 You
talk of the Bordeaux terroir and he will tell you about
the Chilean winemakers finding the terroir of Casa Blanca perfect
for Chardonnay and Merlot. You sing about the value-for-money Chilean
wines and he will boast of the wines competing with over-$200
wines in the US. Mention the delicious Cabernet Sauvignon of Napa Valley
and he will tell you about the great Apalta Valley for the same varietal.
Meet H.E. Alfonso Silva Navarro, the new Ambassador of Chile in India,
a career diplomat who arrived earlier this year from his last posting
in Jamaica, from where he handled ten other nearby nations
for 4 years.
'I am very happy that I was posted mostly in the wine producing countries,
' says the wine connoisseur who has been posted in South Africa, Spain,
Uruguay, Brazil and the US, from where he also studied
after joining the Foreign Service in 1976. His love and passion for wine
increased at every such stop, he feels.
Red, Red Wine
Don Alfonso is a hard-core red wine lover. 'Personally, I love red wines,'
he admits. 'As they say, Best white is a good red. In a climate as hot
has India, I would go for lighter red wines like Pinot Noir which can
stand a bit lower temperature.'
How rightly said! Many a wine-lover misses the beauty of the reds thinking
that only white wines are suitable for the summer. Lighter wines like
Pinot or even Sangiovese, Valpolicella, Montepulciano or Beaujolais can
be quite refreshing when served at cool temperatures of 10-14 ° C.
Winters are of course, excellent for hearty and full-bodied stuff.
'I prefer full bodied Cabernet or Shiraz in winter, but Cabernet is
my clear favourite, especially with meats. I also love Merlots from Casa
Blanca, which are very good quality,' says the connoisseur.
What about Carmenere?
So what does he think of the Merlot-resembling signature wine grape
from Chile, the varietal which did not survive the Phylloxera in its
home country France, but has been thriving in Chile. 'I find it a very
intriguing varietal-very distinct, lesser body than Merlot but with deeper
colour. But it tends to be slightly sweet due to lower acidity,' said
he. 'But it is improving all the time. With winemakers coming out with
better quality all the time, it makes a nice blend. Montes has come out
with a beautiful blend, a Montes Reserve, which is quite complex and
yet costs around $10,' he says with a gleam in his eyes.
Terroir of Chile
He feels very passionate about the soils and climate of different parts
of Chile. 'We are discovering the specialty of our terroirs. Like in
Bordeaux, I can tell you that Maipo and Apalta make very good Cabernets
whereas when you drink Merlot or Chardonnay from Casa Blanca, you know
they will be of superlative quality.
He is quite a fan of Torres wines and the contribution of Chilean soil
for some of his production bottles but he is very happy with the results.
'Do you know that Torres does not produce any Cava in Spain but produces
the sparkler here with 70% Chardonnay and 30% Cabernet, using the Metodo
Classico and exports it to Spain?'
Improving quality of Chilean wines
The quality of Chilean wines is getting better, says the ambassador.
'Lower priced wines are shifting to the mid and higher priced range.
Today 10-12 winemakers are making wines which sell for over $100 and
are competing favourably with wines costing around $200.'
Ambassador Alfonso narrates an interesting incidence that he encountered
at Jindal House where 'someone very knowledgeable about Chilean wines,
gave a big lecture on Chilean wines and told me he resented people saying
they are low-ended wines because in fact they are of very good quality.'
Boom, Boom Chile
 When I asked His Excellency about a possible slowdown in wine exports
due to economy and the rising Peso, he was very gung-ho about the economy.
'At the current savings rate of 25%, it is the highest in Latin America.
The foreign investment rate of 25% is third only after Mexico and Brazil.
In the continuously booming economy, the per capita income has increased
from $4000 to $11000 in the last 5 years. Today's reserves at $30 billion
dollars may appear to be small against those of India but for us they
are quite enviable.'
Of course, the peso became very strong, rising from 700 to a dollar
4 years ago to 468 today, having escalated to even 420 during its rise.
This makes our wines that much more expensive. In other areas like copper
and paper pulp, the price rise was able to match the unprecedented rise
in oil prices, but wines have suffered.
'But it is also true that 10-15 years ago we were very aggressive in
wine exports and started becoming lax and complacent in our efforts during
the last few years. It was like soaking in the sun. But the efforts have
been reinforced now; this time with a joint venture between
the government and private producers to promote, rather than the government
providing total support for export activities.
Full Trade Agreement with India
'The earlier Ambassador, Jorge Heine had put in a lot of work in this
direction-I need to continue to exert in that direction and have his
efforts take shape. As you know, we have globalised trade, with revenues
coming from export in a major way. We shall try for a Full Trade Agreement
between the two countries,' says he.
There are lots of grounds for making this Agreement mutually beneficial
for both nations. Take for example, the case of Indian
tea. It has to face major barriers in most Latin American nations. If
we import bulk tea and package it in Chile, we would import it
without paying any taxes, and pass on the benefits to the consumers in
these countries as we have FTAs with these nations, because of the saving
of duties there. This way we can help India in the export of tea. There
are many such examples,' says the ambassador.
Wine Promotion
 'I can assure you, we would not be lacking
in giving support to anyone who wants to import or promote Chilean wines.
Both ProChile and my office will be available for any such efforts,'
he says assertively. To start with, there is a delegation of 15 Chilean
producers coming to India on 6
th June and there will be a Festival of Chile at the Oberoi with various
programmes that will give the professionals an opportunity to taste some
of the wines.
We shall be there to report the activities and bring the Taste of Chile
alive for our viewers.
Subhash Arora |