Photo by Joel Ross Studios
a message from tina jones
When I visited Chile a few years ago, I wasn’ t surprised to discover how beautiful and remote it is. Navigating the winding roads through the wine regions of the Chilean countryside is definitely an adventure, and the vistas are breathtaking. Since my journey to Chile, Banville staff members Gary, Mike, and Jill have all made the trek, and with each trip, Chile becomes increasingly accessible. Mike and Gary may have spent many hours disoriented in their rental car, but they look back on the adventure with a smile! By the time Jill visited Chile last March, she was well-equipped to have a seamless journey. Jill was very fortunate to be included in a special group trip organized by the good people at Wines of Chile( read about her trip through the Colchagua Valley on page 45)!
Chilean wines are making great strides in today’ s discerning wine world. A recurring theme in this issue is transition: once known largely for its bulk wine exports, Chile is now being recognized for its high impact, inexpensive wines, as well as some emerging classics.
I hope you enjoy the cultural flare of this issue! We begin with an exploration of Chilean culture and history( page 25), revealing the rich historical context of winemaking in the region. Sylvia Jansen explores Chile’ s“ green” report card( page 53) and Joel Lamoureux stirs up international flavours in our Chilean-themed Test Kitchen( page 62). We are also privileged to feature an interview with iconic winemaker John Duval( formerly of Penfolds, now of John Duval Wines), who discusses his foray into Chilean winemaking at Viña Ventisquero( page 31). If you have not yet discovered the wines of Chile, then you are in for a real treat!
Salut!
10 www. banvilleandjones. com