Wines

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.

“The Grape that does not like to travel” – Jornal o Estado de Sao Paulo

“The grape that does not like to travel” – by Luiz Horta

Pinot Noir is such a complex grape! The variety, which originally comes from Burgundy, is a grape so beloved worldwide that high quality samples can be found across the globe — in New Zealand, in the states of Oregon and Washington in the U.S., and in other cold climates. The dream of many new world wine producers is to make a Pinot that resembles the Burgundy ones but the effort is almost always to no avail.

However, in South America, Chile has been very successful in producing high quality Pinot, along with some producers in the Argentine Patagonia. In spite of this, it must be said that these wines do not resemble Burgundy Pinot Noirs. Do we think this is bad? If one is able to grow the variety and have it display the typical characteristics of the grape, or have it show finesse, good acidity, body and the mass balance representative of a Pinot Noir, will that not be enough?

Luis Horta thinks a good Chilean Pinot Noir has to be just that: good and Chilean, without imitating or trying to be French. Hence the idea of tasting the best samples of the wine from Chile, to taste and to learn … Once again a favorite wine, from a great company and one of the most affordable in its line, surprisingly so…

Casa Marin Pinot Noir Lo Abarca Hills obtained 3 stars together with the TH Pinot Noir of Undurraga! It was described by Luiz Harto as “elegant, with a touch of “Dulce de Leche,” medium acidity, fine and pleasant.”

Click here to read the complete article (in Portugues)

What is the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris

Most of you did very well in the August poll, : “What is the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris?”The correct answer was “all of the above answers are correct.” Sauvignon Gris is a pink berry, has a thicker skin than Sauvignon Blanc, and is fuller-bodied.

In Chile there are just 3-4 vineyards which produce wines with 100% Sauvignon Gris. Sauvignon Gris is mostly used to blend with Sauvignon Blanc and add more complexity to the wine.

Our Sauvignon Gris Estero Vineyard is 100% Sauvignon Gris. In total we have 1.5 hectares of this special variety planted. In 2009 70 % of the wine was barrel fermented during 6-7 months in 500-liter French oak barrels. Sauvignon Gris is definitely one of our favorites!

Do you also know the answer to our September poll? “Which famous poet is buried in Cartagena?”

Download here the factsheet of Sauvignon Gris

Wine & Spirits: “Alcohol level in and of itself is not an indicator of quality”

Nowadays, the consumer is more and more looking at the level of alcohol in the wines they consume. As a result, Wine & Spirits Fall 2010, released a special issue: Striking a balance: Alcohol level in and of itself is not an indicator of quality. Several magazines editors went through their last 12 months of tasting, looked at varieties by the regions in which they excel, determined the median alcohol level for each, and highlighted the wines that scored highest at each step along the alcohol curve. Casa Marín was featured in the article covering Chile and both the Sauvignon Blanc Cipreses and Miramar Syrah were recommended.

Download here: Great High and Low Alcohol Wines: Featuring Casa Marín