I have just returned from Chile where I spent three incredible days visiting Viña Errázuriz whose illustrious portfolio includes icon wines Don Maximiano, Seña and Viñedo Chadwick. As part of a larger group of UK wine merchants and importers we were the guests of Eduardo Chadwick Claro, the fifth generation of Errázuriz and the visionary who set out in 1983 to rebuild the family firm. 

Eduardo is one of the most inspirational people I have had the chance to meet and, although he will be humble and say he is only half way there, what he has already accomplished for the reputation of Chilean wine is remarkable. With head winemaker Francisco Baettig accompanying us, it was a pleasure to spend three days with Eduardo learning about what makes these wines so special.

As with all wine regions, geography is important. Chile is a long and narrow country defined by its geographic barriers. Stretching over 4,300km and with desert to the north, the Andes Mountains to the east, Patagonia to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west Chile has, unsurprisingly, a wide range of climates. The Humboldt Current that descends from Peru creates a permanent chilling effect and when coupled with the South Pacific anticyclone a temperate Mediterranean climate forms in the middle of the country around Santiago. Predictably this is where most of Chile’s vineyards are found.