This year version will be focus on the Asian market, therefore our judge panel will be including some of the most prestigous wine personalities of this magnificent place of the world.

We expect to have more than 100 chilean wineries and over 600 wines participating in this year competition.

For further information, please contact Flavio Llanos (fllanos@winesofchile.org).

With the help of 60 wine bloggers in United States and six wine bloggers in Chile, a virtual Blogger Tasting on Wednesday October 24 generated 853 Tweets through the designated #BlogChile hashtag, creating 5.5 million impressions on the Web, and reaching 400,000 followers!

Another high-tech and innovative Blogger Tasting took place on Thursday October 25 for Wines of Chile’s Asian audience.

“We believe this is going to keep going,” says Wines of Chile Managing Director Claudio Cilveti, referring to the power of social media in promoting Chilean wine to the world.

Through the United States event, Wines of Chile bridged the northern and southern hemispheres by inviting six bloggers to Chile to take part in the tasting, which was broadcast to the computers of 60 additional bloggers who participated virtually.

Guest bloggers and winemakers socializing at pre-tasting cocktail in Santiago, Chile (photo by Gretchen Stahlman)

The tastings were moderated by Master Sommelier and Wines of Chile Educator Fred Dexheimer, who also traveled to Chile for the event.

A similar Blogger Tasting was held in United States in April, but last week’s events marked the first time Dexheimer moderated the tasting in the same room as winemakers, creating lively interaction and face-to-face discussions about the wines.

“[The Blogger Tasting] was more fun, more natural, that we were all here together,” recalls Lori Tieszen, Director of Wines of Chile’s United States office.

While 60 bloggers in United States received a shipment of wine in the mail for Wednesday’s tasting, six lucky bloggers instead received a trip to Chile and the chance to attend in person.

In addition to discovering Chile’s wine country, cuisine and warm hospitality on their week-long venture, the guest bloggers also comprised a discussion panel in a seminar on “New media today and how wineries can benefit it,” held in Santiago on Friday October 26.

Meet the visiting bloggers

Jameson Fink

“I like to use food as a vehicle for talking about wine,” says Fink. “The food audience is thirsty for wine knowledge.”

Fink regularly pairs food and wine in writing on popular sites Foodista.com and JamesonFink.com, where he quenches his readership’s thirst for gastronomic insight.

A true foodie, Fink savored the experience of pairing Chilean Sauvignon Blancs with coastal seafood last week. And although this was not his first trip to Chile, he also savored the view of the Andes from the vineyards he visited in the company of the other guest bloggers.

Timothy O’Neal

As a contributor to Sommelier Journal and the Wine Director of Kansas City’s Avenues Bistro restaurant, Timothy O’Neal is realizing and writing about his passion for wine.

“You gotta have feeling,” he explains, regarding his motivation as a wine writer.

O’Neal’s feeling and personality are evident in his writing and in his vibrant career selecting and promoting wine for the food industry.

No stranger to amazing meals and amazing wines, O’Neal recalls eating lunch outside on a beautiful day at Viu Manent winery as one of the trip’s distinguishing moments.

“Sauvignon Blancs seem fresher when drinking outside,” he reminisces.

Abigail Purcell

Creating “click candy” is Abigail Purcell’s specialty.

As Social Media manager for Bottlenotes.com, Purcell is perfecting the art and skill of engaging the wine community through social media, inspiring online wine-lovers with dynamic Facebook and Twitter posts.

Active social media communities like Bottlenotes benefit the entire wine industry, Purcell advised seminar attendees.

“Even though we all want to be the best,” she said,” it’s really important to recognize that we all want to succeed.”

Gabe Sasso

The freelance wine writer for Bullz-Eye.com and GabesView.com, has an adventurous palate and a curious mind. “I like to get inside things,” he says, discussing his trip to Chile and his exploration of Chilean wines. “Lesser-known is more interesting to me.”

Traveling to Chile has provided Sasso and his companions with direct insight into Chile’s wines, winemakers and wine regions, an irreplaceable experience that they’ll share online.

“Blogs have a more personal touch than traditional media,” said Sasso in Friday’s New Media seminar, indicating that consumers are more likely to identify with wine blogs, where they can easily “find a voice that speaks to them.”

Dennis Sodomka

Co-founder of BottleReport.com and based out of Augusta, Georgia, Sodomka is a career journalist who primarily began writing about wine after retirement.

“We tell stories, and that’s what people remember,” he told the seminar audience. “Stories are more important than anything.”

According to Sodomka, wine-lovers “can build memories on [wine],” like the memories he’ll carry and the stories he’ll tell of his time here – a dusky, outdoor dinner at Casa Silva, riding horses through J. Bouchon, and the consistent kindness of Chile’s people.

Kori Voorhees

WinePeeps.com is a family collaboration, representing Kori Voorhees’ decade-long career in wine, which began as a hobby and later evolved into a successful blog and consultancy.

Voorhes’ blog “writes to the level of the consumer,” she says. As a result, WinePeeps is a convenient educational hub for anyone seeking clear and friendly information and resources for augmenting all levels of wine knowledge.

Experience the Wines of Chile

The following wines and wineries were represented in the Blogger Tastings; keep an eye out for blogger reviews appearing online!

• Viña Casablanca Casablanca Valley Nimbus Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2012
• San Pedro Leyda Valley 1865 Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011
• Casa Silva Colchagua Valley Paredones Estate Cool Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2011
• Emiliana Casablanca Valley Novas Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2010
• Cono Sur Casablanca Valley 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2009
• Morandé Casablanca Valley Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2009
• Concha y Toro Cachapoal Valley Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere 2010
• Carmen Colchagua Valley Alpata Vineyard Gran Reserva Carmenere 2010
• Koyle Royale Alto Colchagua Carmenere
• Viña Ventisquero Maipo Valley Grey Glacier Single Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
• Viña Maquis Colchagua Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
• Viña Los Vascos Les Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Colchagua Valley Le Dix Cabernet Sauvignon

Seminario de Wines of Chile dará los resultados de una investigación sobre el posicionamiento y oportunidades de los vinos chilenos en este importante destino.

El próximo 23 de agosto Wines of Chile presentará los resultados de un estudio sobre las preferencias y comportamiento de los consumidores en Estados Unidos, investigación a cargo de Wine Intelligence, empresa líder en consultoría, marketing global y estudios de mercado para la industria del vino.

A cargo de Juan Park, Reserarch Director, y Natasha Rastegar, Project Managerl del organismo, los resultados se enfocarán en el posicionamiento y oportunidades de los vinos chilenos en este mercado, entregando información actualizada y estratégica para la gestión de las viñas.

Asimismo, el bloque “What is at the core of every successful brand” abordará las nuevas tendencias de packaging e innovación en etiquetado y presentación de marca, elemento clave para el objetivo de aumentar la visibilidad de nuestroslos vinos en uno de los mercados más competitivos del mundo. Stephan Finke, de CLL Americas, y David Schuemann, de CF Napa, estarán a cargo del segmento.

El seminario se realizará a partir de las 09.00 hrs. en el salón Torres del Paine del Hotel Marriot y se espera que concurra un centenar de representantes y ejecutivos de la industria del vino.

RSVP: 2180600 anexo 201 / cpacheco@winesofchile.org

Representantes de nuestras agencias y oficinas de WoC en el exterior y gerentes de mercado en Chile, presentarán el status de los mercados de Europa, Canadá, Brasil, Asia y EE.UU, y las propuestas de prioridades y planes para el año 2013.

Se agradece confirmar asistencia con la Sra. Carol Pacheco al siguiente email: cpacheco@winesofchile.org o al 218 06 00, anexo 202.

This great opportunity to showcase our region and to draw the consumer focus to Chilean premium wines, grow in volume and value sales and the get the chance to increase the number of listings in the market.

Wines of Chile is working with the SLGA in the planning and development of promotional materials for this thematic display period, which will include freestanding displays in 10 signature stores across Saskatchewan. A winery participation fee of $1,270.00 USD per SKU will assist in covering the costs of the promotion and production of the materials.

Each winery may submit up to four (4) SKUs to participate in the program. All SKUs will be submitted to the SLGA and they will make a final selection of 15 SKUs. Once they have finalized a list and participating stores we will notify you. You will only be charged for wines that are accepted.

This event has the funding and support from ProChile.

©www.MattWilson.cl for Wines of Chile.

Wine Enthusiast, Cooking Light, Santé, Snooth; their work appears in some of the industry’s most-read publications and esteemed wine magazines, and now they are coming to Chile to see for themselves why this nation wedged between the feet of the Andes and the shores of the Pacific is steadily building a reputation as the world’s foremost wine destination.

John Harding, Doug Paulding, Scott Jones, Gregory Dal Piaz and Laurie Daniel form the contingent of wine writers invited by Wines of Chile to tour the country from this weekend through the next, enough time to experience a selection of the country’s best wine regions and wines, alongside gourmet meals, tours and tastings at over a dozen leading vineyards.

The group will focus on the the valleys that lay scattered around Santiago, the vibrant metropolis that serves as Chile’s gateway to the world, and will travel as far as the MauleValley, 150 miles south of the capital.

Shortly after touching down in Chile, they will be exposed to the best of the capital’s culinary scene, having lunch at Donde Augusto in the historic Mercardo Central – the bustling seafood market in the heart of downtown – and dinner at the upscale Italian pizzeria and wine bar, Tiramisú, in the high-powered financial district of Las Condes.

From there the team will head to the Maipo Valley – literally on the outskirts of the capital.

The valley stretches the length of this sliver of land, from Alto Maipo - nestled between Andean peaks – to Pacific Maipo, which catches sea breezes straight off the world’s biggest ocean.

El Principal, Concha y Toro and Santa Rita are the vineyards on the agenda for Maipo, where the group will sample the Cabernet Sauvignon that the region specializes in, and tour some of the country’s most historic wineries, before returning to Santiago to spend the night.

The following day will be spent at the country’s oldest wine growing region, the Maule Valley, which stretches around the city of Talca.

Maule has undergone something of a renaissance in recent ye

ars, thanks largely to the Camenere grape, and the emergence of a new breed of innovative winemakers, who are experimenting with new ways of creating environmentally friendly, and uniquely Chilean wines.

On the way down the group will stop in at the Koyle vineyard, in the Colchagua Valley – perhaps the country’s most prestigious wine region – before pushing on to VIA Wines and the J Bouchon vineyard, where they will spend the night.

The next day will the critics returning to the banks of the Colchagua, to sample the Cabernet, Carmenere, Syrah, and Malbec of Conosur, Apaltagua and Casa Silva, their final destination for the day.

Thursday will begin at Clos Apalta before the group travels to Matetic in San Antonio - the valley that divides Santiago from the port city of Valparaíso – to sample the crisp whites and spicy reds that thrive in this region, with its cooler temperature and ocean breezes.

De Martino in the Maipo Valley will kick off the last day of touring, before the group heads to the heights of San Esteban in the Aconcagua Valley, nestled at the base of the tallest mountain in the Americas.

After a hearty week full of vineyards, the group will bring their trip to a close with an opportunity to enjoy Chile’s acclaimed wines aside foodies at the Ñam Santiago Food & Wine Festival at the W Hotel. The festival combines high-end cuisine from chefs hailing from Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Spain, and Chile, with workshops, a tapas fair and endless tastings.

Click here to download “King of the Curries” (pdf ) in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Imbibe magazine.

Click here for more on the Made for Curry campaign.

“Chilean Fine Wine Style,” in Jorea JoongAng Daily.

Our favorite beverage gets two articles in this extensive edition, click here to read: “Top Marks for a Highly Palatable Paradise” and “Wines of Chile Represent a World of Choice.”

Better yet, take a look at the entire issue:

CHILE: Latin America’s great success story

or download the full report in pdf format.

Viña San Pedro is one of the five finalists for the New World Winery Award, and Alvaro Espinoza stands among the top five Winemakers of the world.

San Pedro is no newcomer to this arena. It won the same award last year, and mother-company Viña San Pedro-Tarapacá was nominated for the award the year before that.

Winemaker Alvaro Espinoza, consultant to the Emiliana and Pérez Cruz wineries, owner of Viña Antiyal, and partner in Geo Wines, is especially known for his work in the areas of organic and biodynamic viticulture.

The final winners will be announced in the magazine’s December 15th issue and awards will be presented in January 2012.

Other past winners from Chile include Viña Casa Lapostolle, the New World Winery of 2008, and the Colchagua Valley as the 2005 Wine Region of the Year.