Chilean wine history | For the collector of wine bottles and wine ...
History EuropeanВ*Vitis viniferaВ*vines were brought to Chile by Spanish conquistadors andВ*missionariesВ*in the 16th century around 1554. Local legend states that the conquistadorВ*Francisco de AguirreВ*himself planted the first vines.В*The vines most likely came from established Spanish vineyards planted inВ*PeruВ*which included the “common black grape”, as it was known, thatВ*HernГЎn CortГ©sВ*brought toВ*MexicoВ*in 1520. This grape variety would become the ancestor of the widely plantedВ*PaisВ*grape that would be the most widely planted Chilean grape till the 21st century.В*JesuitВ*priestsВ*cultivated these early vineyards, using the wine for the celebration of theВ*Eucharist. By the late 16th century, <a href="http://www.coachonline-sales.com/coach-handbags-coach-business-bags-c-241_246.html"><strong>business bags </strong></a> the early Chilean historianВ*Alonso de OvalleВ*described widespread plantings of “the common black grape”,В*Muscatel,Torontel,В*AlbilhoВ*andВ*Mollar. During the Spanish rule, vineyards were restricted in production with the stipulation that the Chilean should purchase the bulk of their wines directly from Spain itself. In 1641, wine imports fromВ*ChileВ*and theВ*Viceroyalty of PeruВ*into Spain were banned, severely damaging the wine industry in the colony. The market loss caused the huge surplus of grapes to be <a href="http://www.coachonline-sales.com/coach-handbags-coach-crossbody-bags-c-241_243.html"><strong>crossbody bags</strong></a> made intoВ*piscoВ*andВ*aguardiente. The concentration solely on pisco production, nearly eliminated wine production in Peru. For the most part the Chileans ignored these restrictions, preferring their domestic production to theВ*oxidizedВ*andВ*vinegaryВ*wines that didn’t fare well during the long voyages from Spain. They were even so bold as to start exporting some of their wines to neighboring Peru with one such export shipment being captured at sea by the EnglishВ*privateerВ*Francis Drake. When Spain heard of the event rather than being outraged at Drake, an indictment was sent back to Chile with the order to uproot most of their vineyards. This order, too, was mostly ignored. In the 18th century, Chile was known mostly for itsВ*sweet winesВ*made from the Pais and Muscatel grapes. To achieve a high level of sweetness the wines were oftenВ*boiledВ*which concentrated the grapeВ*must.В*Following his shipwreck off the coast atВ*Cape Horn, AdmiralВ*John ByronВ*(Grandfather of the poetВ*Lord Byron) traveled across Chile and came back to England with a glowing review of Chilean Muscatel comparing it favorably toВ*Madeira. The 19th century wine writerВ*AndrГ© JullienВ*was not as impressed, comparing Chilean wines to a “potion ofВ*rhubarbВ*andВ*senna”. Despite being politically <a href="http://www.discountrosettastone-online.com/rosetta-stone-version-3-chinese-mandarin-level-12-3-set-w-p-5744.html"><strong>rosetta stone chinese</strong></a> linked to Spain, Chile’s wine history has been most profoundly influenced byВ*French, particularlyВ*Bordeaux,В*winemaking. Prior to theВ*phylloxera epidemic, wealthy Chilean landowners were influenced by their visits to France and began importing French vines to plant. DonВ*Silvestre ErrГЎzurizВ*was the first, importing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,В*Cabernet franc,В*Malbec,В*Sauvignon blancВ*andВ*SГ©millon. He hired a FrenchВ*oenologistВ*to oversee his vineyard planting and to produce wine in the Bordeaux style. ErrГЎzuriz saw potential in Chile and even experimented with theВ*German wineВ*grapeВ*Riesling.В*In events that parallel those of theВ*RiojaВ*wine region, the entrance of phylloxera into the French wine world turned into a positive event for the Chilean wine industry. With vineyards in ruin, many French winemakers traveled to South America, bringing their experience and techniques with them.В*At the time, DonВ*Silvestre OchagavГ*a EchazarretaВ*foundedВ*Ochagavia WinesВ*in 1851 and DonВ*Maximiano ErrГЎzurizВ*foundedВ*ViГ±a ErrГЎzurizВ*in 1870, bringing and using grapes from France. Political instability in the 20th century, coupled with bureaucratic regulations and high taxes tempered the growth of the Chilean wine industry. Prior to the 1980s, the vast majority of Chilean wine was considered low quality and mostly consumed domestically. As awareness of Chile’s favorable growing conditions for viticulture increased so did foreign investment in Chilean wineries. This period saw many technical advances in winemaking as Chile earned a reputation for reasonably priced premium quality wines. Chile began to export extensively, becoming the third leading exporter, after France andВ*Italy, into the United States by the turn of the 21st century. It has since dropped to fourth in <a href="http://436100.info/view.php?id=81994"><strong>Designer Handbags Online Guide</strong></a> the US, being surpassed byВ*Australia, but focus has switched to developing exports in the world’s other major wine markets like theВ*United KingdomВ*andВ*Japan.
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