes. I think we will start picking on a large scale here next week. Three weeks ago in March we started the pinot noir and chardonnay and the merlot has just started."
Does the harvest look good?
"Yes, I am positive about 2019. The weather conditions have been good, the grapes are of high quality."
Each grape its own picking moment?
"Any variety, any wine region too. It's not mass production. I think sometimes people don't realise that enough; we are not an industry but real farmers who are constantly working with the weather. Chile is like the European wine countries Germany, France and Italy. If you go to the mountains, there is a different climate than on the coast, and that in turn is very different from the climate around the wine villages."
Read the full story in #WINELIFE#58. Order it here!
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