RKS Wine: What Are the Strategic Pillars of the Chilean Wine Industry?

After attending Drink Chile Toronto 2022 on November 8, 2022 it became apparent what are the strategic pillars of the Chilean wine industry.

• DIVERSITY AND QUALITY

Chile perceives its agro-climatic conditions make the country a vitivincultural paradise and one of its greatest strengths. Its 18 distinct wine regions extending 1,400 kms from north to south are influenced by the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean therefore having geographical, climatic and soil differences. Phylloxera-free dry-farmed old vines are a staple of Chilean viticulture.

• SUSTAINABILITY

Chile’s wine industry is committed to protecting its natural environment and strengthening its communities by encouraging and systematically incorporating sustainable practices into every step of production. The industry has created a Sustainability Program including a National Sustainability Code that provides a common framework to guide the wineries toward increasingly sustainable practices. Wineries that comply with the requirements as determined by an independent agency are entitled to use a “Certified Sustainable-WoC seal.

• COUNTRY IMAGE

The Strategic Plan 2025 includes programs to increase awareness of “Chile: Privileged wine tourism destination”. Encouraging wine tourism not only promotes the wine industry, but Chile’s image and appreciation overall. After talking with a couple of producers it would appear there is little money available to fund journalistic trips to Chile’s wineries. The EU has an enormous wine promotion budget but Chile very little. Without funding media trips of tourism and wine writers Chile will be spinning its wheels. There is so little Chilean wine available in Toronto it only makes sense to bring wine writers to Chilean producers.

• INNOVATION

The industry has created Innova, a technical consortium dedicated to research and development projects that address the needs of the wineries and are conducted in conjunction with top-level national and international universities and researchers. It focuses on quality improvement of vineyards, sustainability and technological transfer.