Jamie Verbraak

A Unique Wine Tourism Experience at Casa Marin

Wine Tourism is becoming increasingly popular among international and local tourists. Wineries are not just wine cellars anymore; instead they have become visitor destinations. The wine is no longer the only attraction; wineries are investing in creating a memorable experience that surrounds and incorporates their product. Wineries now have tours, tastings, lodging, onsite restaurants and other activities as entertainment for their guests. This is now the concept behind wine tourism.

The concept of a “Wine Route” (Ruta del Vino) is becoming more popular in Chile, where wineries attract visitors to taste their wines and visit their wine cellars and vineyards. A bit off the traditional wine route, 4 km from the coast, in the small village of Lo Abarca in the San Antonio Valley there is a boutique winery Viña Casa Marín whose wine has garnered the most awards internationally. Viña Casa Marín provides private tours, tastings and a delightful B&B, aprivate cottage in the middle of the vineyard, but also allows visitors to participate in the wine making process of these extrodinary wines. This boutique winery is capable of providing a personal experience showing the consumer what it takes to create their quality product. The owner and winemaker, María Luz Marín, is creating a new type of wine tourism experience providing the visitor with a more profound knowledge about the unique climate, in which her wines are made. She invites you to stay and relax at the private house in the vineyard with a view of the ocean and experience first hand the landscape, the sunshine and the coastal breezes which give her wines their distinction. And if you would like, you can have hands-on experience and spend a few hours helping in the vineyard. The experience at Casa Marin also offers the opportunity to join the Marin family for lunch or dinner held at the family house next to the winery or “casona.” When María Luz Marín speaks about her vineyard she explains how it was created and is sustained by “pasión pura” or pure passion, and on a visit to this special place, this becomes obvious.

To view the complete tour and lodging options visit www.casamarin.cl or you may request information at info@casamarin.cl or at hospitality@casamarin.cl

Casa Marin´s view on 2012

Casa Marín’s outlook for exports in 2012 is positive. According to Maria Luz Marin, the only woman in Chile who is both founder and owner of a vineyard, “our outlook in terms of export growth for this year is in the range of 30%-35%.” Due to the recent finicial crisis which hit one of Casa Marin’s biggest markets, Europe, in 2012, Casa Marin will concentrate on developing new long standing relationships with other markets.

New markets such as Russia, Colombia, Australia, China, and France will receive first time product orders during the first half of 2012. The company will also continue to export to the Brazilian market in Rio Grande do Sul. In addition to exportation, Casa Marin intends to concentrate on increasing direct sales from the winery by focusing on tourism.

Presently Casa Marin is in the midst of a new project: the planting of 10 new hectares. With this new growth, other new investments are also being discussed, such as a boutique hotel, new tasting room and other hospitality driven investments. The future is full of promise.

Sales

The winery, which focuses on premium wines only producing approximately 15,000 cases, has an average case value of US$ 110. This exceeds the average case value of wine in Chile which is around US$30.

Tourism

In the recent years, the revenue from tourism has become increasing important. Casa Marin has the idea to increase its own tourism by making known the importance of the region as well as working together with other regional touristic activities. Thus, Casa Marin has started scheduling meetings and forging important alliances in order to boost the region’s historic background and offer exclusive wine tourism services. “Lo Abarca has an important gastronomic, historic, and religious component which we would like to foster in association with the winery,” explains Maria Luz Marin.

Prowein 2012

ProWein, Europe’s most important wine and spirits fair for the wine industry and related experts, will take place March 4-6. More than 3,700 exhibitors from 50 countries will be present and it is expected that the number of wine trade and food industry visitors who will attend this years fair will surpass the 39,000 visitors from 2011. This year Casa Marín will be located in stand 71B50. For more information go to www.prowein.com.

The wine was bestowed the prize after 9 judges from different countries met in Santiago to assess the best wines nationwide. Of the 17 trophies awarded, 11 went to wineries in the San Antonio valley (where Casa Marin is located in the V Region) as well as wineries from the Limarí, Elqui, Casablanca and Bío Bío areas.

Maria Luz Marín, one of the 100 Women Leaders of 2011

The prominent winemaker and owner of Casa Marín, Maria Luz Marín, was recognized, through a public vote, as part of a group of 100 Women Leaders in 2011, which was selected from a pool of over 700 outstanding women in different fields.

The awards ceremony of the top 100 Women Leaders in 2011 was carried out on November 29 by El Mercurio newspaper and the Mujeres Empresarias (Businesswomen) organization. The awards ceremony was held at El Mercurio premises, and the winners received a statuette as a token of their talent, commitment and outstanding development in different fields including the public and private sectors, education and social work. With 10 years of producing award winning wines business woman, winemaker and Casa Marín owner, Maria Luz Marín stood out among this group of women. She has positioned her winery internationally and obtained numerous awards from distinguished and renowned magazines and also specialized sites in the winemaking field.

The nominees include professionals, academics, politicians and businesswomen who had an outstanding participation during the course of the year. Those that stand out include the First Lady, Cecilia Morel; the ex President of the Nation, Michelle Bachellet, and Evelyn Matthei, Minister in the current administration, among other noted personalities.

This is the third time Maria Luz is nominated and receives this award. The first was for innovation, the second for entrepreneurship and now for her sustained success.

The secret to the success of her business lies in the professionalism and the experience that Maria Luz possesses, as well as the love and the passion she has for looking after her vineyard. She always desired to have her own winery, a distinguished and high level enterprise- which is exactly what she has achieved. “I am filled with satisfaction to see what I have achieved up to date, something that I can work on alongside with my son” says Marín. From the beginning her family has been essential in the creation and development of the company.. Maria Luz Marín works side by side in the vineyard and in the winery with her son Felipe. Her brother Osvaldo is in charge of tours and logistics, while her sister Patricia Marin has donated her artistic talent by decorating the winery and a significant part of the town of Lo Abarca with her mosaics.

Why go to the East? – The New Challenge of Casa Marin

Casa Marin is looking to open more international markets. With more than 90 percent of its production going overseas, they are now seeking to captivate and penetrate Eastern Europe and Asia, relying once again on the value of their wines with full prices. Both Eastern Europe and Asia has become attractive markets, very different from what they were less than a decade ago.

Eastern Europe is in a progressive improvement since the 90`s after the fall of the wall and was able to overcome their dependence from the west, creating more balance than it was able to do before, including the formation of one the biggest new fortunes in the world. Especially the Asian market is very attractive in terms of the consolidation of the great power and economic leader with a 7.8 percent GDP in 2011 and similar projections for 2012, passing over the United States and Western Europe. This giant includes China, Hong Kong and Korea. Its growth has enabled them not only the export of technology and high added value products, but has given its people the purchasing power to access luxury products and services.

In the personal experience Maria Luz Marin, leading winemaker and founder of Casa Marin, Asia has been a revelation. “Despite our vast differences which we should respect and not ignore, it means many opportunities and we must educate, create more links and transmit our experience and passion as a producer of a well-made luxury product.” Thus, Maria Luz Marin inicio at the end of October here trip to China with as objective to enter very strong into this market and that this market gets to know and value her wines and pure passion.

La agenda

25 de octubre: La gira por Asia se inició con la visita a Hong Kong del importador Watson´s Wine. Ahí María Luz participó en la South American Wine Dinner e el Restaurant West Villa. Estas “wine maker dinners”, son cenas donde se presenta a la viña a través de los diferentes platos: entrada, plato de fondo y postre, y cada uno de ellos es acompañado con un vino especial que hace el macht.

25th of October: The Asia tour began with a visit to Casa Marin´s importer in Hong Kong, Watson. It is here where Maria Luz Marin participated in the South American Wine Dinner held in the West Village restaurant. Those “winemaker dinners” are dinners where the vineyard presents their wines through the different courses: starter, main course, dessert, and each course is accompanied with a special wine that matches the food.

27th and 28th of October: After the winemaker dinner, Casa Marin participated two days in the “portfolio tasting”, where the importer invites all its suppliers and clients to a hotel where their customers can try the wines and get to know the people responsible for the making of those wines. For this occasion the portfolio tasting was held for two days in the Langham Place Hotel. The fair started at 14.00 untill 21.00hrs, very intensive, but for Casa Marin it is a great opportunity to transmit who is Casa Marin and at the same time to get to understand their consumers. Maria Luz marin summarized that the results were generally positive, the customers enjoyed the wines, although in this culture, red wine is better known as white.

29th of October: Today, Watson organized a “Meet the winemaker dinner” at The Kitchen in the W Hotel in Hong Kong. A luxurious dinner which allowed producers to meet and share more with the importer. One of the results of this dinner is a possible opportunity to be represented by Watson in the Chinese market.

31st of October: Casa Marin traveled to Shanghai for meetings with potential new importers for the Chinese market.

1st of November: On their way back Casa Marin stopped in the United States to visit some organic vineyards and look at the new technology that they hope to implement in their new plantation of 10 hectares. Among the organic vineyards visited, stands out the vineyard Benzinger, an organic and biodynamic vineyard successfully led by a Chilean winemaker during 15 years.

Casa Marín closes important contract in Bulgaria

Famous Wine, the leading importer of wines from Bulgaria, founded by the young man Yavor Yordanov, chose Casa Marín to complete their exclusive range of premium wines.

The young and dedicated Bulgarian importer Yavor Yordanov was very impressed with Casa Marín wines and decided that Casa Marín will be the only Chilean wine that he would like to represent in Bulgaria. After several conversations and meetings, in August, both companies agreed to an exclusive contract.

There has been a rise in development and economic conditions in Bulgaria over recent years; thus an entrance into the Bulgarian market is a desirable step for Casa Marín to develop a market in Eastern Europe. Famous wines is known for its selection of high quality wines making this new alliance appropriate and also advantageous.

Famous Wine has made a name for itself in Bulgaria, starting years ago when Yavor decided to import one of the most awarded vineyards in South Africa, Kleine Zalze. Today, due to the hard work and determination of Yavor, Kleine Zalza is very well positioned in Bulgaria, importing 5 containers a year.

This year Yavor has decided that it is time to expand his portfolio with two more wineries: Envivo from New Zealand and Casa Marín from Chile. As there are not many Chilean brands available in Bulgaria, this connection with Famous Wine is a great opportunity for Casa Marín to obtain a large share in the Bulgarian market. Yavor takes great pride in the wines he is representing, maintaining a certain quality in the level of wines he is importing. With this understanding, the representative of Casa Marín, Jamie Verbraak was pleased to close the deal with Yavor with a toast to “a successful and long-term relationship”. Famous Wine will begin by importing Casa Marín Sauvignon Blanc Cipreses and Riesling and also Cartagena Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Camenere. “Yavor takes his work very seriously and I have every confidence that Casa Marín wines will grow as one of the best positioned Chilean brands in the Bulgarian market”, comments Jamie. There has been a significant increase in the consumption of wine in Eastern Europe over the last 10 years, and Casa Marín hopes to find its place in this expanding market with the help of Yavor and Famous Wines.

Steve Thurlow visited Casa Marin

The wine critic Steve Thurlow is one of the moste respected critics in Canada and also member of the Jury of one of the most famous wine competitions “Decanter World Wine Awards”, of the UK. On his website Wine for Life www.stevethurlow.com, you can see the busy schedule of this connaiseur and wine lover. It starts with an important message; “Wine, enjoyed in moderation, is a healthy food which enriches life.”

We got to know about his motives to get to Valle San Antonio, especifically Lo Abarca an what was his favorite wine.

Steve Thurlow, the famous wine Canadien Wine Critic, visited Casa Marin on 30th of July. During his tour and wine tasting looking, Chile and, especially, this vineyard was the destination requested by the expert for months. The interest of this great connaisseur was to get to know about the new achievements of Casa Marin, learn about their new projects and of course do a wine tasting.

Steve got to know Casa Marin and his owner, Maria Luz Marin, now almost 5 years. Since then, the expert had postponed his trip to this side of the hemisphere. According to Thurlow, the most interesting of the Chilean wine industry is to be found just in the San Antonio Valley, for its excellent qualities of climate and soil. During the tasting he tasted all the wines from Casa Marin. His favorite was Casa Marin Sauvignon Gris.

The Greatest Rieslings on Earth!

Riesling is making itself at home in more and more countries, but where is it performing the best?”

The UK magazine Imbibe did a blind tasting among the “Greatest Rieslings on Earth” between 7,50 and 30 pounds retail, together with a panel of 14 professional wine critics. Chile had the best average scores of all the Riesling producing countries! Our Casa Marin Riesling Miramar Vineyard 2010 was rated as one of the Greatest Rieslings on Earth!

Here are the conclusions of the “The Greatest Rieslings on Earth” tasting:

• Wines were of a high standard, only one wine did not make it over the 60%
• Chile had the top average score, but with only two wine entries. New Zealand won a convincing second place with five wines – without approaching the higher prices of some of the other countries
• While prices were premium, there was plenty of value found
• Food matching was more of a factor for this tasting than for most. Panelists recognized the great potential of this grape
• There is seemingly a great discrepancy between the wine trade´s perception of Riesling and that of consumers
• A number of tasters commented on an appealing mushroom character in some of the best examples tasted.

It is very interesting to see the high scores and quality of the New World Riesling compared to the traditional Rieslings of Alsace, which are by the way more expensive than the Rieslings from the New World.

From our own experience, a Chilean Riesling at an higher price is more difficult to sell because of the competition in Germany, Austria and France. This study finally approves that we Chileans can indeed make very good, high quality Riesling!

View here the results!

Decanter World Wine Awards – The Results!

The results of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 are published.

• Casa Marin Sauvignon Blanc Cipreses 2010: Silver Medal
• Casa Marin Riesling Miramar 2010: Silver Medal